Asking dumb questions at work – Photo: dailymail.co.uk
I wrote earlier about how to lead by asking questions at work, the right questions that is. Yet, except for the super-smartest among us, we’ve all at some point or another, thought of a not-so-smart question, and for the few unlucky among us, actually asked, out loud, the dumbest question ever. And don’t get fooled, your mama or first manager or caring nanny may have told you one day there are no dumb questions, but truth is, there are…There even are some that are so dumb you’re still struggling to understand how your educated, savvy self came up with them…I know I do…
Believe it or not, there are some benefits to stupidity at work. I have myself said a few things I’m not particularly willing to remember. There are even rules around asking dumb questions, without sounding dumb. Yet what do you do to recover from asking a dumb question at work?
My $0.05: Ok, it’s hard to take back a dumb question, especially at work. In my experience, recovering from a verbal faux-pas requires two things: finesse and honesty. Acknowledge you may need to rephrase the question or you may have overlooked possible answers or resources. Most importantly, whatever you do, do NOT call yourself or your verbal mishap stupid or dumb. Move on with finesse, and put it all on account of a pretty humbling learning curve.
How did you recover from asking a dumb question at work?
The Corporate Sis.
