“Don’t Be a Know-It-All, Be a Know-It-All”
If there is one thing that everyone can benefit from in life, it is to always think of yourself as a student. It’s okay if you don’t know something, if you want to learn it.
In Business Insider, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talks about Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s best-selling book, Mindset , and how she inspired it:
“I didn’t read this in the context of business or work culture, but in the context of my children’s education. The author describes a simple metaphor for children in school. One of them is a “know-it-all” and the other is a “know-it-all”, and “learn-everything” will always be better than the other, even if the “know-it-all” All “the child starts with much more innate abilities … Returning to business: if it applies to boys and girls in school, I think it also applies to leaders like me and entire organizations like Microsoft. “
The metaphor applies to everyone else. Then Justin Bariso of Inc. break down Nadella’s quote into a simpler, more straightforward, helpful tip:
“Don’t be a know-it-all; be a know-it-all. “
Acting like you know everything is not only frustrating for others, but also makes you think you don’t need to keep learning, which can be detrimental to both your career and your personal growth. Always be hungry for knowledge and always ready to admit you don’t know something. Know-it-alls can only go this far.