Why don’t People ask Questions?

I am looking deeper into why some people ask questions and why others do not.

We all know that when you don’t have the information you need to make accurate decisions, you can hinder your success and at times open yourself up to risk. The wrong information can be expensive and possibly career compromising. So if we know this, why would someone not ask a question when they did not know the answer, if they could?

For further insight I turned to a study from the Harvard Business School and there I found what I believe is an accurate answer. The most prominent reason that people do not ask questions when they need too is….

Fear of judgement; a fear of a negative evaluation.

Of course it is, and better that than ego.

I truly feel that today in business, there’s a growing acceptance of personal transparency. The expectation that leaders “know it all” is not as high as they it used to be and fallibility is emerging as a strength. The sentence “I don’t know” is less of a liability than inaccurate decisions.

I believe that leadership is less afraid to publicize ‘learning moments’ and ask for coaching when they ‘don’t know it all’. This is promising.

I have always been the ‘figure it out myself’ kinda gal so as I hear hypocrisy knocking at my door, with every word I write, I can say my perspective has changed over the years. I now fill my ‘room’ with people with who can do many things more effectively than me, and I yearn for the collaborative direction only a coach and advisor can deliver.

I still hold onto my ‘ability to figure it out’’ mentality but only when its in my wheelhouse. We are lucky that our network of support today is expansive and technology is creating effective and affordable solutions that make us better together.

So ask yourself;

Do you ask questions when you don’t know the answer? Are you resourceful in seeking the information you need?

If you usually cross your fingers and hope that what action you chose works out in the end or if you rely on your peer group to give you the “strength in numbers” confidence to make a decision we urge you to stop.

The problem is, logic is not always the law, google is not always correct, and it takes time to ensure you are right.

Ask AnswerBar we don’t judge.