Some years back, I got into an interesting discussion with an older man. He commented that anyone could be intelligent, but few possess wisdom. That was quite a point. From that point onwards, I have been looking at the journey of self-exploration and how we view ourselves on the spectrum of learning. As you engage in continuous learning, you keep evolving your understanding and skill levels, and you leap the new levels. The question becomes, where do you stop where you are on this spectrum.
KNOWLEDGE: Develop strategic knowledge
Get a competitive edge over others by expanding your strategic knowledge
In simple words, “knowledge means what you know.”
When I was young, I was pretty curious about driving cars. I gathered quite a bit of information about different models, their features, and how different mechanical systems operate together to drive a car. Several times I imagined how fuel is getting ignited and how it is generating thrust, and then I started relating those things with the process of pressing the pedal.
What I was doing at that time was gathering knowledge.
When you learn ‘something’ new, whether it is a new fact or a new skill, focus on acquiring comprehensive knowledge about that ‘something.’ Comprehensive knowledge comprises three types of knowledge – factual, conceptual, procedural, and strategic. These different knowledge types are acquired through the processes like understanding, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. When you learn a new thing, you start knowing some facts about it (factual knowledge). As you unravel new relationships in how things are organized (conceptual knowledge). Then you get to understand how to apply knowledge or do certain things (procedure knowledge). Real learning is how to use different strategies to make the most of your knowledge (strategic knowledge).
TIP
Highly successful leaders have highly developed situational and strategic knowledge. Strategic knowledge is also called knowing about knowledge, which is very important for you to develop. This enables you to monitor your learning and use different strategies to use knowledge and approach different situations using different strategies.
