Today one of the most important points I have continued to experience more and more in my consultant role is:  Realizing What People “Don’t Know”!  Now don’t start thinking that I am claiming to be smarter than everyone else.  No…not at all.  Instead I am learning and experiencing more often the fact that it is very difficult to simplify the tasks assigned to every job today…thereby creating challenging knowledge gaps. 

Think about it.  Think about the injection of all kinds of technology, social media, new internet-related terms, workplace location issues and online deal-making processes that impact EVERY job.  These multiple factors of new-age understanding may be referenced in updated job descriptions…but how they appear and operate in ones everyday world-of-work will not show-up as basic nor simple. 

Also there is the growing problem of “two-way-assuming”.  What do I mean by “two-way-assuming.”?  By “two-way-assuming”…first I BELIEVE the individual or group I am working with fully understands what I am talking about when I describe something like “intrapreneurship”.  Then at the same time THEY BELIEVE…(i.e. assume) they know what the learning message is?  The end result is that because a “two-way assuming” situation has been introduced…there are one, two or more knowledge gaps that result in poor performance or mis-guided agency action. 

What’s the remedy? 

My long-term college professor and mentor has reminded me more than once “that to be effective as a consultant…don’t assume anything”.  For me this advice has always pushed me to take extra professional moments to ensure I am Realizing What People “Don’t Know”!…so that my efforts to help them go forward are better focused and thereby more effective.  Likewise always providing strong two-way communication…even on things some people see as simple…may make the difference between good products/services…and GREAT ones!