"Because awesome things sometimes look a lot less awesome from the inside"

Alasdair Allen hits it right on the head:

We’ve built a culture where it’s hard to acknowledge that you don’t know something, because knowing things is intricately linked with the doing of awesome things — which in turn is linked to our stature with our peers.

Something I’ve noted, talked about, and tried to work on for years: being able to say “I don’t know.” I work with some folks that just cannot say those words. There’s stuff you know you know, there’s stuff you know you don’t know, and there’s stuff
you don’t know you don’t know. The last category is dangerous. The last category is where people who always have an answer, right or wrong, put you and your projects. Make it okay for people around you to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” Practice it yourself.

Speaking of things I didn’t know… impostor syndrome. My mom use to tell me that when you’re complimented on your work just say thank you. Don’t rattle off all the ways you think it’s bad. Mom was a wise person.

Go read Mr. Allen’s post and be enlightened. The title of my post here is my favorite line from his.