Scientists and other STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals don’t have the best reputation as great leaders. There are even stereotypes out there that sometimes become the inspiration for jokes about their leadership. We probably all know a STEM professional who could be better with their relationship skills, feels uncomfortable in social settings and maybe even has a hard time looking someone in the eyes. Unfortunately, we often leave it at those stereotypes. It’s also easy to continue noticing behaviors that reinforces those stereotypes.

 

Let’s go beyond those stereotypes, and instead look at the strengths that are associated with STEM professionals. We might actually discover some skills that actually make them better leaders than many others. These strengths can be embraced by everyone to make us better leaders as well. This is the beginning of a series of articles that looks at those strengths. Here’s #1:

 

Being comfortable with the unknown

 

STEM professionals are accustomed to working at the edge of what is known. They frequently come across questions where the only and best answer is “I don’t know” – and they don’t shy away from given just that answer. Not knowing inspires in them a sense of curiosity and a sense of awe. There is nothing wrong with not knowing.

 

This is a great skill to have when you make decisions with limited information, when you lead people and you don’t understand what makes them tick, when you have a conversation that takes unexpected turns and touches on topics that you’re used to (maybe it’s a bit more personal), when you start something new (really new!) and you’re not sure where it all leads.

 

These are the situations when our existing knowledge won’t help us. It may even be a limitation or lead us in the wrong direction.

 

Take the Next Step

 

Get more comfortable with not knowing. Not knowing an answer, not knowing what comes next, not knowing what to do, not knowing how someone reacts and even not knowing how to approach a problem. How do we get there? By doing something new. Say something you haven’t been comfortable saying yet, do something you haven’t tried yet. Take a risk.