Knowledge is Power

 A couple of years ago I was working with a group of college students on a team building day. After undertaking an exercise – building a bridge from newspaper I think on this occasion – my role was to ask questions to help them understand what had happened, the impact it had on them and the impact they had on the team. As they worked together on the task I was observing from a distance and one guy caught my attention. He was sitting with his team but taking no part in what was going on. It didn’t look like he was being left out . It looked like he had chosen to opt out. So I  mentioned this to him and he told me that he knew how to do that task but in his view “knowledge is power” so he decided not to contribute.

I  wonder how that approach will work for him at work or in whatever he does.

I was reminded of him this week as colleagues and I were preparing for a new intake of students on programmes at Edinburgh Napier University. Most of the programmes are assessed on reports of “Work Based Learning” where the students are required to  apply what they learn in class  back in the workplace and then reflect and report on the outcomes.  The process of reflection can lead to a recognition  – and valuing – of what they know. What they do (or might be able to do) with that knowledge can be very interesting.

Most of us know a lot more than we think we do. Sometimes we realise that knowledge whe have could be useful in another situation or indeed to another person and choosing to share that in turn can provide even more. Sometimes what we need to do is simply take some time to reflect – like we challenge the students to do – to really understand the depth and breadth of our knowledge.

And that can be really powerful.