Happy New Yearn for Knowledge in 2017!

Despite combining a small library of thought leading authors with my own experiences of leading change, as it turns out, I still don’t know it all (there, I said it…). So what happens when I’m confronted with new information that disrupts how I see the world? I’ll have to either a) change my view, or b) change the meaning of that new – but rather inconvenient – evidence so that it aligns with my current perspective – a process known as ‘cognitive dissonance’. And as it’s driven by our subconscious, it’s one of those things that being absolutely sure it doesn’t apply to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t.

Intelligence is about acquiring and applying knowledge; turning data into wisdom. And sometimes, we subconsciously use our intelligence to close our minds, turning (and twisting) data in ways that neatly save us from having to admit that we don’t know it all, or that we’ve made a mistake. And that’s a crying shame, because:

1. mistakes are one of the most powerful learning tools we have
2. the more determined we are to justify the status quo in the face of mounting evidence for change, the further we will drift from reality, until the day we wake up and discover we’re irrelevant.

I reckon that Cognitive Dissonance is only set to become a more widespread problem, given the increasing rate of change in the world. 2017 will make 2016 look like it was wading through treacle, and the rock solid foundations of what we believe will be increasingly bombarded by more and more new information.

So my New Year’s resolution is this: every time I learn something that doesn’t change my mind, I will aim to double-check that I’m being open-minded to what is right, rather than needing to prove that I was right. Promise.