I have seen so many different responses from professionals when presented with a task.
No doubt every situation is different. There are cultural differences at the individual and organisation levels. There are many factors at play. However, over time the following characters emerge.
Wrong hire – “I don’t know. I have not been trained for this. Sorry cannot help.”
New starter – “I can take a look at it. Can somebody tell me what to do?”
Junior – “I do not know a lot. I can make a few recommendations to help. Can somebody review and let me know what else to do?”
Mid-level – “I am familiar with this. I will get started and check back for review. We can keep iterating until it is completed.”
Senior – “I have done/seen this before. I will have it done in a week. I will make you recommendations for the future.”
Leader – “My colleague is the best person for this. We will also help your teams to identify and complete these in the future.”
These are some of the examples of how I perceive seniority.