Trying To Come Up With Answers

I am constantly looking for and thinking about how to answer different questions that Leaders are having in today's world.

I would say I do a pretty decent job, with over 400 articles written, one per day.

Most days, I find something that I find worth writing about, something worth publishing some form of answer to.

It's a fun process for me and clears my mind.

However, today was not one of those days.

I was sitting at my computer for a few hours trying to come up with something, anything.

I wouldn't say it was a "Writer's Block", because I wasn't having trouble doing writing, rather trying to figure out what to write about.

What was worth writing about?

What could I answer?

What would be worth a Leader's valuable time to read?

My Brain kept coming up with a Blank.

Nothing.

As I thought about how I didn't have any answers to anything at this moment, it made me think about how Leaders feel they must answer questions.

Many Leaders believe that they have to answer any, and all, questions that come their way.

One of the reasons many people feel like "Frauds" or have "Imposter Syndrome" is that they are afraid of not having answers to questions.

I understand the Feeling, I've been there myself.

However, there is something that I have found to be True over the years.

No one has all the answers.

Even "Masters" of subjects still find themselves stumped at certain questions.

No matter how well we prepare, no matter how great we are at what we do, there will ALWAYS be a Perspective we've never considered or a Question we've never thought of before.

This ends up making many people question if they should Lead at all.

However, this isn't the Truth at all.

Leaders don't need to have all the Answers.

Even if you "wanted" to have all the Answers, you couldn't anyway.

The Desire to have all the Answers is just another form of Perfectionism.

If there is anything we can know for certain about Perfectionism - you'll never reach it because it is not possible.

Even if we can't know everything, we can strive to Understand more

However, the important takeaway is that you can't know everything.

With this, Understand that No One is expecting you to Know all the Answers.

It is alright to say, "I really don't know. That's a great question!"

Leaders are not required to know every single answer that could come up.

It's ok to say that you can look into it, or look for answers.

It's alright to say that you aren't sure.

For me, that is one of those days.

I don't have anything in particular to Answer.

That is alright, and some days I won't have a specific topic that I am Focused into immediately.

A funny thing about knowing it is alright to say you don't know - Moving forward despite not knowing or having answers makes you more Confident and a Stronger Leader.

See, at the Highest Levels of Leadership, you SHOULDN'T have all the answers.

Why?

It is because Leaders should eventually be Designing the Future.

When you "Know" all the Answers, it is another way of saying you are Stuck in the Present.

It ends up becoming a shackle that prevents you from moving into the Future.

However, there is no such thing as "Stagnation" in the world.

If you are not Progressing forward, then you are slowly Deteriorating.

If you are going to Create the Future, it requires you to NOT know all the Answers.

So get comfortable with saying you don't know, that you don't have the Answers.

It allows you to become a Better Leader.

Then, if you REALLY want to be at the forefront of Leadership, you must start thinking about Designing a Regenerative Legacy.