“A wise man has great power, and a knowledgeable man increases strength, for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisers.” Proverbs 24:5 (WEB)
There is very little that will frustrate a true leader more than lack of knowledge. Knowledge, when wielded by the right individual, is like a sharp sword that is capable of cutting through confusion to find truth and wisdom. Lack of knowledge leaves us whacking away at ghosts in the darkness, hoping we will stumble upon the right path. Empires have fallen because of lack of knowledge. Relationships have come to ruin. Bank accounts have run dry. Employment opportunities have passed people by. All because someone didn’t have the information needed to make a wise choice.
When leaders have access to the right information, it empowers them to make wise choices. In the not-for-profit world those wise choices lead to transformation in the lives of the broken and hurting people in that community. In business, they lead to missional success.
If wisdom were a fire keeping us warm and giving us light, knowledge would be the wood and fuel feeding that fire. That said, knowledge must be given to a wise person in order for it to make a difference, otherwise it’s simply wood sitting in a pile on the floor. Charles Spurgeon said it this way: “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”
Five Ways to Gather Knowledge
1. Ask lots of questions.
The more inquisitive the leader, the more knowledgeable the leader. Ask questions, lots of them! When you spend time with others on your team, make a commitment to always ask at least three questions. Questions like, “How are you doing today?” or “How is your sick child doing?” show care and reveals knowledge about their emotional state. Questions like, “What is your #1 project this week? or “How did the meeting go yesterday?” informs you of time-sensitive data for the week.
2. Gather statistics.
What you measure is what you will focus on. Identify what is most important to you in the organization and find ways to measure progress and success. How many customers do you attract? How fast is turnover happening (of staff or clients)? How do monthly income vs expenses measure up? These questions should be answered through a series of measurements and summarized in simple graphs. For example a local cafe could track monthly attendance and display it in a chart to better understand net growth year to year or what times of the year people tend to visit more than others.
3. Invite others to cc you.
Sometimes, the information leaders need to make wise choices doesn’t come from the big decisions happening around them. It’s from the little, daily choices or activities. Asking team members to regularly, or even occasionally, cc you into email communications is one way the leader might put the dipstick in to gauge things like employee morale, small problems that might eventually turn into big ones, value drift from one or more team members, and more. This activity has the potential to overwhelm a leader’s inbox, but implemented with wisdom, can be an effective exercise.
4. Ask for feedback.
Feedback is not for the faint of heart. Many leaders subconsciously elect to remain in the dark about others’ thoughts, opinions or feelings. They do this either because they fear the truth or simply because they assume they know what others will say. Brave leaders do it anyway, and are almost always better for it. Ask others for feedback on your leadership, about that recent event or about team dynamics. Feedback doesn’t have to happen face to face, either. It could take place in a 1:1 meeting or staff meeting; but it could just as easily occur through a simple feedback form as well. Feedback is the breakfast of champions!
5. Collect status reports
Some of the best leaders are those who equip and empower others to make their own choices within their spheres of responsibility. However, it is still important to maintain a grip on others progress. A status report, even via email, can be a great way for leaders to put the dipstick in and make sure there isn’t any surprises brewing. A status report might consist of a summary of tasks accomplished by a team member, the revenue received that week or what happened at a recent event. The point of the report isn’t to be long and dry, but short and to the point. It allows leaders to quickly review pertinent details and move on.
