The power of admitting ignorance
I worked at a Japanese corporation for most of my career.They are not a “warm and fuzzy” bunch.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.Their attitude was not a punishing one, but we were expected to fix our mistakes, and ensure they did not happen again.If we said we did not know something, it was assumed we would learn, or find someone who did.Lot of “personal responsibility” stuff.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.I am constantly encountering people that Absolutely. Will. Not. Admit. Ignorance. Or. Fault. Even when it’s quite clear.It’s crazy.