One way that technology becomes lost is through employees or staff who “pretend they know” when in truth they don’t know. They may actually believe they know everything already and as a result, aren’t able to learn anything new. This is the kind of person who will max out—they will hit a ceiling as far as what they can do and produce operating with that mindset.
This type of person is not only unwilling to learn, but they’re generally not willing to even look. They’re not looking to become better or seeking any kind of improvement. Since they’re not asking, such a situation doesn’t force anyone else in the organization to figure out what that person is missing. The result is that there is no improvement.
A further issue is that if anyone did happen to notice that such a person was doing anything wrong, they wouldn’t be able to educate that person because “they know it all already” and, therefore, wouldn’t accept it. So, there’s no point in even trying to teach them.
Relating it back to this month’s topic, lost technology, the company's technology becomes lost because people like this never look for what is missing. They cannot be corrected, so nobody can restore any lost technology to such a person.
An example might be a salesperson who is convinced they know what kinds of issues every sales prospect has. Some of the time they might actually be right (just by the law of averages), but since they’re not actually communicating with the prospect to discover their needs, wants, and desires, most of the time they’re not going to be correct. The net result will be a majority of failed closes. Any attempt to improve this person will not work, even if the person says they’re willing to improve and willing to learn.
Another and potentially more impactful example would be in the area of mechanical technology. Let’s say a computer consulting company has a computer tech who “already knows” how to repair a server. This can become downright harmful to the company, as computer technology is constantly evolving and changing. At some point, this particular tech might actually have had the majority of knowledge necessary to repair a server. But a year down the road, installing or repairing a new server won’t be the same as it was when the person “knew it all.”
A problem can occur when one or more people who pretend to know remain uncorrected. A complacency and acceptance results. A viewpoint can come about that “everyone must have the same problem.” That even makes the situation more dangerous, because now completely false information is entered in and becomes part of the operational norm—it’s simply not true that “everyone has the same problem.” The result is technology becomes lost because thanks to this false information and there’s no urgency to find or restore it.
The only real solution to this problem is to demonstrate to someone that they’re pretending to know in such a way that they cease doing it and start to really learn. If that doesn’t work, they need to be replaced.
Back to this month's newsletter, click here:https://mailchi.mp/sellability/hidden-losses-during-the-pandemic
