I've been in class so haven't been able to comment on other people's diaries for a
few days -- I was going to write this or something like it in
href="http://sixweasels.diaryland.com">Sixweasel's guestbook, but it began
expaning as I thought it over. So this is for Six, but also for any of you
young'uns or ones moving up into positions at work or out of it where you're
making decisions that scare you or working with people who intimidate
you.
George Walker Bush does not know what to do to resolve
the situation in Iraq. Now, I don't like the man, but this time I'm not trying to
insult him. Howard Dean and General Clark & co. don't know either. What they're
arguing over is who's got the right combination of experience, smarts, and common
sense to make the best guess.
Similarly, none of you out there know
how to raise your children. Again, no insult intended; if you're a caring parent
and you've got some sense and gumption, you know your child better than anyone
else, and because of that your thoughts on what to do next are usually better than
anyone else's could be. But you don't know what to do next; you evaluate
the situation in terms of your experience and take your best
guess.
That applies to businesses, too (and universities). The only
problems anyone really knows how to solve are the ones that have already been
solved, and in a complex system like an economy or a person, things are likely to
have changed enough since last time that even those solutions must be rethought.
So in general, what most people do when faced with complex problems is to guess
and bluff. Obviously, some have more experience and knowledge and so guess better
than most of us, but just as obviously experience can often be of more use than
education. Some people who have a privileged background bluff so well they
convince themselves as well as others, but I am convinced they are still just
bluffing.
Look, I have an advanced degree (not to mention a
well-insulated house) and I know I have vast areas of ignorance. What I also have
that I find extremely helpful is a row-house background. I grew up in a 1200 sq.
ft. house among people who were blue-, pink-, and lower-level white-collar. What
it's given me is a lack of the sense of entitlement people who are raised rich
seem to have and an appreciation for people who deal with *real*
problems.
There is this thing about business, politics, and economic
decisions: they say the stakes are high, and in a dollar sense they are. But in a
more practical sense, they usually aren't. It is possible for high-ups to lose
everything or even go to jail if they make spectacularly bad decisions, but it's
very rare. More likely, if for example the CEO of my company makes some bad
decisions and our stock tanks, he jumps out, is wafted down on a golden parachute,
and then either finds a position at another company or makes vast sums of money
for being on some corporate boards and attending meetings a few times a year. In
contrast, his lowest-level employees may be making decisions that involve fewer
dollars by several orders of magnitude but that affect whether their families will
eat well or sleep warm. The stakes are far higher in real terms. When those people
make decisions, they know just what is at stake and they develop more common sense
because they need it more.
Does that mean I wouldn't advocate getting
advanced degrees? Hell no. I do think it's much better to go back after you've
worked a few years. That way, you know where the holes in your knowledge are and
you can try to fill them, plus you can enjoy all the incredible resources college
campuses offer -- you miss those when you've been away a while and you realize how
much you didn't take advantage of them as an undergrad. (Though I guess none of
that would apply when you work for a university.)
Anyway, the point I
am trying to make is that in general the people who sound like they Know All often
don't, and usually if you speak up they'll figure you know what you're doing too.
I have an advantage here: I know I'm smart. (I'm not being conceited here: it's
usually one of the three characteristics of mine people mention most, the other
two being Short and Mouthy.) So I'm secure enough not to mind looking stupid
frequently -- I know there are huge areas of things I know nothing about, but I
also know I know things other people don't. (As someone said to me yesterday,
"We're all ignorant in some areas.") If I don't understand something I just ask,
because I figure if I don't know, probably others don't either -- sometime the
ones who thought they do, don't. If you're at the table, you've got a right to
speak. Listen to what other people say, but if it doesn't make sense, don't assume
it's you that doesn't understand.
OK, that was one of the things I
know (or at least am pretty sure of my guesses about). I'm sure in about three
minutes something will come up I know absolutely nothing about. PS. Jenn, and then
there are people that don't know shit about anything including how to be decent
human beings. There's no excuse at all for those, not adult ones anyhow.