Reasonable Question to Ask: "How do I know I'm 'right?'"

Ray Dalio's question could significantly protect against or correct errors

“Rather than thinking, ‘I’m right.’ I started to ask myself, ‘How do I know I’m right?’”

Ray Dalio
Investor and hedge fund manager
Founder and Co-chief investment officer at Bridgewater Associates

That’s a difficult task for us to bring ourselves to do: ask, “How do I know I’m ‘right’?”

I mean, really, factually, with evidence, know I’m correct?

For one, our confidence gets in the way. We know we’re correct, we think. And if there is any doubt, our ego often won’t allow us to confess it. Ego is a tidal wave of a force or a fierce enemy that doesn’t give up easily, if ever.

Yes, we might be “right” often, very often. Yet, if we want to be reasonable and truthful, there is no way any human, even us, that is always right, especially in difficult situations where errors of thinking and actions have taken place, including disputes, ongoing conflict or crisis.

Yet, we all have seen, or been this person: they just won’t allow themselves to be seen as incorrect because they believe it says they’re “wrong,” as a person, when it’s only the thinking and maybe the actions (behavior) that were incorrect, misguided or yes, possibly “wrong.”

Ego and insecurity is a thick and tall, sometimes impenetrable wall to get over with certain individuals and organizations because humility isn’t part of their DNA, at least in situations like these.

It makes sense then to create probing, difficult, helpful questions today to break out and ask ourselves when we are supremely confident or feeling arrogantly overconfident, that we are “right.”

Ask those hard questions, think deeply and be honest in replying. Maybe we will learn that we are indeed correct yet in some circumstances, protect ourselves and others when realizing we aren’t as “right” as we initially assumed and then rationalized.

Michael Toebe is the founder and specialist at Reputation Quality, serving and helping successful individuals and organizations further build reputation as an “asset” or ethically, responsibly protecting, restoring or reconstructing it.