IGNORANCE ISN’T BLISS ANYMORE – IT’S IMMINENT OBLIVION
Not exactly sure what “oblivion” means? Well, take a minute and look it up. And, in a way, that’s precisely my point. Some of you will already know what it means; some of you will think you know (Goethe called this frightening phenomena: “ignorance in action”, but it’s actually a case of ignorance begetting inaction); some of you will take the time to look it up and be the better for it; some of you just won’t care (shame on you); and most of you will say (hopefully to yourselves) that you just don’t have the time.
But, of course, you do. Here’s a tip about time: if you really want to do something, you’ll find the time and a way to do it. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. The fact is that - even in our frantic and time-constrained world – we have all the time that we need (or we can make the time) for the things that we are actually interested in. And if you’re not interested in life-long learning and in constantly trying to make yourself smarter and better-informed, you’re not gonna be of much value to anyone (including yourself) and you certainly won’t be able to compete effectively in the new knowledge economy. And this isn’t just an attitude that you’ll need; it needs to be a prominent part of your company’s culture as well unless you also want your company to be an afterthought or yesterday’s news.
Today, one of the greatest obstacles to progress isn’t ignorance; it’s the illusion of knowledge which – as often as not – is bound up in our arrogance and our reluctance to admit that we may not know it all. Real knowledge today is as much about knowing the extent of your ignorance (what you don’t know) as it is about what you actually do know. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to do some rhetorical Rumsfeld rap here – I’m just sayin’. And, unlike Rummy, I think there’s good news on the horizon and a pretty simple solution to the problem.
Ignorance fortunately is curable; stupidity sadly is forever. We can’t save most folks from their own stupidity or laziness, but I’m hopeful that we can help you get everyone in your business focused on getting better and smarter all the time with a simple turn of a phrase. Because even if ignorance doesn’t kill you; it’s certainly gonna make you sweat a lot more than you need to. So here’s a simple suggestion on how to change the conversation and the culture in a few words.
The next time anyone anywhere says “I don’t know”, tell them that that phrase no longer means “they lack knowledge”; it just means that they’re lazy because they didn’t take the time to find out. DON’T KNOW = DIDN’T LOOK. Because the answers to just about anything we need to know today are out there; we just need to go find them. And to paraphrase Yoda: it’s not about “trying” half-heartedly to find the information; it’s about doing it with a vengeance. And, to remain competitive in today’s economy, your team needs to know where to look and how to find the right answers fast. Because you can be sure that someone else is right behind you looking over your shoulder for the same advantage.
Sometimes it’s a really short journey. It’s not even about automatically searching the web. In many cases, you just need to do a better job of knowing what’s going on in your own shop. I call this the “If P & G only knew what P & G knows” syndrome and it’s applicable to every business – large and small. The answers, my friends, aren’t always in the stars; sometimes they’re in ourselves. In other cases, even a simple web search will provide more relevant and actionable information than you can imagine and more real value as well. It’s not always that easy – so tenacity and perseverance matter as well – but the rewards for persistence are clear.
But your people have to have the intention, the inclination, and your permission to look – a bias toward investigation and learning – and not the self-satisfied and smug attitude that they already know everything worth knowing. Education isn’t cheap; but ignorance is beyond costly. I recommend getting a t-shirt for the ones who just refuse to get with the program (while they’re packing their bags) which says: “I DON’T KNOW AND I’M TOO LAZY TO GO FIND OUT”. Not knowing is a sin; not caring about not knowing is grounds for termination.
The fact is that, except for your lawn sprinkling system, I’m afraid that there’s nothing left in our world that can operate on the “set it and forget it” principle which made life so easy for so many people in the past. The vast amount of data; the prospect of constant feedback and trend information; and the ability to change the behavior of our customers in real time are all raising the need to be (a) on the case, (b) in the know, (c) all the time. Not knowing isn’t even a bad excuse anymore; it’s a death sentence for your business.
PS: “You Get What You Work for, Not What You Wish for”
