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Why NOT Knowing It All Is Necessary for Effective Leadership

Challenging the unknown
Taking control of your life is about being comfortable with the unknown. I became aware of this when I managed my restaurant. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I wasn't. Wondering if the business will make it tomorrow was a daily concern.
I have to be clear though, not knowing it all and relying on everybody else can be a mistake. I've found that people feel good when they contribute to a project or an idea. And taking credit for the contribution of others is detrimental to the group.

Many C-level executives and government officials don't have a clue on what they're doing. I have no statistics about this, but I believe this is true. There may also be times where it may seem like they know what they're doing, but in all honesty, they don't. How do I know? Try to notice how political leaders and business leaders react to issues related to their field. A good example that reflects what I mean (well, not so good for him) is Travis Klanick's career as CEO of Uber.

The closer you are at the top of the ladder, the more you realize that you don't have a clue about what you're doing. The world looks different from hindsight. As an executive, all you have is your intuition and your team's knowledge. Life would be easier if we'd be certain of the results of our actions. You think you know what's best until disaster strikes.

In all fairness to executives, most people in rank-and-file positions also don't know the reasons behind what they're doing. They do what they're told -- that's why they need leaders. It's easy to see what I mean when you suddenly put them in a sticky situation and make them accountable for their actions.


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Measuring progress for C-level executives is not as straight-forward as completing tasks. It is about delivering results -- which is often not easy to measure. Executives are responsible for the people who are responsible for the people who are responsible for the people who are responsible for the job. This long chain of accountability makes it difficult to measure the impact of a task. Strategic plans can take weeks, months, or years before you can see a significant result. Sometimes, it may not happen during the executives' term.

Fast feedback (sometimes instant) makes it easier to measure progress for rank-and-file positions. Some metrics can be measured daily. However, easy-to-measure metrics doesn't translate to an insignificant and easy job.

I used to get frustrated when my staff and I were not on the same page. Things that seemed common sense to me are uncommon to them. That's why the world needs leaders. People need guidance. We are naturally afraid of uncertainty. The world needs people who can face the dangers of tomorrow to reassure us of our safety for tomorrow.

The reason behind this post is to help you become comfortable with not knowing all the answers in your business. The more I accept this idea as a truth, the more I am sure about myself. It seems counter-intuitive but knowing that everyone else is "lost" one-way or another is liberating.

Last Updated: 2/9/2018
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