Recently, in a conversation at work, I exhibited ignorance about a pretty basic computer networks concept. As is the norm, I spent the next few hours berating myself for making such a stupid remark. Later when the voices in my head had calmed down enough, I was reflecting on what happened and identified the two fundamental reasons that contributed to that moment.

One, self doubt. In this particular case, it wasn’t that I didn’t know the concept. In fact, prior to making that statement, I had spent a few seconds to look it up because what was being said didn’t align with my knowledge. But instead of looking at other possible reasons for my misinterpretation, I assumed that my understanding was wrong. This was reflected even in the google search I did to confirm my comprehension.

Second, imposter syndrome combined with the need to look knowledgeable. Instead of spending time addressing the discrepancies in the statements and arriving at the correct solution that could explain it all, I was focused more on not sounding ignorant in front of my colleagues. This skewed perspective affected my entire approach towards problem solving. I came to realise that the need to appear smart, ironically, ended up producing opposite results.

Lesson learned. Concentrate on the actual substance of any matter, the superficial stuff will fall in place on its own.