Don’t accept a guess unless you ask for an opinion – Tip 35

"I think…" is not an answer- it's an opt-out. In fact, it is not only sloppy and unacceptable but downright dangerous. Put another way, it is an unsubstantiated guess that can unleash a horror (in the business environment) according to corporate management specialist Mario Pretorius. There is no shame in "I'll find out" he adds in today's tip. GK

Never accept 'I think'; only 'I know'; never 'I don't know'; always 'I'll find out'

I guess the IBM mantra of THINK got lost in translation after 40 years. Instead of exhorting the deeper pondering of the not-yet-knowns, it has become an opt-out of facts. To answer a pertinent question with 'I think….' Is unacceptable and downright dangerous. It not only shows sloppy thinking and a tenuous grasp of facts and realities, it is a dangerous trap. Do we have enough cash? 'I think so'. Should we double the marketing spend? Terminate the contract in Brazil?

The 'I think so' is not a statement of assent; it is an unsubstantiated guess that is placing the skids under a moving leviathan – and to everybody's detriment. It seems that people resent being caught out not knowing the facts and then cloak their temporary ignorance in a guesstimate that can unleash a horror.

Stop this practice in its track forever.

The question needs facts. There is no shame in 'I'll find out' and the ensuing verified answer. Never accept a guess, unless you ask for an opinion.

Few of us have all the facts at hand. Best you build a daily dashboard where everyone can see the things that should be measured and their quantums. When you ask for facts outside this, this should obviously trigger the inclusion of that answer in the Daily Executive summary on the dashboard, or at least the repository of that answer in a place where it is accessible at a moment's notice.

I often make fun of my under '30's who proclaim that Google is their friend. Ask any question and an answer is search-engine-produced in short shrift. Sometimes they lack the breadth of insight to choose between various versions of facts and opinions, but what stymies me is when I ask the same question later – and see the rush back to the net. The answers do not seem to stick when the memory is remote.

This tip is an extract from the manuscript of "The Unconventional CEO: Common sense outside of conventional Management thinking" (by Mario Pretorius).