Hi Reader,

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Welcome to Rev Up for the Week. I'm writing this on the plane to New York, where I'm spending a few days flitting between leisure mode and work mode.

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America is a country with great confidence — anything is possible, and it's OK to dream big. It's an infectious way of thinking that, a lot of the time, we Brits could do with adopting a little more. But there's also a downside to confidence and bravado.

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Have you ever had one of those moments when you realised that almost everyone is just blagging it? That our role models don't really know that much more than we do? That confidence and sounding like you have a plan is often more important and influential than the actual plan?

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I think because trust is often (mis)placed in those who make the right noises rather than those who make the best decisions, we often feel like we need to be like that, too. We need to sound authoritative. We need to look like we know what we're doing. All the time. Even when we really don't.

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One of the most underrated phrases for leaders is "I don't know". There are others that strike a similar chord, too — "Are we stuck?" "We need more data before we can jump to conclusions," "This is my best guess," and so on.

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When we role model phrases like "I don't know", we're taking somewhat of a personal risk—because, of course, sometimes we do need to be the one who knows—but we are also building trust and psychological safety.

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So much of the blagging and the 'winging it' happens because we feel that we must always have a plan,' or that uncertainty is too uncomfortable for those around us and that it's our job to protect them.

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But great leaders and operators know when to say, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing", AND they know when to boldly but humbly use an "I don't know" or a "let's defer to someone better placed".

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Used at the right time and in the right moment, it reinforces the idea that when you say you know, you really do. And it also reinforces the idea that it's better to communicate what's true than to wing it and run into trouble.

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So, this week, I invite you to think about how you can lose some of the bravado, communicate with honesty, and let a bit of humility and realness build the trust and clarity you need to make things happen.

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Have a great week,

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Graham

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