The line between average and exceptional work performance is dotted with ordinary day-by-day behaviors. I was reminded of that line recently. My husband was explaining to a nurse how hed inadvertently taken the last dose of the live typhoid virus on the wrong day and wondered if he needed to retake the sequence prior to our Africa trip. "No," she commented, "I think youll be fine." We both knew she was guessing.

While rolling down my sleeve from the next set of immunizations, a different nurse poked her head into the room. "I overheard your conversation at the desk." she said to Dan. "Weve never had that situation, so I thought it best to call the drug manufacturer for advice. Turns out you need to retake the entire dosage." We were grateful she took the more step.

Its not possible to know all the answers to all the questions you will get tossed in the workplace. But, be willing to say when you do not . Thats better than giving out misinformation or guessing at an answer without building it clear its a guess. People who are winning at working add four words - "but Ill find out." And they do find out and get back to the human . That extra step differentiates their performance in the workplace.

Jeff was already in the department when I was hired to manage it. "I dont know" was his typical response when queried beyond the surface status reports of his projects. At first, I expected Jeff to automatically find out the answers to my questions and inform me, his new boss. But he never did. Jeff managed to train me to follow up to his "I do not know," with "please find out and tell me."

Jeff worked for me for two years and at the measure I moved on, I was still asking him to find out. For Jeff and people like Jeff, "I dont understand " is a habitual way to reduce their task list. To them, "I dont understand " ends it. What they do not realize is what else it ends in the minds of their bosses, clients or customers.

It baffles me that someone thinks saying "I dont know" suffices when it involves their work responsibilities. It baffles me how frequently many people offer their best guesses like factual answers. And it baffles me, in my twenty decades in management, how surprisingly few people took the small step to find out. Those who did stood out. They went from guessing to knowing. Find out answers and you will build data that differentiates you.

Want to be winning at working? Stop guessing; initial knowing. The next instant you find yourself venturing a guess on an important answer, pause. Then reframe your response with, "I dont understand for sure, but Ill find out for you." Not only will you be adding to your data base, but when you find out and follow up with the person, you will be building your credibility and crossing an important performance line.

(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.