Do you admit saying "I don't know"?

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Are you questioned every day, either by your boss, relatives, friends or by yourself. And in instances when you are in public or in community, you reply back with an answer at the very moment. I have also observed people answering the questions they don't know what to answer about on. There are two reasons for answering instantly for the questions you don't know, (1) "ego" issue, and (2) "prestige" issue.

It becomes difficult for you to say "I don't know", especially when you are in a position of a manager or a leader, or if you are delivering a talk or presentation to a group of people in some event. Because you are in a position with the "preset" in your mind that you know everything about where you are, and it is your responsibility to answer to the team/group. But answering to the questions you don't know the answer of, can lead to two problems, (1) you give a fast-food answer which might not be able to give the right diet to the questions asked, (2) you get relieved, and further don't think about the right answers for the questions because you already gave the substitute.

Another interesting observation with other kind of managers, leaders & speakers is, they will try to cook some answer which eventually will mean "They don't know", and then will pick up a guy from the team/group and piggyback this half-cooked answer to him for further cooking it to full. But none of them will say "I don't know".

In my view, when you say "I don't know", it opens up whole new set of opportunities to learn about something you don't know. The moment you declare "I don't know", you change yourself to the receptive mode to learn something new, and further spread the 'right' knowledge to your team. Also you don't have to come up with fast-food answers, and get out of the trap of making another quick sauce for the fast-food answer, in case somebody questions your fast-food answers.

Admitting "I don't know" won't make you small by any means, and in case the team/group thinks that way, you need to ask yourself if you are answering to right audience. But remember, saying "I don't know" regularly can become a competence or skill issue as well.