When Precision Is a Bad Thing

A casual acquaintance of mine always knows the precise answer to any question. She is utterly convinced of the accuracy of her answers, and generally will go to great lengths to convince you. There's just one problem...

She's almost always wrong.

By "wrong", I mean if she says "turn left to get to Cleveland" and you turn left, you will end up in Salem, Oregon.

It dismays me that so many people seem to think there is only one answer to a problem, and that they possess that answer. I've come to suspect that the more convinced you are that you alone are correct, the more likely it is that you are wrong.

Precision is most welcome under very specific circumstances. When NASA sent the Juno probe to study Jupiter, they programmed the device to perform a precise set of "preplanned events leading up to the orbital insertion engine burn (that) included changing the spacecraft’s attitude to point the main engine in the desired direction and then increasing the spacecraft’s rotation rate from 2 to 5 revolutions per minute (RPM) to help stabilize it."

NASA wanted to get the probe from Point A (Earth) to Point B (in orbit around Jupiter). This is a very specific task that demands incredible precision.

But the less specific a task or outcome, the less useful is precision. Human beings are complicated and unpredictable, with highly sensitive and often inconsistent emotions. If you don't believe me, try telling your significant other (or any family member) precisely how they should be acting.

The same goes for curing what ails our society. If you want to tell me precisely how to make (insert country's name) great again, you had better be much smarter than any human being in the history of the world. Change happens in millions and billions and trillions of tiny increments. It is the result not just of a new election or law, but also of countless tiny changes.

Personally, I trust people who have both humility and curiosity. The first makes you aware that not all your answers are correct, and the second propels you forward to find much better ones.

Bruce Kasanoff writes for entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators. Learn more at Kasanoff.com.