There are two types of people in the world: those that divide people into groups and those that don’t. I have a tendency to be the former; perhaps this comes as part of my marketing background segmenting customers.
It has become increasingly noticeable to me that there are four types of people in the business world today. I write this in terms of defining success, attitude and willingness to learn and grow. Someone like Warren Buffett comes to mind; this guy is a learning junkie!
The first type of individual is the kind who knows it all. Perhaps you know someone like this; they know everything about everything and can’t be taught. At least, that is their outward appearance and demeanor. Reality is something different. The “know it all” doesn’t really know it all. In fact, even though they may be very bright, and very articulate, the truth is that they do not believe in sharpening their own saw to stay sharp.
You can’t teach this person because they don’t want to be taught. In my mind, this kind of person is best typified by Donald Trump. If you can stand to watch him or listen to him, you will know what I mean.
The second type is the person who knows what they don’t know, but is afraid to learn what is missing. A good example of this would be a person who deep down, realizes that in order to become a more complete manager they should gain a better understanding of business finance. The problem is that this person is afraid of numbers, afraid of math, can’t figure out cash flow versus balance sheet versus profit and loss, so they run from it.
To be sure, these individuals may provide a different face to others, demonstrating some knowledge by bantering phrases around in conversation. In reality, they dread everything related to it, and as a result, their business always suffers from financial problems. I can’t begin to tell you how many people who own and manage businesses fit into this category. While these individuals proudly proclaim they are “in business” the reality is that they are one step away from bankruptcy due to their own ignorance and fear of learning.
The third type is the person who knows what they don’t know, and doesn’t care that they know so little. This is rather scary; especially if this person is an owner or a manager that is not closely supervised. This attitude of bravado reminds me of General Custer. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Armstrong_Custer
Do you know anyone like this? Should this person be an employee, it is a sure thing that they are just collecting a paycheck, and could care less how the organization performs, or if it succeeds or fails. If things go bad, they will just head down to the unemployment office and soon find another place not to care about, all the while collecting a check.
The fourth type is the person who knows what they don’t know and it bothers them. This person has a quest to learn what it will take to be successful, and they will do whatever it takes to do just that. This is not necessarily a person in pursuit of a college degree, an MBA or their doctorate; this person does not learn simply for the sake of learning, without any plan to put what they learn into action.
These individuals learn what they need to know because they are trying to run and grow a successful business while minimizing the risks and reducing the barriers to success. It is a difficult balancing act, which is why I will end with a few comments on successful people in business.
Successful people learn for the sake of trying to make their business better. Successful business people never give up too soon, and they are always trying to do things just a little bit better; they are not satisfied with the status quo.
Successful people do more than is expected for their clients, their vendors and their employees; they often put themselves last when it comes to getting the rewards. Where there is no way, successful people will create one.
Here are some companies owned by people who have this attitude:
