You have undoubtedly heard the quote, “Knowledge is power.” I love a good quote, but I have to say that this one drives me crazy. I have lobbied against it in my own training with clients for years. When people say it, you usually see heads nod in complacent acceptance, like it should be taken as conventional wisdom.
Let me explain why the message of this innocent quote can destroy your success, if you believe it! Let’s break this down.
If knowledge was power, the person with the most knowledge would be the most powerful. And I suppose the winners on Jeopardy would rule the world. Alex Trebek, while being a smart Canadian, charming TV personality and all-around knowledge-meister doesn’t even rule a Province!
So let’s dispel the myth. Knowledge is NOT power. Knowledge is simply the accumulation of information that provides understanding. According to Merriam-Webster, it’s “information, understanding or skill that you get from experience or education.”
The reality is that you could be the most knowledgeable person around. You could voraciously read books, watch documentaries, interview experts and pursue the quest for knowledge and information. But if that is all you did, you would just be really smart. Power has no correlation to knowledge unless you use it in an appropriate way.
A more apt quote would be “Applied knowledge is power.” So let’s see this new quote in action. You read a book. The book provides great information and you, in turn, are now more knowledgeable. Unfortunately, most people stop there (well, the truth is that most people don’t even read the book to start with). But you are different. You decide to take the key lessons from the book and apply them in your own life or work.
By applying the knowledge, do you become more powerful? Often times you do. Application, alone, is not always enough though.
There needs to be something else added to the equation and that’s value. If you take action on knowledge in a way that adds value and improves outcomes or results, you gain power. Power, in this context, would be defined as positive influence.
I was doing role plays with a group of salespeople in Charlotte this past week. One of the lessons that I continued to reiterate from role play to role play was how the salespeople needed to take their knowledge, apply it and add value. In this case, the knowledge that they had was related to how they understood their client’s business, often better than the client did himself. Having that knowledge allowed the salespeople to ask more thoughtful questions and provide more meaningful insights. It was through these insights and questions that they added value. It helped their client see things from a different perspective that, in turn, empowered their client to be more successful while adding to their own power (positive influence) with their client.
Here are some questions (and a simplified format) that you can answer to go from knowledge to power:
- Does this information give me a better understanding or increase my knowledge base? (Acquire Knowledge)
- Is there a way that I can apply or act on this knowledge? (Apply Knowledge)
- Can I add real value or meaningful insights to myself or others through this applied knowledge? (Add Value)
- What are the improved results or outcomes that my actions and value will yield for myself or others? (Get Results)
This is all part of what I call a Value-Driven Approach and it will help you in all aspects of work from business development to leadership. It will also help you in your personal relationships with others. In fact, I’ll warn you now that your friends will start to seek you out because they value your insights, wisdom and ideas. As this happens, you will see your power and influence rise. Who needs to win Jeopardy when you have people clamoring to work or be friends with you?
