The OffBeat #6: Learn-it-Alls vs. Know-it-Alls

The power of a growth mindset

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said it best:

“If you take two kids at school, one of them has more innate capability but is a know-it-all. The other person has less innate capability but is a learn-it-all. The learn-it-all does better than the know-it-all.” 

In my experience, strong leaders not only admit they don’t know everything, they lean into that lack of knowledge. They ask questions, they remain open-minded, and they prioritize spending time with every level of the organization in order to fill gaps in their awareness. They read — a LOT — about areas in their field they don’t know as much about, or that have evolved over time. They never assume they’re always the ones with the right answers.

Learn-it-alls embody a growth mindset. And embodying a growth mindset at work (and in your personal life) means embracing the fact that not only do you not know everything, that’s actually the whole point — you can’t, won’t, and shouldn’t know everything, even in your area of expertise.

Think about the implications of being a learn-it-all at work:

• Allyship: Authentic curiosity about and advocacy for colleagues dissimilar to you

• Creativity: Fresh ideas born of exploration and dot-connecting

• Feedback: Open, transparent dialogue at all levels

• People advancement: Elevation of internal talent through upskilling

In your life outside work, being a learn-it-all could open your world to new hobbies; expand your knowledge base to fuel your crossword ability, conversational dexterity, and trivia MVP status; strengthen your relationships with people who aren’t like you (i.e., most people).

If I had to name one skill that’s gotten me to where I am in my career, it’s learning agility. Korn Ferry’s got a great definition of learning agility: knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do. Having a reflexive process for uncovering answers and gaining understanding; leveraging experience in analogous, and even unconnected, areas to mine for clarity.

And the great irony is, if you’re open-minded, if you’re a magnet for new ideas and perspectives — even when that necessitates the vulnerability of expressing that you don’t know something — you’ll end up knowing more than the know-it-alls anyway.

Also: know-it-alls are annoying. That’s something we all know.

Have a great week,

Allison