Be willing to look bad

Being willing to look bad, admit defeat, or answer a question with “I don’t know” are all difficult things to do, but they all ultimately can make you a better person.

As a “five” on the enneagram, this hits particularly close to home ( here is more about the enneagram if you’re not familiar with it). In describing what a “five” tends to be like, I found this quote:

Fives collect knowledge. Knowledge and information of almost any kind (even the strangest information) provide Fives with a sense of control and a defense against feelings of inadequacy. Fives also collect information or knowledge because they don’t want to appear foolish or uninformed, or be humiliated for not having the correct answer.

I work very hard to say “I don’t know” when I’m unsure of the answer, but I also work very hard to have every possible answer so that I don’t need to say that (which is clearly an impossible goal).

In his book “ Clear Thinking “, author Shane Parrish shares a quote from Lou Brock, saying:

Lou Brock might have put it best when he said, “Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.” In other words, someone who’s possessed by the social default is easy to defeat.

If someone is afraid to look bad, they’ll never grow. I perhaps see this most…