The Best Strategic Move I Made Was Saying “I Don’t Know”

It took me years to say it without flinching.

Years of overcompensating for the fear that if I didn’t have the answer, I didn’t deserve the seat.

But here’s what I’ve learned…

… Founders who need to be right all the time build brittle companies.

Certainty is cheap. Clarity is rare.

When you pretend to know, you close the door on collaboration.

You make your team smaller, your thinking rigid, and you send the silent message:

Don’t challenge me. Just follow me.

But when you say, “I don’t know,” with intention — not as a shrug, but as an opening — you shift the entire dynamic.

Suddenly:

• Your team starts solving with you, not for you.

• People offer sharper insight because you made room for it.

• You stop defending outdated answers and start designing better ones.

The myth is that founders must be infallible.

The truth? Founders who can’t admit what they don’t know can’t grow.

A legacy isn’t built on answers. It’s built on better questions.

We talk a lot about vulnerability as a leadership virtue, but rarely apply it in rooms where it matters most — board meetings, all-hands, investor calls.

Saying “I don’t know” isn’t weak. It’s a power move if you know what comes next:

• “But here’s what I’m testing.”

• “Here’s what I need to learn.”

• “Let’s figure it out — fast.”

That’s not indecision. That’s strategic humility.

If you’re always the smartest person in the room, your room is too small.

And your company won’t grow past your own limits.

Embrace your knowledge gaps, and build a legacy instead.

Best,
Peter Delle

P.S. Here’s how real CEOs scale without selling their sanity.