How many times have you stopped a challenging conversation or stalled on a decision by saying, “I don’t know the answer?”

This phrase, while seemingly honest, is one of the most limiting scripts in the executive world. It is a surrender of agency, and it is usually untrue.

I like to use the metaphor of the Library of Experience.

You, as a senior leader, do not suffer from a lack of information; you suffer from a lack of access. You have decades of expertise, data, and hard-won wisdom stored away. When faced with a new challenge, your internal response is not “I don’t know,” but rather, “I haven’t accessed the right information yet.”

The goal of a resourceful mindset is to stop asking “What should I do?” and start asking “What do I already know?”

The Resourceful Mindset Shift:

1. Stop Asking for the Answer: When faced with a complex problem, stop trying to find the single, perfect solution.

   
   

2. Ask for the Data: Instead, ask yourself structured, resourceful questions that force you to unlock your experience:

   • “Where have I solved a parallel problem before, even in a different industry?”

   • “What advice would I give my younger self, six months into this job?”

     
     

These questions do not require new information; they require a different perspective. They force your mind to browse your Library of Experience, not search outside of it.

Leadership is not about the search for external certainty; it is the confidence in your internal ability to synthesise wisdom and create a path forward.