Have you been stuck but avoided asking for help? Maybe it's because you felt like you were expected to know the answer already. Were you afraid of looking dumb? Or incompetent? Or inexperienced?

Have you worked with someone who couldn't say "I don't know?" They'd rather talk at length about nothing, or dodge the question.

In an industry so full of impostor syndrome, it's incredibly common. And it's one of the greatest ways people harm their reputation, productivity, and their team.

We work in teams so that we can share knowledge, collaborate, and share the load. When we try to hide the gaps in our knowledge, we miss the opportunity to move quickly, learn from others' experience, and earn the trust of our teammates.

Trust doesn't come from a false sense that you know everything. It comes from a belief that you'll do the right thing, own your work, and be honest. That means working together and getting help when needed.

Learning to say, "I don't know" with my boss, my peers, and my team was transformational. It allowed us to move fast together. It allowed me to be right more often. And it relieved me of the incredible burden of trying to seem better than I was, and instead I became better than I was.