Leadership Knowledge – Episode 11

What knowledge is essential for good leaders?

One of the most valuable pieces of leadership knowledge you can possess is this: You don’t have to know everything to be a fantastic leader! Does that sound counter-intuitive? Let me explain. The more I learn, the less I know. No one is automatically licensed to be a good leader. As a leader, it’s ok if you don’t know everything. In fact, you can’t. If you try to come across as having all the answers, others will see through it and respect you less. You just have to know how to solve problems; how to figure things out. Tune in to this episode to hear more insight I have gleaned over years as a leader myself (and yes, I have made some major mistakes!).

Knowledgeable leaders know how to handle unknown unknowns

During a press conference, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld once spoke about “known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns”. People who know how to tackle the “unknown unknowns” are the ones supervisors want in charge of their businesses. These kinds of leaders are not afraid to use all of their skills and the skills of their team to figure out solutions. If a leader is only good at figuring out the “known knowns”, he or she is very limited. A knowledgeable leader needs to be able to think outside the box. These are the innovative thinkers who are not intimidated by the stress of something new.

Leadership knowledge involves attaining knowledge and attaining wisdom

To attain knowledge you have to add things every day. To attain wisdom, you have to remove things every day. The key is knowing when and what to add, and when and what to remove. This knowledge only grows with experience. Wise leaders can live with the understanding that their knowledge is limited. It’s perfectly acceptable for people under your leadership to have knowledge and expertise that you don’t have. Be willing to trust them. You just need to know who has the knowledge and how to access it from them.

Truly knowledgeable leaders are always learning!

When leaders learn, they don’t always have to retain every piece of information they acquire. Go out of your way to learn what will help you do excellent work. But also spend some time learning when it’s ok to let go of some knowledge to make room for more learning. Confucius said over 2500 years ago, “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” I have learned that the real power of leadership is understanding that when you come across something that you weren’t aware that you didn’t know, you’ll be able to handle it, understand it, file it away, and move on. Experience has taught me to let some knowledge go, and make room for understanding the next problem that comes along. Catch this episode to hear more about it.