Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
George Bernard Shaw
Ok! This above quotation should be enough to convey the entire message of the importance of considering that – perhaps for a moment – you may not to be so sure or that there simply is some better option. And this applies to any subject in life, but let’s focus here on the process of developing a product or service.
The author Adam grant talks in his book “Think Again” about the traps we are subjected to when a) we believe we don’t know enough; and b) when we believe we know more than the average. The author makes an interesting comparison between the “imposter syndrome” and “armchair coach syndrome” as he calls it.
In a professional environment, the imposter syndrome can put as in a position of inferiority, submission, avoiding giving opinions, suggesting changes, giving feedback, and above all subjecting us to uncomfortable situations to avoid confrontation, and that is terrible. But this text is about the other syndrome.
The question is that the “armchair expert” syndrome can be just as bad or even worst. Let me explain a bit. The author exemplifies this syndrome describing persons who commonly, due their love for football, feel much more prepared than the coaches of their teams, even though they know only a fraction almost insignificant, of the entirety of this sport’s magnitude and have never even participated in any amateur team.
These people, because they have some superficial knowledge on the subject, feel superior to others, ignore what they don’t know and refuse to consider that they probably – almost always – know less than the majority.
(In the book, the author even describes studies on this subject. I strongly recommend).
Arrogance is ignorance plus conviction
Tim Urban – Blogger
The danger of assumed intelligence
People who feel qualified enough or even more qualified than others can become an obstacle for work teams, leading discussions to unproductive terrain or even – depending on their position – restricting or conditioning conversations.
Innovation requires control, of course, but no decision is one hundred percent safe, not even the best-known path. Always doing it the same way can be a team’s fundamental mistake. Trying to change something that already works and also makes a profit, too.
Rethink is a skill set, but it’s also a mindset. We already have many of the mental tools we need. We just have to remember to get them out of the shed and remove the rust.
Adam Grant on Think Again: The power of knowing what you don’t know
Look for opportunities for teamwork
The greatness of teamwork is having the opportunity to expand, in addition to productivity capacity, also the field of vision, as we bring together knowledge, skills and experiences from different point of view (and of life).
Skills such as active listening, long life learning, ideation techniques and other creativity tools can be the way to avoid this syndrome.
Retrospective events can make it easier for the team to reflect on past events that, over the course of the days, went unnoticed, but could have been better and then create action plans for the future.
Refinement events allow team members to look again at something planned for the near future and revisit concepts that may have been left aside or no longer make sense.
No solution fits perfectly in all cases, but perhaps Adam Grant’s suggestion is still positive. Knowing what you don’t know may be his greatest power.