Question about asking for help at work

I used to never speak up in meetings if I was confused, worried I'd look stupid. After a project in April went sideways because I misunderstood a deadline, I started asking for clarification immediately. How do you get past that initial fear of sounding dumb?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim.xena1mo ago

Worried I'd look stupid" is how you get a project going sideways.

eva9081mo ago

My old boss at the print shop had a rule, ask the dumb question now or fix the expensive mistake later. I sat silent in a client meeting once and then printed 500 brochures with the wrong date. @kim.xena is totally right, that fear is what causes the mess. The thing that helped me was realizing that asking for five seconds of clarity saves everyone hours of rework. Now I just say "Hey, can you walk me through that part one more time?" It feels awkward for a second, but it's way better than the cold sweat of realizing you messed up.

wyattrobinson1mo ago

Tell me about it. I once nodded along to a whole explanation about server specs I didn't understand. Ended up ordering a machine that couldn't run our software. The shame of that "I have no idea what you just said" question is nothing compared to the shame of having to explain why you bought the wrong $10,000 paperweight. Now I just lean into looking dumb.