ignorance – From the desk of Adam Thomas

Admitting being ignorant opens up a new world of possibilities

Resist the urge to “sound smart.”

To “sound smart” or to use the right words, even when you don’t know the context, is easy.

No one gets in trouble for “sounding smart.”

That is what makes the allure hard to ignore. It is much easier for us to use the “right” words, even when we don’t know what we are talking about, than admit we are ignorant.

It’s ok to admit your ignorance.

The moment you do, you signal that you trust the person across from you.

Then, magic can happen.

Bad taste is ignorance, not difference

Don’t confuse bad taste with “taste” you don’t like.

That’s arrogance. It has no place in a work style conducive to leadership.

Ignorance is a lack of knowledge

For example, if I worked for a company that wanted to launch a content strategy, and they didn’t know what WordPress was, that’s ignorance.

Difference comes from worldview

If that company wanted to use Drupal and hated WordPress, then that’s a difference.

Instead of seeing it in my way, I now have a challenge. As a changemaker, it’s now my job to understand why they want Drupal.

Don’t look at it as bad taste. It isn’t; it’s a learning opportunity.

People take different paths, like it says in the Diff’rent Strokes theme song:

“What might be right for you may not be right for some”

The difference between two styles creates art.