The power of admitting ignorance
I worked at a Japanese corporation for most of my career.<p>They are <i>not</i> a “warm and fuzzy” bunch.<p>But they respect apologies. If I screwed up, I quickly learned to cop to it. The absolute worst thing I could do was cover it up.<p>Their attitude was not a punishing one, but we were expected to fix our mistakes, and ensure they did not happen again.<p>If we said we did not know something, it was assumed we would learn, or find someone who did.<p>Lot of “personal responsibility” stuff.<p>Americans, on the other hand, tend to pounce on admissions of failure or ignorance, and engage in shaming and humiliation of the person that admits an issue.<p>I am constantly encountering people that Absolutely. Will. Not. Admit. Ignorance. Or. Fault. Even when it’s quite clear.<p>It’s crazy.