Being knowledgeable is a good thing. I’m a huge proponent of lifelong learning. There’s always something we can learn more about—especially as we strive to become better leaders!

With that said, there’s a difference between using your knowledge for good and using it...unproductively. 

Sharing your knowledge is a good thing. You should use it to help the people around you, whether you’re encouraging the growth of your junior colleagues or working with peers to find a solution. 

On the other hand...there’s the temptation to flaunt your knowledge or use it to browbeat people. We’ve all been there. It’s a perfectly understandable, very human behavior. Maybe in a moment of impatience or uncertainty we use our knowledge to posture or show off. It happens.

Two examples from my career stand out to me. Both show a leader using their knowledge unproductively, with different lessons from each. 

Example One

Early in my career, I was in a team meeting with several of my peers that was run by the VP of Operations. We were brainstorming how to solve an issue with a customer. It was clear from the VP’s body language that she didn’t like the options we were discussing. Her tone was condescending, with short remarks making us all feel small.

Finally, getting fed up, she interrupted and said something I’ll never forget, “Okay, so...I hate to use an MBA word here but...” I don’t even remember what the word was. But I do remember the feeling it left with me and my teammates. 

Her statement was not made to help us find a solution to the problem. She was not offering up another line of thinking, or guiding the conversation in a potentially more fruitful direction. She flaunted her knowledge instead of sharing it. 

As a young professional with good intentions, this interaction was deflating and discouraging. 

The Lesson?

Instead, she might have said something like, “Hey guys, I love all the ideas flowing around. I wanted to add one to the mix. What do you guys think of XYZ? I think that would really do ABC to help the customer out.” 

Or even something stronger, “Hey guys, I want to make sure we’re covering ABC, so I think we need to go more along the lines of XYZ. What are your thoughts on the best way to move in that direction?”

Either of these approaches would have been a more productive way for her to use her knowledge and set an example as a leader in a room of young professionals. 

Example Two

Later in my career, there was an email chain going back and forth between several executives. One new executive was on the thread. She was taking classes to get her AA degree on the company dime. She tended to be unsure of herself with the other executives. She was the most junior and was trying to prove herself.

On the thread, she was going back and forth with another leadership team member and it wasn’t heated or contentious, they just had different opinions on how to do something.

In one of her replies, she wrote FIVE paragraphs! It was an off-the-mark diatribe on something kind of related, but not really. It seemed like she was regurgitating what she had learned in her latest class. Her points used similar phrasing to the thread’s discussion...but the application wasn’t really there.

This attempt to use knowledge came across as raging insecurity that had nothing to do with the conversation—just an opportunity to “prove” that she knew something. Not productive!

The Lesson?

Instead, she might have tried something like, “Hi, oh wow, when you mentioned X phrase, that reminds of Y I just heard about. Are these related? Is there anything we can take away there that would be helpful?”

Or, “I’m not as familiar with X. I know of Y, but can you provide some more info on our situation so I can better understand and best help?”

Part of gaining knowledge and using it for good is understanding the limitations of what we do know. Even if you might be the “expert,” in something, it’s usually better to share what you know with humility.

Use your knowledge for good

Part of being a great teacher, mentor, and leader is knowing how to communicate with a particular audience. Know your audience, whether it’s a one-on-one discussion or a meeting with a group with a particular perspective. What will resonate best with them at this stage in their life or career? In this particular situation? Coming from me (or whoever I might represent to them)? 

Say the right things, to the right people, at the right time, in the right way. It might seem overly simple to put it this way when there are a lot of factors at play. But most of us do this intuitively—even if we slip up now and then. 

How are you using your hard-earned knowledge? Showing off? Silencing the opposition? Or, are you helping someone understand, grow, and develop? Are you helping your peers think of something in a new way? 

Whatever you do, try to use your knowledge for good.

About The Author

Emily Sander is an ICF-certified leadership coach with more than 15 years of experience in the business world and the author of Hacking Executive Leadership. She’s been featured in several print publications, online articles, and podcasts, including CEO Today Magazine, Leading to Fulfillment, and Leadership Powered by Common Sense. 

Emily has a passion for helping business leaders reach their full potential. Go here to read her story from seasoned executive to knowledgeable coach. If you want to send Emily a quick message, then visit her contact page here.