[wccrawford]

I almost never say "I don't know." I'll say something more useful like, "I haven't done that before. I'll have to do some research."

Why is this more useful? It shows that I am confident that I can get the task done, but some more time must be allotted for the research. "I don't know" is basically giving up.

I totally disagree about the 'can do' attitude statement, in case that wasn't already clear. It's absolutely vital to a good working environment that employees are actively trying to do their jobs, instead of giving up and forcing someone else to do it. Asking for help is expected. Giving up is useless.