You’ve perhaps heard the statement: “to someone with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” We use the tools available and familiar to us to tackle problems, whether they are the best tools for the job or not. While the statement can be interpreted positively or negatively, isn’t it better to expose ourselves to what other tools exist in order to better equip our toolbox?
Some schools and teachers do a better job at educating their learners (whatever the reason). As a parent or learner, don’t I want to know the track record of such institutions in order to make the most informed decision about where to attend or send my child (presuming I have a choice)?
Ignorance is not bliss.
Companies locked into doing things the way they have always done them fail to consider innovative ideas to improve products, services and processes. They may ignore such ideas or provide no avenue for such ideas to even be expressed at all. They would rather be blind to other possibilities than change their ways.
If there is a significant do-it-yourself project to be completed at home and the homeowner has no prior experience to suggest the possibility of success tackling it himself/herself, then it is not a good idea to charge into the task with no prior effort to learn how to accomplish it. The likelihood of failure would be great.
Ignorance is not bliss.
Choosing between foods similarly packaged and named without looking closer at the ingredients misleads one into thinking the products are virtually the same, leading one to make a decision based on price alone. Different ingredients make a difference in the health value of the product.
Leadership in organizations varies tremendously. Settling for mediocre or poor leadership because you have never been exposed to better is a shame with far-reaching consequences you can’t imagine because you don’t know what you’re missing when you haven’t seen better.
In professional and personal life, educate yourself and expand your horizons through new ideas, people, products and services. Only then will you be able to equip your toolbox with the right tools for future tasks.
Leap Year Lesson #100 is Ignorance is not bliss.
Next Practices 