Knowledge is power!

Bunty: Hard work is the key to success.

Bubli: Nope, it’s smart work over hard work always.

(...debate)

What do you think, is it hard work or smart work that ultimately wins?

If we look a little deeper into this, there comes a concept of knowledge that I think is far beyond hard work and smart work. I feel this way for the reason that we accomplish a variety of things on a daily basis, but do we always learn through it? If we are posed with a similar situation a few days/months down the line, are we sure we will be able to solve the same problem without having to refer to an external resource?

There are a plethora of articles that discuss and debate as to how knowledge can be categorized and that, in a way, is out of the scope of the discussion here. But, what I find very interesting is this categorization of knowledge into 3 types.

1. Tacit knowledge - Say, Mr. X is posed with a problem. The Internet is readily available, so X browses through a few of them, tries different approaches, and fixes the problem. Ms. Y, the manager, asks for an explanation as to why and how the specific approach was employed. Now, Mr. X is put into a difficult situation since he does not hold a thorough understanding of what’s going on underneath. Worse, if he encounters another situation where he might have to take a call based on the understanding of this very concept.
2. Theoretical knowledge - Mr. X delves deeper and conducts a thorough analysis of the given situation and why and how one or multiple approaches do/don’t fit. Now, if he’s asked to document the process or countered with questions, he backs himself up with the theories and proofs.
3. Experiential knowledge - Mr. X tries multiple strategies to solve this very problem. After conducting detailed research on each of these ways, he jumps to the conclusion and implements the one he thinks is the right way. Of the 100 things, 99 work but 1 doesn’t. Now, he will have to go back to see why that one thing didn’t work out. With this approach, X has the experience working on the task, and the next time he knows what he should avoid doing when he exercises this strategy.

Knowledge types 2 & 3 are what should be aimed for, for both personal & professional growth - irrespective of you being a manager, entrepreneur, or a person in the very early stages of your career.

What is your opinion about it? Would love to know your thoughts, let's chat in the comments :)