Not Knowing
I don’t know.
How comfortable are you saying these words?
How comfortable are you hearing these words?
For many, not knowing can be a source of dread. After all, much of the pathway through our formal education and in our workplaces is via knowing. We value knowledge and certainty. We reward those who (appear to) know. We take comfort from those who assert that knowledge with certainty.
Ask a question in a meeting, or a classroom, and we see the fear of not knowing on full display. Maybe it’s false bravado; maybe avoidance tactics. Either way, it isn’t ideal.
What if we were to see not knowing as a positive?
What if we shift the value placed on having knowledge and expressing certainty, to finding value in curiosity, vulnerability, learning, and exploration?
When we get comfortable saying, or hearing, I DON’T KNOW more often, we have an opportunity to find our way to new ideas, new knowledge, innovation and change.
I wonder, where might you unleash the power of not knowing?