Turn “I don’t know” into your superpower of honest confidence

You’ve been taught that knowing is a sign of strength. In school, writing “I don’t know” got you a zero. At work, saying “I’m not sure” feels like you’re on shaky ground—like you might appear weak or indecisive. But here’s the thing: you never have enough data to guarantee any outcome. Every prediction you make has missing pieces. And when you pretend you’re 100% certain, you’re setting yourself up to double down on blind spots—and miss vital information.

The smarter you are, the more devastating this pretense can be. Brilliant minds excel at building elaborate rationalizations to fill those gaps—until reality barges in and exposes the holes. Instead of hiding from “I don’t know,” what if you leaned into it? What if admitting uncertainty became your touchstone for curiosity and collaboration?

When you start prefacing your thoughts with, “My current best guess is…,” others relax. They no longer feel cornered or judged. They open up, share what they know, and help you revise your estimate. Weeks later, you look back and realise your guesses were more accurate, your confidence matched the facts, and you sidestepped your old traps of over-certainty.

When you hear yourself making a definitive statement, pause and add, “I’m not sure, but I estimate….” Notice how it invites others to supply missing facts rather than reflexively shutting them down. Each time you qualify your certainty, you’re training your mind to spot data gaps—and your colleagues to pitch in more freely. It feels strange at first, but give it a few tries—watch how it dissolves defensiveness and builds a culture of genuine inquisitiveness.