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The Coding Career Handbook

The Stupid Question Safe Harbor

Discover how to use the stupid question safe harbor technique to encourage open dialogue and mutual understanding. This lesson helps you embrace vulnerability and improve collaboration by turning basic questions into opportunities for learning and connecting with others.

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I have a stupid question

In real life, I often lampshade by invoking the “stupid question safe harbor” (SQSH).

A “safe harbor” is a legal idea that explicitly okays some behavior that may be in a grey zone due to unclear rules. So, I use it as an analogy for how we act when someone says, “I have a stupid question.”.

Get mutual understanding

When we invoke the SQSH, we are acknowledging the question is potentially stupid, AND that we all know that there’s not really such a ...