When Being Carnac Doesn't Work For You
July 27th, 2009 | 
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Johnny Carson’s “Carnac the Magnificent” was one of best known and loved comic characters on television. I loved watching the Johnny Carson Show, but especially loved this persona.
Carnac was all-knowing and had the answers to anything, even before hearing the question. If he didn’t have the answer, he made it up. To the best of my knowledge, he never admitted to not knowing an answer.
When was the last time that you were willing to admit, to yourself or others, that you just didn’t know something; that you weren’t so certain after all?
Leaders who “go with their gut” and shun the advice of others to achieve huge success make great stories for Hollywood. I’m the first to admit that there is value in going with the gut at the right times. However, I also have a gut feeling that many leadership failures can also be attributed to hanging on to certainty – insisting that he or she knows what is right, to the point of not listening to those who know more.
One of the most important things a leader can do is to know when to set aside “certainty” and to be open to the ideas of others.
When to set “knowing” aside:
- In a crisis: Perhaps like the one we’re in right now. When complexity and urgency meet, you must open up to the ideas of others. Not only will this bring a balanced perspective, but it may also bring the answers you seek.
- When something big needs to be strategized: The truth is, you just cannot strategize the big things (well) yourself. Trusted advisors and mentors must be included and listened to in order to design the best “something big”.
- When others will eventually need to be involved in the event, project, or initiative: They want to be a part of it. Set aside your need to know and listen and incorporate others ideas as you are conceptualizing the initiative. This is key to engaging them in the work to follow.
When we’re sure that we’re the “smartest person in the room”, our ability to learn from others stops. Worse yet, others stop engaging us in dialog that may illuminate a problem or foster a new idea. This is where mistakes and failure take root. We cannot lead alone, and part of the art of great leadership includes inviting the discomfort of letting go of our own certainty.
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6 Responses to “When Being Carnac Doesn't Work For You”
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You bring up a great point about wisdom, Mary Jo. It is not the same to know and to be wise, of course! In fact, you are wise if you know when to use your knowledge. That includes, of course knowing the limits of knowing. A great danger of knowing a lot is falling into the "certainty" defect you describe here.
For great decision making, I always suggest my mentor, Will Schutz' rule of inclusion: have the people who know (the ones that have the info and savvy needed for the task) and the people who care (the ones that will be affected by the decision, have to carry it out or will be involved at some point of the process). Every time you do that, your decisions are better and your implementation is quicker. Just remember that you are also a resource, so listen to yourself as well, especially if you know and/or care about the issue at hand.
Great post – and keen topic mar Jo. When people who differ from you in any way – across cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs, it's especially important to engage the opposing views on core topics.
I like to toss ideas around a circle with no commentary so that opposing views come to the surface – with people's fear of losing face or looking dumb. Then take ideas from both sides to move the group forward to applications, and in that way we begin to reward ideas that differ from ours.
It's so easy to succumb to peer pressure to engage the loudest or most senior voice and to silence others. When all people speak and feel heard in any circle, it's evident to me that best ideas surface, and wrong or lesser ideas quietly fade away for the good of progress that benefits more.
What do you think?
Monica- You are a wise woman. And I love the Will Schutz add to make decisions better!
Ellen- Thank you too, for your "tossing ideas around the circle without commentary" add. I'm pretty sure that this also reinforces the value of listening for participants. And certanly, when you have a group of people listening to divergent views, understanding (beyond what might have happened otherwise) emerges? I love that thought.
Another thoughtful post, Mary Jo. Let me share two perspectives.
For me it's helpful to think of data as raw facts, information as data in a context, knowledge as the application of information, and wisdom as the ability to choose what and where to apply.
One of the things that helps you move up that scale is the perspective and experience of others. So getting that perspective and those insights is important. Especially in a crisis, though, there usually comes a time to decide. I've rarely seen a group achieve consensus in business and then it's usually been wrong.
That means that a team needs to have a method to solicit information and opinions and then a decision for closing debate and shifting to the action phase.
Sage advice that will enhance workplace engagement and cultural resonance.
Wally-
Thanks for the distinctions. I suppose that moving up the scale is like climbing a ladder. And I never thought of wisdom in that way. In a way, it has to be "worked at" by understanding data, information, and knowledge. If one is intentional about using your scale, then wisdom could potentially become available when needed.
RMSmith – Thanks for stopping by!