A case for putting myself out there, aka, how to be okay appearing stupid
I recently faced some scenarios where I was afraid to put myself (more specifically, my thoughts/ideas) out there because of the fear of appearing stupid (i.e., my ideas not being good enough). I work with some really smart people, so this fear is not unfounded either.
I realized that not putting my thoughts out there would hurt more than putting out "wrong" thoughts and pushed through.
First off, hitting that share button lifts a lot of the pressure and frees up brain-space for other things. So once I have spent a reasonable amount of time working on something, I find that obsessing over something for marginal improvements is a sheer waste of time. There is much more benefit to be had by opening up the ideas for feedback because the feedback might point towards larger issues that often come only with a fresh pair of eyes.
Second, and on a related note, often the only way to get to better ideas is to open up the initial ideas for feedback and criticism. This is particularly true for topics that have a "right" answer. Presumably the answer is not obvious enough. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any need for a discussion on it. It is highly unlikely that I, singlehandedly, am smart enough to get to the absolute right answer in one go. Instead, I can make a reasonable start then get feedback from others to iterate towards the answer. There is of course one caveat here: I need to make sure to get better at making a reasonable start over time. Enough "bad starts" earn a reputation (as do enough "good starts").
Third, consider stylistic or subjective topics. There isn't a right answer. There are certain ways of doing things and I have my way. I almost always already know my preferred way. It is a gut feeling. But I might be afraid of proposing that because it might not align with what my manager's (or some other stakeholder's) way. Even in such scenarios, it is better to explicitly write out the preferred way and share it with the relevant people to draw out any differences. This does two things. First, in the short term, identifying the different styles will enable resolution. Second, longer term, it builds trust ("Rajat will share if he disagrees") and acts as a magnet to find people who have the same subjective preferences as mine, which makes work more fun! Here again, the caveat is to evolve my "taste" over time, learning from folks I want to emulate.
Funnily enough, while writing this, I realized that a lot of this applies not just to work but also to personal relationships... Of course, the stakes are so much higher (or at least they seem so to me :)) and the fears are deeper than just appearing stupid. Topic for another post ...