Not Knowing - a critical business skill

There's an interesting, and I think important theme emerging. As we tiptoe out of the caution of the last seven years, and entertain the idea of ambitious business growth, rather than survival and incremental growth, the rules have changed.

We are discovering the limitations of expertise.

Expertise and knowledge are great in relatively static conditions, and we come to rely on the "schemata" - ways of thinking, built on experience, that govern what we take notice of. Expertise gets us promoted, makes our businesses work and allows us to train people to do things. And that is now a problem.

Almost all of the clients I work with are trying to deal with a paradox. How do they make the most of today, knowing that it is becoming obsolescent - but not knowing with any precision what is coming next.

We like certainty (uncertainty, unless it's nature is properly understood, generated the same reactions as fear), but in order to thrive tomorrow we need to develop confidence in "Not Knowing". (If y…