Dr Frederik G. PferdtFrom Stanford & Google — To You

Why saying "I don't know" builds trust | Amy Edmondson

16 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief talk, Amy Edmondson argues that regularly saying "I don't know" is a sign of paying attention and creates psychological safety, unlocking collaboration and trust within teams. She observes that the most successful teams often appear messy and error‑prone during the learning phase, yet they avoid the mistake of fearing mistakes. Instead of rewarding sloppy work or lack of effort, Edmondson urges organizations to celebrate disappointing results that arise when venturing into new territory, because such outcomes signal honest learning and progress.

Chapters

If you're not saying, I don't know, several times a day, you're not paying attention. And when we say, I don't know, it unlocks the room. It's refreshing. You're building trust. The most successful teams probably look the messiest during the how. The only mistake we make is thinking we shouldn't make mistakes. We would so much rather be right than wrong. And then we have this risk because of that, because of that programming. We don't celebrate sloppy work. We don't celebrate failing to put in the effort, but we We must celebrate disappointing results in new territory.