The Curse of Wisdom
No one really wants to hear it
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As an adult, I have the luxury of experience. I use it on a regular basis to prevent mistakes. That is what it’s there for. I have accumulated this knowledge over the course of my life and now carry a reasonable amount of wisdom.
The problem comes when you see someone who is in need of some and they are not positioned to hear it. They are deaf to anything that slows or distracts from their current “plan”.
I constantly hear the echo from that Moody Blues song — I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.
“There are none so blind as those who will not see”
As a project manager I have the luxury of interaction with a large swath of people — from those at the top making rather large financial and design decisions all the way down to the laborer who sweeps the floor.
My main interactions are with those who do real hands-on work. The same work I did when first starting out in the trades. So I have some experience. I watch them repeat errors that increase their labors.
I have a difficulty not stepping in to offer an extra hand but there is finesse needed. What I have learned over the years is to not say “do it this way” or “it’d be easier if you just…X.Y.Z”.
The most effective way is to simply have them stand to the side and do it the proper way silently.
This doesn’t “call them out” and illuminates a better process. A lot of the workers quietly adapt it. The confirmation that they did see what I did is sometime an enlightened audible “ahh” or “neat”. Then there are those that weren’t paying attention at all.
Wisdom does not fit everywhere
The main issue comes from those who will never do it another way. They are the hardest to watch, because I know I will be critiquing their end product and causing frustration. I am the quality control/assurance guy…
Not everyone wants to embrace that they may be misguided — even when faced with proof. It is taxing to work with these people. It is like pushing a boulder uphill — in the mud.
