I don’t know

Half of being smart is knowing what you are dumb about. — Solomon Short

I called my bank the other day with an obscure and complicated, but very important question. After I carefully and patiently explained my concern, the customer service agent gave me an answer. It was not the answer I was looking for, and it did not tell me what I needed to know. Yet it was a very impressive answer nonetheless. The answer was, “I don’t know.”

Though her answer didn’t tell me what I was seeking to find out, it did tell me a great deal about the agent and, by extension, the bank. Instead of making up an answer just so she could designate the incident as resolved and move on to the next call, she gave me a truthful answer and recommended that I go talk with someone in person at the branch office. Yes, a detailed, technical answer to my question over the phone would have been helpful, and more convenient than going to the branch. Yet her honest answer of “I don’t know” was very much appreciated.

One of the smartest things you can do is to admit you don’t know something. Being truly smart doesn’t mean that you know all there is to know. Being truly smart means having a realistic awareness of what you know, and just as importantly, what you don’t know.

It’s foolish to pretend you know something when you don’t. That doesn’t help anyone. It’s far better to admit right off the bat that you don’t know. Admitting you don’t know conveys courage, honesty, confidence and respect. And what’s more, it puts you in a position to learn. If you assume you know it all, then you lock yourself out from learning anything new. Yet when you’re willing to admit that you don’t know, then you’re able to find out.

If you don’t know, you can’t really impress anyone for long with false information. Instead, be truly impressive. Be honest, respectful and confident enough to admit you don’t know. Then seize the opportunity to learn something new and valuable.