When I was younger, sounding certain made me feel safer. I could give an answer with confidence and feel that I was doing what a leader should do. I did not always stop to ask how much of that confidence came from the facts and how much came from wanting to have an answer.
Business made that difficult to ignore. Customers reacted differently from what I expected, and plans failed even when they had looked sensible. During one downturn, I kept treating the change as a temporary bump. The business kept getting worse while I held on to the explanation that had made me comfortable.
I wrote about that period in “When I kept borrowing through a downturn.” The problem required me to look again at what was happening. Repeating my original view more confidently would not change the situation.
That experience affects how I listen to leaders now. When someone sounds certain, people may agree before they have worked through the decision. A concern can go unspoken because raising it feels like challenging the person who is supposed to know.
Admitting uncertainty gives the discussion somewhere to go. A leader can explain what is known, identify an assumption and ask for help testing it. People still need direction. They also need to know which parts of the plan may change when more information arrives.
I still feel the pull to give a firm answer, especially under pressure. It takes effort to leave something open when others want a decision. Before closing the discussion, ask which part of your conclusion depends on an assumption. What would cause you to reconsider it, and have the people doing the work had a chance to tell you?