Half Knowledge, Dangerous or Valuable?

Do you decide based on half knowledge? In a World of skim, scan, and watch a short video, are people more likely to claim knowledge but lack a significant understanding of the topic?

We have a problem with our car, we watch a video, and diagnose.

Feeling a little sick, we check our temperature and search the web for our symptoms.

Workplace issues, management skills, and how to improve our career. Social media may have some answers.

It seems everywhere we turn today we seek information for self-help. People want free answers.

Free legal advice, free personal tax advice, and certainly no one wants to pay for investment or financial help.

One trouble spot for all of the free information is gaining enough depth in truth, facts, and evidence to be helpful, not hurtful.

Is having half of the knowledge more dangerous than having no knowledge at all?

Half Knowledge

Yes, it is true, that someone with some decent mechanical skills can probably fix something on their car by watching a video.

Yes, sometimes when we have a minor health concern, we can learn more from our web-based research.

We can also learn more about becoming more valuable in our workplace, enhancing our career, and working more effectively with others by self-study.

Is this valuable? Certainly, it is.

Dangerous Half

Much of the danger comes from half-study. We only understand a small piece of it and make a big mistake by not reading the fine print.

Ask someone with half of the knowledge for advice on fertilizer for your roses, you may accidentally apply a herbicide. Spread a little special formula on your lawn, and your lawn turns brown instead of green. Sorry, all you had was crabgrass.

Knowledge is power. Assumed knowledge may only be powerful until it results in a big mistake.

Know the difference between having knowledge, or having only half of it.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.