Knowledge for Organizations to Apply What They Know
"If you are 100% certain, you're too late." Executive Vice President, Programs, Project Management and Client Solutions, of a Limited Liability Partnership
- The accepted wisdom is that knowledge is power. Unfortunately this is another belief that is not true!
- Power does not go to those who have the best knowledge, but to those who use knowledge best.
What limits organizations from applying what they know?
- Talk, Not Action.
- Sometimes our knowledge fools us. Talking about a new subject sounds smart.
- Reciting something is not doing something about it.
- Memory, Not Thinking.
- Memory can substitute for thinking. People can adopt a mindless reliance on the way we did things in the past (memory) that prevents better actions.
- Any new challenge is met by the 'same old same-old' out of a misplaced importance for precedent (memory) and consistency.
- Fear.
- Fear is a powerful emotion that prevents people from acting on their knowledge. Fear limits both desire and ability to act.
- The key step in overcoming fear is to treat mistakes as learning for better action.
Acknowledge barriers and move ahead.
- Yes, the knowledge is incomplete.
- Yes, there are challenges and differences of opinion.
- Yes, there is uncertainty and risk.
- Yes, "letting go" of what works (memory) is emotional.
- Yes, there is failure, "lessons learned" and further doubt.
- Yes, there are desired outcomes.
- And yes, periodically we yearn for the comfort of the past (known).
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