When She Became Comfortable Asking Questions

To be the best in your field, asking questions and taking constructive criticism makes you a better leader. Humility is the most powerful quality a woman in leadership can have.

Having a PhD you're reminded that you do not know everything, and that is why you are studying your subject. I am ok admitting I do not know something, especially if I want to learn more than "Google" can tell me.

Working with young children, I learned that if you don't ask, you don't know. Curiosity comes from a place of learning, growth, and self-betterment. Not knowing something (yet) doesn't threaten your worth or your competence; it helps you build on them. When you create a culture of growth and acceptance, there is a place for curiosity and learning. Curiosity helps you lead from a place of trust. Insecurity comes from a sense of threat and the fear that not knowing will expose you, trapping you in a place where you hide so nobody can see the gap. Insecurity treats not-knowing as dangerous. You can't lead and be yourself when you are hiding or pretending to be something you are not.

When I became comfortable asking questions and admitting that I didn't know everything. I guess just from making mistakes and learning from them. Just growing personally and self-development. Just getting out there, networking and going to networking conferences that developed me personally, from a physical and a mental standpoint. Now I'm comfortable to ask anything and not shy at all. Especially after getting up on my first stage, it truly gave me the confidence that I needed.

I became comfortable saying "I don't know" when I realized that credibility is strengthened by honesty and a willingness to learn. In healthcare compliance, the best outcomes often come from asking clarifying questions, and I have found that curiosity creates trust, strengthens collaboration, and helps to build a culture where people feel safe learning, speaking up, and solving problems collaboratively.

I became more comfortable saying "I don't know" when I realized it didn't make me less credible. It made me a better instructor, because curiosity keeps me learning and reminds me that being knowledgeable doesn't mean having every answer.

I became comfortable admitting what I didn't know when I realized that asking questions isn't a weakness it's how we grow. Curiosity has taught me to listen more, learn from others, and lead with confidence without pretending to have all the answers.

Curiosity changed the way I lead once I realized that active listening was more powerful than attempting to be the person with all the answers. I've also always tried to lead my teams as collaborative, and if I'm the only one with the ideas and answers, we could be missing amazing opportunities. One person can't be all things.

Early on, as one of the only women in the field, I thought every question I asked was evidence against me. It took years to see it the other way: the people who trusted me most were the ones who watched me ask something hard, then go find the answer.

As a professional, I do not ever think any question is a "dumb" question. Questions should be known as a learning tool to earn experience, knowledge, also the respect of superiors. As managers or supervisors, we would much rather have a colleague ask the question to ensure the reporting or task is done correct the first time rather than waste extra time, energy, and effort doing the task several times when trying to get it right. Ask the question no matter how minimal, it will increase the productivity and respect of the team.

I became a better leader when I stopped believing I had to know everything and became comfortable saying, 'I don't know, help me understand.' Curiosity taught me that the best leaders aren't the ones with all the answers; They're the ones willing to ask better questions.

You will learn faster when you have the courage to speak up and ask questions. You will improve your confidence as you challenge yourself to ask questions.

The most secure leaders in the room don't pretend to hold all the answers; they carry the intellectual curiosity to ask the hard questions out loud. Becoming comfortable saying 'I don't know' shifts the dynamic from performative leadership to genuine partnership and collaboration, which eventually leads to growth.

Not until I realized that I wasn't required to always know and understand, but to remain teachable and willing to learn and understand, did I free myself from that burden or weight.

For a long time, I thought leadership meant having the answer. In safety, people look to you for direction, and I felt pressure to be the person who already knew what to do. Experience taught me that the better leaders aren't the ones who pretend to know everything. They're the ones who stay curious, ask questions, and listen closely to the people doing the work. I became more comfortable saying, "Help me understand," or "What am I missing?" Those questions often uncover risks that a checklist or procedure won't catch. Curiosity changed how I learn and how I lead. It helps me understand the work as it's actually performed, not just how it's written down. It also makes it easier for others to speak up, because they see that questions are welcome and no one is expected to know everything. I still bring years of experience to the table, but I don't confuse experience with having all the answers. Asking better questions has made me a stronger safety leader and helped build more trust with the people I work with.

I became comfortable asking questions when I realized how much I was carrying simply because people trusted me to have the answers. As a first-generation college graduate, entrepreneur, and higher education leader, I put pressure on myself to be prepared, resourceful, and capable. I sometimes treated not knowing as something I needed to resolve privately before entering the room. That began to change as I led more complex work. I saw how easily people could leave the same meeting with different understandings of the goal, their responsibilities, or what success should look like. Being willing to say, "Can we pause and clarify that?" became one of the most useful things I could contribute. Today, I ask questions like: What problem are we actually solving? What does that look like in practice? Who owns the next step? Do we have the capacity to carry this out? And sometimes, simply: I'm unfamiliar with that. Can you walk me through it? Curiosity has made me a more thoughtful listener and a more effective strategist. It helps me understand before offering a solution and gives others permission to ask their own questions. As The Process Pro, I help people move from chaos to clarity. That work requires me to stay teachable. My experience helps me recognize patterns; my questions help me understand the people and circumstances in front of me. I have learned that I can be capable and still need clarification. Asking for it is part of how I lead.

I am curious by nature, and I love learning from others. Over time, I've realized that curiosity isn't really about asking more questions. It's about being genuinely interested in the answers and taking the time to listen. That has fundamentally shaped the way I lead. I don't believe leaders need to know everything. I believe we need to recognize the knowledge and strengths around us, ask thoughtful questions, listen with intention, and give people the opportunity to be the expert. When people know their voice matters, they are more willing to share ideas, contribute their strengths, and grow. For me, leadership isn't about shining the brightest. It's about helping others recognize just how brightly they can shine.