Chip Shots by Chip Griffin

Knowing What You Don’t Know

Brad Feld wrote a post recently titled “Know What You Suck At”

I don’t hear people talk enough about what they aren’t good at.  First meetings are peppered with “I’ve done this”, “I’ve done that”, “I’m good at this”, “I’m experienced at that.”  However, rarely does someone volunteer that they suck at something.  I’m often amused by the pregnant pause that comes after I ask “so – tell me something that you are lousy at.”

Brad goes on to list things he doesn’t do well (including driving, which I would echo myself).  He couldn’t be more right with what he says.  We all have things we don’t do well, and that’s why we need to be aware of them, avoid doing them when possible, and surround ourselves with others who do them better.

But just as dangerous as not admitting what you don’t do well is not knowing what you don’t know.  As entrepreneurs, we often have to do things outside of our comfort zone.  in the early days of a company, everyone tends to where multiple hats.  And chances are everyone is stuck with something they don’t like and probably don’t even really understand.

As I was setting up a new company recently, I was faced with some routine tasks that needed to be done, but because I don’t do them myself regularly, I didn’t know the fastest and most efficient way to get them done. Things like opening bank accounts and getting tax ID numbers for the company, for instance.  Rather than making a potentially very costly mistake, I turned to one of the guys in another one of my companies for advice and assistance to make sure it got done right the first time.

And that’s what we all need to be prepared to do.  Stop and ask an expert (or at least someone wiser than ourselves) when we don’t know something.  Don’t guess.  Don’t make it up.  Get the knowledge that you need to do the job right.

Of course, sometimes there is no right answer, no clear body of knowledge that will help guide the way.  Sometimes you must operate on gut feel, and that’s OK too.  Just so long as you don’t believe you know what you are doing and admit your wining it or making a W.A.G.

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3 Comments

  1. Agreed. Utilizing mentors, coaches, outside experts and even other service companies can be a huge help to doing things you don’t know how to do or you suck at.
    I think a bigger challenge is not only admitting to yourself that you suck at something, but to admit that the cost to others, the company, time, commitments, etc., aren’t worth the learning curve you’ll go through to learn it and possible prove again that you suck at it. 🙂
    Seriously, on-the-job training is sometimes the best way, but there’s always some other costs that are born, either the time to go through the learning curve, the cost of making mistakes (required to learn sometimes) or a combination of both.
    It’s a trade off you must learn to make effectively.

  2. Agreed. Utilizing mentors, coaches, outside experts and even other service companies can be a huge help to doing things you don’t know how to do or you suck at.
    I think a bigger challenge is not only admitting to yourself that you suck at something, but to admit that the cost to others, the company, time, commitments, etc., aren’t worth the learning curve you’ll go through to learn it and possible prove again that you suck at it. 🙂
    Seriously, on-the-job training is sometimes the best way, but there’s always some other costs that are born, either the time to go through the learning curve, the cost of making mistakes (required to learn sometimes) or a combination of both.
    It’s a trade off you must learn to make effectively.

  3. I used to always dread being in the position where I am not capable of doing my best or impressing other people. While I am not a perfectionist, I hate feeling inadequate. I don’t like groping around in the dark. However, I have learned that the best way to improve oneself is to actually relax and see these moments as opportunities to learn. It sounds a bit silly but I used to be afraid of having to learn something new simply because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be good at it…

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