--- title: "Social Media Roundup: Nobody Knows Everything" id: "20025" type: "post" slug: "social-media-roundup-nobody-knows-everything" published_at: "2013-10-18T20:26:17+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:00:54+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/10/18/social-media-roundup-nobody-knows-everything/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/10/18/social-media-roundup-nobody-knows-everything.md" excerpt: "Not having all the answers might be better for business than trying to be a know-it-all. Plus, the right questions to ask when hiring a new executive." taxonomy_category: - "Executive Leadership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Cost Management" - "Executives" - "Leadership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Social Media Roundup: Nobody Knows Everything Have you ever been stumped by one of your superior’s questions? Don’t beat yourself up. A recent post for *Harvard Business Review* comes to the conclusion that not knowing all the answers might lead to better outcomes. That, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup. ### Know It Almost > “I don’t know” can be powerful words. Look for people willing to say them to you. [http://t.co/ctIa9V7zex (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/ctIa9V7zex) > [#management (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/management?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Kim Kishbaugh (@kkish) [October 18, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/kkish/status/391184328316977152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Don’t know, do care:** A lot of employees worry when they can’t provide an answer to question asked by the boss. But not having all the answers isn’t necessarily a bad thing, writes Neil Bearden in[a recent article for Harvard Business Review (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/dont-trust-anyone-who-offers-you-the-answer/) . Bearden considers the example set by Socrates and modern author Nassim Taleb and comes to the conclusion that “the person without answers—the one who says, ‘I don’t know!’ — might be the most responsible, respectable person at the meeting table.” Bearden finds it odd that society expects experts to have all the answers, when Socrates’ “self-acknowledged ignorance” led to him asking more questions and gaining more insights. He suggests that society respect colleagues and contemporaries “whenever they display Socratic humility and let us know they don’t know.” *(h/t [@kkish (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/kkish) )* ### Ask the Expert > Should your executive director be an association or industry expert? [#asae (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/asae?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [Must Read] [http://t.co/zyKqkVYVQ9 (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/zyKqkVYVQ9) > > — Jeff Hurt (@JeffHurt) [October 17, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/JeffHurt/status/390952484757188608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Hire smart:** Associations on the hunt for a new chief executive would do well to read association management veteran [Maria Huntley’s recent post on MultiBriefs (opens in a new tab)](http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/should-your-executive-director-be-an-association-or-industry-expert) . According to Huntley, the first question associations need to ask before hiring a new executive director is: Should he/she be an association management professional or an industry expert? The search team also needs to ask if they want their organization to be run like a business and what level of experience they are seeking, as well as a handful of other useful questions. Huntley’s thoughts: “[S]trong associations need to be run like a business, by professionals who understand how to run an association.” *(h/t [@JeffHurt (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/JeffHurt) )* How is your association run? Let us know in the comments section. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Daniel Ford](https://associationsnow.com/author/daniel-ford/) Daniel Ford is a contributor to Associations Now. 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