Don't be afraid to be wrong (Robert's Rule #19)

[Tweeted 2011-06-14]

I know it seems pretty obvious, but leadership is leading. You would think that this doesn't need to be said, but often it does, because apparently we forget.

You might be amazed at just how many people in the industry are unwilling, likely because of office politics, to step out on a limb. Sure, you could be wrong; but you might not be. Since this isn't really about being ill-informed, we'll assume that you're doing more than making lucky guesses, but even if you're not, if you're not making judgements and, more importantly, letting people know what those judgements are, you're not leading.

What's the worst that could happen if you express a reasoned judgement and you're wrong? It's usually not as bad as you think. (Remember, we're assuming that you're just wrong, not ill-informed and wrong, because that's another problem.) Some of the world's greatest minds were wrong; some of them were wrong frequently. So, we're (most of the time) talking about other people knowing you were wrong...and if that's the case then this may come as a surprise...everyone is wrong sometimes, and you hiding that you're wrong doesn't mean other people think you're never wrong.

On the other hand, what if you hide your judgement all the time? If you hide your judgements people won't assume you're right all the time, they'll assume that you believe you don't know enough to make a reasoned judgement or that you're too afraid to express your judgement for some other reason. Generally, neither of those are well-received in scientific or engineering communities.

So, make a reasoned judgement, learn to express the judgement in a manner that reveals your reasoning, and most importantly, don't be afraid to be wrong (Robert's Rule #19).