Why Knowledge Isn't Enough

I know lots of things.

For instance, I know about college basketball.

I know about the history of the sport, the rules, the great players and legendary coaches. I enjoy watching it and have even travelled great distances for specific games. This knowledge is fueled by my interest and is a source of enjoyment to me. But I would fail on the court, behind the whistle or at the microphone calling a game.

I also know about antique John Deere tractors. I can tell you about body styles, the legacy of various models, the history of the company, the subtle changes in the paint color and much more. And yet, I would have trouble painting a tractor and having it look the way I want it.

I've been driving for a long time. I love to drive and am rarely in a passenger seat when in a car. I know that when at an intersection I need to look right and left. And yet a couple of years ago, I didn't look left close enough - and ended up several hundred feet away from the intersection, in the ditch, my car totaled. (Thankfully neither I nor the other driver were hurt seriously).

Yes, I know lots of things. And between the books in my office, the television in my house, the people that I know, and the internet that is nearly always at my fingertips, I have access to most any knowledge I could possibly need or want.

And yet, in the end, all of this knowledge is worthless.

Because knowledge isn't enough.

Yes, knowledge is a start - if I don't know to look left and right at the intersection, I won't be able to do it. But if I know it and don't do it, it won't matter. I'll still get the same (potentially life threatening) results.

As professionals we spend a large amount of time acquiring ideas, procedures, approaches and techniques. And any information we don't already know is usually available to us quickly, and often at a very low cost.

It is admirable to be curious and to want to learn, and yet this very approach gets in our way.
Because knowledge isn't enough.

The missing ingredient to greater performance, improved results, greater satisfaction, less stress and much more isn't knowledge. The missing ingredient is action.

You can only begin to make a difference for yourself, your organization, your family, your community and your world when you stop focusing on knowledge and take action.
You must do what you know.

So your challenge isn't first to acquire more knowledge, but to acquire more skill. You learn a skill - be it listening, leadership or lion-taming - by doing it. Yes, knowledge will aid you in being more successful in any of these things, but in the end, it's about skills.

There are a lot of words for skill building. You can call it practice, implementation, execution, trying it, taking action, application and more. It doesn't matter what you call it, the point is, you must do it.

You must try the ideas you learn. You must put your feet on the pedals, pick up the phone or open the software. I know it is risky. I know it might be hard. And I realize it might not be very comfortable.

After all, you've been doing it one way for awhile (or "getting by" by not doing it at all). If you want to improve, experience new things and make a difference though, you must move past the discomfort and being willing to make a mistake. In fact, you might actually get worse at a task, when trying something new - for awhile - until the new skill kicks in and you soar to new levels of success and confidence.

To really learn a skill you must practice; you must take action. Because knowledge alone isn't enough - it's only half of the equation.

Success in any life endeavor equals knowledge + action.

Potential Pointer: Knowing something isn't enough. While knowing things is important, it is behavior that matters. Concentrate on translating knowledge into behavior if you really want to make a difference in your world.