In the coaching process, and in life, you’re going to get asked a question you don’t know the answer to. It’s okay to not know the answer.
I repeat. It’s okay to not know the answer.
One more time for the people in the back. It’s okay to not know the answer.
Guess what? It’s okay to admit that you don’t know the answer.
Now you have the beginnings of awareness of what you don’t know. Now it’s possible to know what you don’t know, you know?
So now that you know that there’s something to know that you don’t know what will you do about it? Do you want to know what you don’t know? Do you want to keep not knowing what you don’t know?
In a coaching session, if you’re asked a question you don’t know, it’s okay to take time and think about it. You may not know the answer now, but now that you are aware of the question, you know what to look out for and become aware of. Then you’ll know. Admitting to not knowing the answer to a question is still answering their question, thus you gain more insight into yourself. There are no wrong answers in Coaching.
There is no shame in admitting you don’t know something. If you admit you don’t know, you open yourself up to the possibility of learning and knowing. If you are one of those people that feels shame, guilt, or embarrassment not having an answer to a question, where is that coming from?
Is just saying you don’t know something more of a knee-jerk reaction? If you take some time to think, do you know now? What’s your best guess? Is it just easier to say, “I don’t know.”? What makes it easier? Is there something you’re trying to avoid? What about the question might be hard? What stories are you telling yourself about not knowing something?
Self-awareness doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s a journey. A process. There’s going to be a lot of things you don’t know. Having a desire to want to know what you don’t know is the first step in creating self-awareness.
I, personally, find a lot of freedom being able to admit what I don’t know. No one is expected to have the answers to everything. Honesty is one of my core values and it’s much simpler and easier for me to admit when I don’t know something, so that way I have the ability to learn and know something new. It really takes the pressure off.
