When learning more hurts more than it helps

We live in a time when there has never been so much access to knowledge. And yet, we live in a time that has more strife, uncertainty and unpredictability than ever. It seems these days, just learning more things may actually hurt more than it helps. 

"There might be too many MBAs running companies", said the now richest man in the world, Elon Musk, at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit. He feels the "MBA-ization of America" limits the creation of innovative products and services. Said another way, if I can attempt to translate, too much time learning about things vs. doing things.

And I get it, don’t you? Learning things is very attractive, especially these days. There have never been so many podcasts, audiobooks, paper books, digital books, e-courses, school courses, and certifications than there are right now. It’s super attractive in business to have a BS, PhD., or an MBA attached to your name. Approached purely academically though, it just adds to our seemingly limitless knowledge potential. And knowledge in and of itself doesn’t make much of a difference. 

Imagine reading a book to learn how to ride a bike. Or listening to a podcast to learn how to swim. You might have a lot of knowledge, you could even get a Phd in swimming. But all that knowledge makes little difference the first time you’re thrown into the water. 

Knowledge alone doesn’t work. No matter how well you learn it. 

Musk goes on to suggest there should be more focus on the product or service itself, less time on board meetings, less time on financials. Again, less time learning about things and more time doing them. To pick up on the swimming analogy: we need to spend more time in the water vs. learning how to swim on dry land. 

Learning gives us the illusion of safety and limited risk. And to some degree that might be true. But there tends to be far more emphasis on learning and not necessarily on the more important part: applying what you’ve learned. Learning hurts when it’s used as an excuse from rolling up your sleeves up and getting to work. It hurts when you use knowledge, and the accumulation of more of it, as a shield against potentially failing or trying something new and innovative. 

It never sounds illogical to learn more (so few can call you on your position), but it may have you avoiding what really makes the difference: the work. When you look at team-members, partners and social groups -- what’s more important, their degree or what they’ve accomplished? Do you look at companies on your CV or the hard things you’ve solved for inside those companies? Is it more important to study every business leader there is, or actually start a business?

Next week I’m hosting a free workshop where we’re going to share a tool to roll up your sleeves and actually get to work. It’s a clear process for taking all those problems you think you need to learn more to solve and immediately turn them into breakthroughs. You can join me live or, of course, catch the recording. 

This week, look for where you might be using knowledge as a shield. Look for where, as Musk suggests, you can spend less time on financials, board meetings, forecasting, projections and study, and more time getting directly into action. Knowledge alone is a trap that has seduced many. Let’s avoid the trap and get to work on making a difference. 

The world needs more help than hurt, so let’s look at things newly, not just by the book, and roll up our sleeves to make the difference really happen.