“Seeking knowledge is like opening doors. And I know the doors are everywhere.” Georges St-Pierre
“I know enough to be dangerous,” I first heard while serving as an officer in the U.S. Army. It usually meant that a leader knew enough about a topic, system, or process to lead effectively. ‘Dangerous,’ was an adjective we selected for our ‘profession of arms’ as our jobs were to close with and destroy the enemy. It could be replaced with effective. In a private business, dangerous might mean exceedingly competent – able to take on difficult tasks. “Knowing enough to be dangerous,” could also mean the leader’s knowledge lacks the proper depth to lead effectively – thus an incompetent, ‘dangerous’ leader.
I still use this phrase to convey that I know enough about a topic, system, or process to lead effectively. I know I can not lead effectively if I know too little. With too little knowledge, I’ll pass the mantle of leadership to another leader or ask for help. How dangerous do leaders need to be or how much knowledge do leaders need to know to lead effectively? “A mile wide and an inch deep,” perhaps? I submit those measurements need to be adjusted a bit…
Read the rest here.
