kuilo I Don't Know - hotamboyan

Post number 200 and what to write about? 

What can take us into the next hundred posts?

What one magical, mystical thing can I talk about for this occasion? 

The answer …

I don’t know.

No, for real, that’s actually it: I don’t know.

There seems to be something the road pups of today aren’t aware of: you need to be extra careful who you is around when you utter the phrase “I don’t know.” 

Here are a couple of examples where it is okay to say I don’t know: 

• When you are working on a fixture and need help, find the person that you are currently working under and say to them, “Hey, I don’t know how to take this ballast out. Can you show me?” Simple, perfect.
• Another would be the first time you run across something on a show. Find one of your other crewmates and say to them, “Hey, I don’t know how to wrap the spansets to counterweight the truss being heavier on the downstage side. Can you show me?” Easy peasy.

You could even take “I don’t know” out of those two situations by saying, “I haven’t done this before. Can you show me to make sure I’m doing it right.” By doing this you are telling the other person that you have some form of idea how to do it but you are looking for guidance.

Now, when is it NOT okay to say “I don’t know”? Basically any other time, especially on a gig.

Nothing removes confidence like those three little words.

Read it again. Nothing removes confidence faster than “I don’t know.”

Now while you really truly may not know something, there are other ways to phrase it until you figure it out.

• Give me a second and I’ll get on that.
• I’m working on it right now and will get it sorted out.
• It could be X or Y. I’ll go find out which it is. (Note: You better know that it could actually be X or Y before you say that, though.)

True, you are really doing nothing more than deflecting the question, but your answers are true. You will get on it. You will get it sorted out. You will find out what it is. That’s your job, it is what you do.

I know it may be fudging a little bit, but it is all about perception. Can your PM or LD or Crew Chief read between the lines if they want? Of course. In the heat of the moment, when the shit has hit the fan, will they? Maybe, but that doesn’t matter. And here is why …

And all for the low, low price of $19.95!

Yup, it’s not $20.00, is it? Or 20.01 or 20.05. What’s the difference between 5 or 6 or 10 cents? Pretty much nothing, but we are wired to react differently seeing 19.95 versus 20.01. And if we weren’t, companies wouldn't price things the way they do.

A lot of our job is about your persona, how you carry yourself, your self-confidence (sometimes this crosses over into egotistical and we’ll deal with that another time). You often hear (and maybe even utter the phrase) “fake it till you make it” and it is usually true.

It takes a bit of practice, so start now. Stop saying "I don't know" and in the end you’ll be much better off for it.

I think I’ll finish the first of the next hundred posts here.

What’s on tap for the next 99?

I’m working on it right now.

Until next time, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell

Mark