My biggest mistake I had 10 years ago was that I didn't dare to follow up when I didn't fully understand the request at work.
I was afraid of looking bad in front of people. So I took the request without 100% knowing the requirements, context and expectation of manager.
It then became a disaster.
Why?
Because if you don't fully understand the request, you will likely make some assumptions and your deliverables will be different from what people expect you to deliver.
It will cost you a lot more than you can imagine: Create more works with back and forth communications, and frustration for all stakeholders.
It's OKAY if you don't understand the question/request, ASK follow-up questions to clarify right away.
Fight against your imposter syndrome. Do not be afraid to ask.
Getting it right from the beginning is the very first step to help you deliver high quality of work and meet the expectation of your manager.
Don't know how to ask it in the right way?
You can use these questions:
"I don't fully understand [this point], do you mean [...]?
"I'm not sure I got what you said, can you please repeat?"
"Can you please clarify [this point]...."
"Why [this point] but not [other point]?
"What do you mean when you said [....]?"
"Could you please share with me more context about [this point]"?
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