Comment by inadequatespace

> 16. Admitting what you don’t know creates more safety than pretending you do.

> Senior engineers who say “I don’t know” aren’t showing weakness - they’re creating permission. When a leader admits uncertainty, it signals that the room is safe for others to do the same. The alternative is a culture where everyone pretends to understand and problems stay hidden until they explode.

It's interesting to contrast this with Sean's statement here www.seangoedecke.com/taking-a-position/

> At that point, you need to take a position, whether you feel particularly confident or not.

> If you don’t, you’re forcing people with less technical context than you to figure it out themselves

To square the circle, I think the lesson is hide uncertainty to higher-ups, but don't to peers/ other ICs.

Of course, the challenge is that often, unfortunately, both the manager and the other ICs are in the same meeting.

Probably this is one justification of one reason why I hate meetings that include managers.