Should the “Boss” Always Know the Answers?

One of the most beautiful things in this universe and about humanity is that not one of us individually has the answer to everything. We all are meant to learn from one another, and we are all meant to grow at our own pace. If we all knew everything, there would be no individuality, and our curiosity as a society would no longer exist, because there would be no purpose, no drive and no NEED to learn more because we already know it. This is one of the many things that make a team work wonderfully. So, “Should the boss always know the answers?” No. They are not going to, and should not be expected to. The more I grow into my own career, and the more we explore adaptive leadership in this course, the more I realize how unrealistic, and honestly, unfair that expectation is.

Watching Marty Linsky talk about adaptive leadership really brought that home for me. He makes this clear separation between authority and leadership, and it couldn't be more true. Authority can give direction, structure, and protection. But leadership? Leadership is messy. It’s emotional. It requires stepping into the unknown with other people and figuring things out together. No title can magically make someone know how to fix adaptive challenges, because those aren’t technical problems. They’re human ones. That perfectly ties to the Harvard Business Review reading on leading when you’re not the boss. It showed that leadership can happen anywhere in an organization, which honestly feels comforting. It takes the pressure off this idea that someone at the top should always have the magic answer ready to go.

I’ve actually had moments where I had to lead without having a formal leadership role. Being completely transparent I think I do this more often than even I myself realize. Sometimes it needs to be done. Typically it is me leading a conversation with my peers, or even something as simple as helping the team to brainstorm the right things to us all closer to the answer we need. Weirdly enough, it works. People open up. We shared what we each noticed, and we slowly pieced things together. Those experiences felt more real than any moment where someone pretended to know everything.

Leading in those moments means being honest enough to admit uncertainty and steady enough to hold the group while you navigate it. It’s choosing curiosity over ego. It’s also choosing discomfort over the illusion of control, which is probably why people avoid it. That’s what Linsky is talking about when he says adaptive work lives in the heart and gut, not just the head.

Members of the highly effective Apollo 13 team applaud the successful splashdown of the command module “Odyssey.” The group includes three of the four Apollo 13 flight directors (from left to right): Gerald D. Griffin, Eugene F. Kranz, and Glynn S. Lunney. In addition, Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, director, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) and Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC deputy director, light up cigars (upper left).

(Credit: NASA APPEL)

If I imagine myself in a future situation where the “boss” doesn’t have the answer, I think I’d approach it with the same mindset. Not with judgment, but with openness. I’d want to help get everyone on the same page and ask, “What are we seeing? What are we missing? What matters most right now?” Adaptive leadership is about pulling people together and helping them move through the unknown without pretending it’s not uncomfortable.

So no, the boss doesn’t need to know everything. And honestly, I don’t want a leader who pretends to. I want a leader who listens, learns, adapts, and isn’t afraid to say, “Let’s work this out.” That feels more human. And in complex environments, it feels a lot more effective too, don't you think?

Until next orbit,
~ Sam ☺