Sunday, April 25, 2010

Corner Office, Interview with Rachel Ashwell, founder of the home furnishings retailer Shabby Chic; New York Times, 4/25/10

Corner Office, Adam Bryant; New York Times, Interview with Rachel Ashwell, founder of the home furnishings retailer Shabby Chic: What’s Wrong With Saying ‘I Don’t Know’?:

"Q. What turns you off in interviews?

A. One thing is a kind of arrogance, the “yeah-yeah” people who think they know everything. I’ve seen people who just think they know it all, and then it happens over and over again. And that’s where I just think, “Oh no.” Because that, to me, is a character quality. It comes from a place of fear and wanting to please, or maybe thinking that you know everything.
I think the words “I don’t know”’ — in a positive way — is a little phrase much avoided, and I don’t really know why. I just turned 50 and there’s still plenty I don’t know and that’s something that I often tell my staff. If you don’t know something, it’s just so much better to say so. Guessing can cause all kinds of problems. But the point is not to be passive either, and to take responsibility and go find out what it is. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/jobs/25corner.html?scp=2&sq=corner%20office&st=cse

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