There’s IYKYK: If you know you know.

Then there’s WDKWWDK: We don’t know what we don’t know.

Finally, there’s WDKTWDKWWDK: We don’t know that we don’t know what we don’t know.

That’s often who we are…like the fish who hears someone saying something about water, and he replies, “What’s water?”

***

If we’re in leadership positions, it helps to have deep domain knowledge. Understanding the industry, our craft, the field of management…it’s all important. We need to know stuff. It gets us into greater levels of responsibility and keeps us there.

But leading change is different, and our deep business knowledge can work against us if we let it.

Deciding the change ourselves (using our deep business knowledge) often backfires. One reason is that successful change needs to feel like it’s everyone’s idea.

But equally important, we don’t know that we don’t know what we don’t know. And we come up with solutions that are naïve.

***

“So we can save $1 million by using Phillips screwdrivers instead of both Phillips and flat heads? Let’s do that. Phillips are better anyway because their self-centering design provides better grip and prevents slippage, allowing for more torque to be applied safely.”

To which our employees on the front line say, “But all the screws that we need to unscrew every day require flat heads.”

***

Change is a time to be wise, not just knowledgeable. As Socrates said, “The one thing I know is that I know nothing. That is the source of my wisdom.”

So LKTWDKWWDK: Let’s know that we don’t know what we don’t know. Let’s be intentional about asking. It pays to subordinate our deep business knowledge for some wisdom when we’re leading change.

Let me know what you think. I look forward to being in touch.

Al Comeaux

NOTE: Credit for fish story goes to David Foster Wallace.