Starting a new job? Time to become the Chief Ignorance Officer

Asking questions is vital in the early days of a new role , it shows curiosity and builds your brand

A number of my clients are starting new jobs and I am reminded of David Gray’s seminal article “ Wanted: Chief Ignorance Officer (HBR November 2003). In the initial months, the worst thing you can do is try to look like you already understand everything.

There’s a real temptation in those first few weeks to keep your head down, avoid “obvious” questions, and prove you’re up to speed. It feels safer. More professional.

It’s also how people miss what matters.

When you’re new, you see things others don’t. Gaps. Assumptions. The bits that don’t quite make sense but no one’s questioned in a while. That perspective doesn’t last long—so it’s worth using it.

Gray made the case for a “Chief Ignorance Officer”—someone focused on what an organisation doesn’t know. Slightly tongue-in-cheek, but the idea sticks: progress starts when you’re willing to explore the unknowns.

You uncover hidden assumptions. Organisations accumulate habits, workarounds, and unquestioned rituals. A fresh set of eyes is the best tool for spotting them. People will actually tell you things they wouldn’t tell an insider.

At the same time, Michael Watkins, in The First 90 Days (HBR 2003, updated 2013), makes it clear that success in a new role comes down to how quickly you learn—not how quickly you act.

Which, in practice, means asking more questions, not fewer.

• Why is this done this way?

• What’s been tried before?

• What actually matters here?

Asked with the right tone, those questions don’t undermine your credibility—they build it.

You don’t get long to be new. The window where you can ask the obvious questions without it feeling odd is surprisingly short.

Use it.

Because the people who make the biggest impact aren’t the ones who had all the answers in week one—they’re the ones who took the time to understand what was really going on before jumping in.