Self-doubt, fear, anxiety - these are emotions that EVERYONE will relate to and I think you're right to argue for senior people to show more vulnerability in order to normalise the experience and give encouragement.
I think we often confuse vulnerability with fragility - but they're not the same - vulnerability takes courage, it's a strength and the ability of a senior person to be able to express it, without fragility or victimhood, shows a level of sophistication in their approach.
I think this is so important. The first time my VP said to me “I don’t know I’ll have to figure that out” it floored me. But in the same moment made him human, from that point forward I realised that it was perfectly acceptable for me to reply with “I don’t know” when asked a question. In fact, he even encouraged me to.
It’s overall made me a better engineer because I am not trying to lie my way through solving problems. It has also allowed me to feel a lot more comfortable reaching out and asking for help, seeing it not a sign of weakness but instead a valuable skill.
It's ok not to know
Self-doubt, fear, anxiety - these are emotions that EVERYONE will relate to and I think you're right to argue for senior people to show more vulnerability in order to normalise the experience and give encouragement.
I think we often confuse vulnerability with fragility - but they're not the same - vulnerability takes courage, it's a strength and the ability of a senior person to be able to express it, without fragility or victimhood, shows a level of sophistication in their approach.
I think this is so important. The first time my VP said to me “I don’t know I’ll have to figure that out” it floored me. But in the same moment made him human, from that point forward I realised that it was perfectly acceptable for me to reply with “I don’t know” when asked a question. In fact, he even encouraged me to.
It’s overall made me a better engineer because I am not trying to lie my way through solving problems. It has also allowed me to feel a lot more comfortable reaching out and asking for help, seeing it not a sign of weakness but instead a valuable skill.