I’ve had the privilege of working in a wide variety of companies over my 20-year career—ranging from local mom-and-pop shops to scrappy startups to global Fortune 100 corporations. And if there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this:
We are all making it up as we go.
They say, fake it till you make it. But is that really the same thing as figuring things out along the way? There seem to be different flavors of making it up as we go.
The Power of Asking the Obvious Question
Case in point: Recently, I kept hearing the acronym OKR in my day-to-day conversations. I had never heard it before, so the next time someone used it, I asked:
“Hey, you just said OKR—I’ve been hearing that a lot. What does it mean?”
Their response?
“I don’t know what it stands for, but I think it’s like a KPI.”*
🫠
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen this happen. Over the years, I’ve noticed something interesting: When you ask what seems like an obvious question, you often expose just how many people are nodding along without actually understanding.
*Note: OKR is Objective and Key Result, while a KPI is a Key Performance Indicator.
The Difference Between Faking It and Figuring It Out
Now, am I knocking the idea of learning as you go? Absolutely not. It’s how we grow. But there’s a big difference between faking it—where your success is built on a shaky house of cards—and figuring it out in a way that builds real confidence and competence.
And the key? Having the courage to ask the questions no one else will.
Saying “I don’t know” when you don’t know. Refusing to follow the herd of silent, agreeable nods in meetings when something doesn’t quite make sense. Seeking clarity instead of assuming.
Because, in my experience, the people who truly “make it” aren’t the ones who pretend to have all the answers and say all the right things. They’re the ones who have the resourceful, confidence and scrappiness to figure it out.
Of course, if the corporate game is feeling a little less fulfilling these days — whether you’re faking it or figuring it out — check out my post on finding purpose.
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