Don’t Be Afraid to Learn From Others (Thereby Admitting You Don’t Know Everything)
Author: Jennifer Mitchell
When I was a kid, my grandfather gave me a piece of advice (over and over again):
The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.
It's ok to learn from others
My grandfather was truly brilliant- the most brilliant person I have ever had the opportunity to know. He had weathered The Great Depression, WWII, and was a (multiple) patent-holding engineer. He was exceptional. And yet, kept telling me he didn’t know anything about anything.
I don’t think I truly understood what he meant until he died. After the funeral, I went into his room, and on his nightstand was a book about the decision to drop the atomic bomb during WWII. My Grandfather was one if the men on Tinian- the island used to launch the first atomic bombs. He was a “radio guy” and was the first on the island to learn the bomb had been dropped. But even though he had been a part of it, he was interested in learning about his experience- from all angles.
Everyone’s (not) an Expert
When it comes to social media, way too many people have anointed themselves “experts.” All the discussion about people who think they are experts, coming from others who are also NOT experts is totally played out. (So I won’t do that.)
In my mind, there are only 5-10 people that can be considered TRUE social media experts. We all know the social media landscape can (and does) change every day. But these “gurus” are the people:
- That crowdsource, and don’t assume they have the right solution all the time
- That filter through the noise by listening, and build relationships of quality over quantity
- That are always striving to learn more, better themselves and share their progress/set-backs with others
- That as a result of treating life as one big university, can infer what trends are going to happen before they do
I’d go as far as to say:
The more these “experts” know, the more they know they don’t know.
Ok, So Everyone Can’t be an Expert… But (Almost) Everyone Offers Value
Want to provide value to yourself? To your clients? To others?
Stop looking at life as though there are two sides to every story, look at everything you do from a perspective of infinite possibility. Even if you are a seasoned professional, be willing to assume there is always a lot that can be learned and work to seek that knowledge everywhere.
I know that we’ve talked about this… but here’s the sitch from my perspective:
If you proclaim to be all knowing – you are probably over-selling yourself as a way to attempt to gain credibility. The internet today is not the same internet it was yesterday – every day is something new to see, learn & experience. A social media today is tomorrow’s social media loud-mouth.
Social media isn’t about me or you – it’s about us. There is no social without the dialouge; there is no dialouge if you are just broadcasting without the gift of feedback. Remember the conversation is the key to brand loyalty.
If you are using SM as a means of self promotion, make sure your BS filter is on. Remember your audience can smell it amile away. Be genuine, be sincere, be real and you will reap the rewards.
Dismounting my soapbox – with a triple-twisting, piked back two & half…
Charity-
I agree with everything you said. I think your point about how “social media is about us” is especially poignant. I think some people forget that social media is actually about communication, not self-promotion, and fall flat.
And hey, jump onto your soapbox anytime. It usually leads to some great conversation.