Knowing and Experiencing Are Two Separate Things
“Knowing” and “experiencing” are different. It’s common sense. However, many business leaders operate as if they are the same. That if they know of something, it equals having experienced it. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Knowing of or about a concept in management theory, for example, is not the same as applying it. A business-unit leader might understand, in the abstract, that their team needs to work together. But if the manager had some experience in the realm of teamwork, they would recognize that there are so many variables involved. Variables such as the personalities involved, workloads, or outside pressures can dramatically influence how well a group of people can or will work together as a team.
It is like reading a script versus living a life. Acting out a scene in a play, where some conditions are controlled, is very different from real life. Real life has so many more variables that can’t be controlled so easily. Reading through a play is more intellectual and logical, whereas real life is more emotional.
The real world can be overwhelming, and you can’t see everything all at once, like you can when acting in or watching a play. As an audience member, you can look at it with a clear head, but in your own life, rarely are heads completely clear. It’s easy to see when an actor needs to do something but more difficult when living in the real world. We’re affected by past situations, such as previous interactions with team members or past attempts at projects, and also future goals, such as what we are personally looking to get from this situation and how best to get it. Real life is also affected by our starting emotional states. Things always look more drastic when we’re tired or hungry.
Yet, as humans, we feel that if we know something, we are experts in it. We think that if we know how things will turn out, we’re all set. However, we don’t know what we don’t know. There are so many unseen variables. Reality doesn’t usually line up with our expectations. It’s like the difference between your head and your heart. Your head might analytically know that you shouldn’t get involved in a particular project, but your heart won’t hear it. They are taking in different types of information – logical and emotional. “Knowing” and “experiencing” are also two different types of information.
Even knowing that there will be a certain outcome for something does not prepare you for the actual experience. Knowing that a relationship will come to an end does not make the actual end any less painful, particularly if it was one that you wanted to continue. Likewise, knowing that you are about to receive a promotion does not prepare you for your new role.
Knowledge may be power, and it may be information, but it will never be the same as actually experiencing something. Experience should always be treated as more valuable. When offered the opinions of two people, one with knowledge and one with experience, always go for the one with experience. They’ve walked the walk, not just talked the talk.