Isaac Cline was one of the most respected men in America during the 1890s. He was an extraordinary meteorologist who was among the first to accurately predict freezing weather and river flooding. Though he had a national profile, his office was in the boomtown of Galveston, Texas.
As Galveston grew, many were worried that the barrier island was vulnerable to a serious storm, a hurricane in particular. Residents asked city leaders to take steps to protect them from such an event, which many thought would be catastrophic. However, Galveston residents and city leaders were put at ease when the highly respected Cline said a devastating hurricane hitting Galveston was a “crazy idea.” Until it did.
In 1900, the most devasting natural disaster in U.S. history occurred when a major hurricane hit Galveston, killing 10,000 people, including Cline’s pregnant wife. Because of Cline’s certainty, the city failed to prepare, and the costs were high. Cline, by all accounts, was a good guy, a devoted family man who taught Sunday School. But in this instance, he was wrong, and it was deadly.
Our Correct Craft team often speaks about the danger of being a knower. Knowers are convinced they are right and filter all incoming information so that it corroborates their feeling of rightness. While this knower mindset was deadly for the people of Galveston in 1900, it also affects leaders negatively today.
Another knowing trap, which even the best leaders can fall into, is the Dunning-Kruger effect. In its simplest terms, the Dunning-Kruger effect is when you know a little bit about something but think you fully understand it. This is particularly prevalent when someone learns something new and immediately is confident that they understand the subject well, despite knowing very little.
If you go through life as a knower, the consequences are high. Knowers stay trapped in their own thinking, which makes them feel good but also results in living a lie. They not only fail to reach their potential but also go through life deceived. Who wants to live with those consequences?
Leaders need to be learners, not knowers. Some things you can do to help you broaden your view and be a learner:
Acknowledge the reality of self-deception: The first step to changing your world in a big way is to acknowledge the problem of self-deception. This is really tough for most people because they feel so right. In her outstanding book, Being Wrong, Kathryn Schulz explains how we can feel so right while being so wrong. Unfortunately, you and I both are subject to this trap.
Decide you would rather seek truth than feel good: This is difficult because most people believe what they already think is truth, and it makes them feel good. Feeling good is another dangerous trap many people fall into. It is nice for the moment but can lead to self-deception that is destructive.
Surround yourself with people who disagree with you: Make sure your team knows you want their opinions, and never criticize or, even harder, get emotional with someone for sharing their perspective in good faith. If everyone around you thinks the same way, seek out diversity of thought. Sometimes I explain this with a beach ball analogy. If you are a little person standing on the blue panel of the beach ball, everything will seem blue to you. Try to also see the perspective of those on the yellow, orange and green panels, or step back and try to see all the colors (perspectives).
Read material that broadens your perspective: I am a voracious reader, and I enjoy books that present a different perspective than my own. People will sometimes hear me share thoughts about a book and wonder why I would read something so different from my normal viewpoint. The answer is simple: I am not afraid of seeking truth, and that perspective has helped me materially over the years.
Travel to different places: I have traveled to more than 110 countries, and every visit to a different place expands my paradigms. You don’t need to visit 110 countries, but visit someplace different; you will be surprised how your view expands. Meeting new people — the more different from you the better — will have a significant impact on your thinking.
Watch different news channels: This point will be the toughest of all for some people. I watch very little television, but I try to watch different news programs, especially after a big event. The days of news programs sharing actual news are long gone. They have become echo chambers, and people listen to news channels that make them feel good about their views. Mix it up by watching something different.
The idea of being a learner applies to many areas of life, including your medical care. In October 2017, the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics published an article that said doctors with humility (i.e., be willing to learn and open to different views) were much more likely to enhance their patient’s health. If your doctor is a knower, you might want to consider looking for a new one.
If you are interested in learning more about this idea, I encourage you to read Mindset, a wonderful, short book by Carol Dweck. In the book, she explains how those who are open to learning — what Dweck calls a “growth mindset” — benefit in many ways.
There is a tremendous opportunity to improve yourself and your organization by being a learner. It is not easy, but once you start down the path, it is exhilarating. The No. 1 thing that holds most people back in life is themselves and, more specifically, their thinking. Being a learner will go a long way toward breaking free of self-deception and allowing you and your organization to reach your full potential.
Bill Yeargin is president and CEO of Correct Craft and the author of six books, including the best seller Education of a CEO.
