Expertise And Ignorance: We Are All Ignorant—Some of Us Know It and Some Of Us Don’t

This lack of awareness is particularly concerning, even dangerous, when it is found amongst senior leaders and experts who make important decisions that impact other people, organizations and even societies. It is perhaps even more debilitating for followers who believe (or reject) the information conveyed by these leaders and experts. Indeed, as we have seen with conspiracy theories, misinformation and blatant lies disseminated by some leaders and experts, it can be life threatening.

Neuroscientist, Stuart Firestein (2012) argues that “we should value what we don’t know just as much as what we know”. However, to value this “ignorance” (but not stupidity) requires an appreciation of the depth of knowledge found among the experts who deeply understand their fields of research and study. The problem is that most people are blatantly unaware of how much they don’t know. Leaders and experts in positions of power and influence who are “ignorant of their ignorance” are especially dangerous.

Leaders must not only be self-aware of these psychological drivers or triggers; in addition, they must understand and appreciate the important role played by these drivers in influencing the behaviors of people they lead. Leadership coaches are in a position to become more informed about these biases, blind spots and behavioral triggers in the leaders they coach. The informed coach can help their client become increasingly self-aware and more effective as a leader.

We are all ignorant – that’s either a good thing or a very bad thing!

On the one hand, our awareness of the scope and context of our ignorance is to be cherished. For example, a scientist should be profoundly aware of how much knowledge there is still to learn. On the other hand, it is potentially dangerous if we are unaware of our ignorance. For example, it is dangerous for a lay person to strongly propose an untested medication for a certain disease. Social psychologist David Dunning (2012) observes that “people are often not aware of their deficits on everyday tasks … and when they display their incompetence, they remain blissfully unaware of the fact”. He further concludes that:

People performing poorly cannot be expected to recognize their ineptitude. They are simply not in a position to know that they are doing badly. The ability to recognize the depth of their inadequacies is beyond them. Much like certain types of brain damage prevent sufferers from recognizing their blindness or paralysis, incompetence places people in a state of anosognosia that makes it difficult and at times impossible, for sufferers to gain insight into how impaired their intellectual and social skills are.