[ArchieAus]

If you don't know ..ask . We hear that all the time yeah . Managing people I insist on it . Often finish instructions with "do you understand ". Only time I get frustrated is when people don't ask when they don't understand .
I was guilty of that in school , had some form of learning disability , still no idea what it was , but learning disabilities weren't in vogue back then . But when the teacher asked "is there any questions" I would stay silent out of embarrassment . Now I realise that I felt insecure because I didn't have power . Knowledge gives you power ..and confidence .
Here's another analogy..but with managers . I was regional underground maintenance superintendent of Western Australian operations ( so the big kahuna ). We had a visit from the Cooporate maintenance manager from North America (parent company ) (( an even bigger kahuna )) . All the front line staff sat in on a lecture of best practise maintenance from him . In an interval . I said to him . could you not just give acronyms when describing processes . My guys don't know what they mean . He replied that "these were basic maintenance terminology which all should know " ... that sort of f####ed me off at his superiority . When we resumed . He again gave an acronym , so I interjected and asked what those letters stand for ..... he paused , looked uncomfortable , then gave an inadequate answer , lost his train of thought , then bumbled on until finally regaining his composure . It dawned on me them . He'd dealt with these acronyms for so long as a mechanical engineer that he had forgotten what they actually meant . He didn't know , but decided to lie to not look stupid , which resulted ultimately in him looking very stupid .
Never agree to do a task you don't know how to . It's not your deficiency to ask to be trained . It's your managers deficiency if they refuse to offer asistance .When we were born we didn't know it all , but once we were shown we mastered many things . I regret not showing courage in school and not admitting that I didn't understand .