Mantras.

In my experience, one of the most powerful things you can say in engineering, and in companies generally, is “I don’t know”.

This is not just about asking why or reasoning from first principles. It is about creating a culture where people can be honest about uncertainty. “I don’t know” is not an admission of weakness. It means you have found something you can act on.

Too many people in business go around pretending they know, showboating or strutting around with false certainty. When posturing, hierarchy and politics supersede honesty, problems start. Questions go unasked, weak signals are ignored and unsupported assumptions harden into decisions.

This is also where blame cultures grow. People become more concerned with looking right and protecting their position than discovering what is true. Admitting uncertainty becomes personally dangerous, so everyone carries on acting certain.

Engineering and scientific pursuits depend on being able to form a hypothesis, ask the right questions, test assumptions and get to the truth. That is a far more important skill than looking like you already have all the answers.

The Challenger and Columbia investigations found that communication failures, management judgement, hierarchy, schedule pressure and a broken safety culture contributed to the loss of both space shuttles. These were not simply technical failures. They were warnings about what can happen when an organisation makes doubt and dissent difficult to express.

Embrace the power of “I don’t know”.

Rogers Commission: The Challenger launch decision ↗

Columbia Accident Investigation Board: Organisational culture ↗