Knowing vs. Doing

In the workplace, one of the more common annoyances is the challenge of how to deal with employees who certainly “know” their stuff, but for some reason, more often than not, require a near act of God to get them to complete or “do” a valuable project in a timely manner. Problem is, these exceptionally smart and talented people actually believe they are contributing much more than those who are actually “doing” the work. I think we all can agree that the ideal conditions of the workplace or anywhere else for that matter, are when people know, act, and contribute meaningfully without being coerced.

It is quite a different thing to know something and doing something. Ideas and theories only go so far. To be honest, in many cases, these individuals who I refer to here as “know-ers”, spend more time telling others about how much they know and what great things they have accomplished in the past, then executing in the “now”.

Now, of course there is and must be respect given for past accomplishments, but guess what, those things don’t keep the lights on. Execution and application are needed in the present to get from point A to point D. These “know-ers” seem to get stuck in the conceptual world full of no particular path to actually completing something. In these cases, it requires “do-ers” to perform the necessary and real daily steps to make sure the concept materializes.

In my mind, there aren’t many things in the workplace or life in general that brings more satisfaction to me than seeing individuals or groups of people coming together and holding themselves each accountable to both knowing and acting out their role while completing a remarkable cause or project. Those who do not “carry their own weight” can be very frustrating indeed.

Characteristics of “Know-ers”

• Must be constantly nudged to get something done
• Love speaking their mind in public, but fail to personally execute on their own plan or ideas
• Maintain a plethora of open "to do" lists
• Language is full of statements of their past or how they know what they know
• Constantly disappoint with deadlines
• Can frequently exhibit demeaning or critical behaviors towards others

Characteristics of “Do-ers”

• Demonstrate both “know how” and persistence to complete tasks
• Tough daily accountability placed upon themselves to “lift their load” fairly
• Frequently demonstrate a structured and organized approach
• Constantly give credit to all those who worked with them
• A strong work ethic and inner sense of integrity to ones words/promises
• Rather than deflecting blame, they accept it, and make immediate changes

Knowing and Doing is exemplary. It is certainly one thing to know something, and quite another to do it. Personal integrity is at the core of it. “Know-ers” are not “bad” people, they just possess a lack of discipline. Similarly, “Do-ers” are not necessarily “good” people, they just demonstrate a better understanding that knowing without doing resembles a person who knows his ship is sinking, hypothesizes what could happen, and waits for others to actually patch the holes. 

About the Author – Chad Gundry has spent several years in sales and marketing positions and has accumulated extensive insight that can assist in constructing transformational business strategies and living life more productively. He is not a “writer”, but enjoys sharing his views on a variety of subjects. Views posted here are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Rakuten Marketing.