The Brave Ask: Navigating Workplace Inquiry
I used to hesitate about asking questions in public channels, fearing they'd sound silly. But then I realized, others might have the same queries. Now, I embrace open dialogue, creating a culture of learning and collaboration in our team!
Inception:
On the other day(a few years ago) I was sending some messages to my tech lead. But every time I sent him some messages, his response was consistent,
Do not send me personal messages in Slack if it's about project work, send the message to the group channels. This way the information will be available to everyone at any time. And if I/you are gone on holiday or leave the company this information will still be available. And there will be less knowledge silo.
Thoughts:
This directive struck me profoundly. Because it takes courage to pose stupid questions(!) in the public channel. I can always appear as a stupid person, who does not know about simple things!!
On the other side, there might be others who also do not know those answers, who also does not know how to ask the question, who do not know where to ask. And these questions matter (at least to me, to be effective in my job).
Follow Up:
Nowadays I dump so many random questions in so many random channels, instead of asking 1:1s.
Sometimes they appear to be stupid, sometimes they appear to be common knowledge, and sometimes they appear to be important.
Through this process, everyone gains awareness of important questions and their contexts, fostering a collaborative environment. At least that's what I feel.
No such things as a stupid question.
Exception:
Of course, I exercise discretion, refraining from raising sensitive or personal matters in public forums.