Knowledge and ignorance
2025 April
"Knowledge is the mother of fools", he said. "Remember, the greatest part of wisdom is in recognizing your own ignorance."
-Empire of Silence, Christopher Ruocchio
I've observed a pattern of behavior at work recently, aptly summarized by the quote above: the more senior someone gets, the more likely they conflate knowing more with being less ignorant.
It's easy to see how someone takes on this mindset. They've been rewarded for their knowledge with promotions and more responsibility. These people are right most of the time, and often times they've been proven correct on some contrarian opinions. This can result in them becoming increasingly stubborn – why should they back down if this is another instance where everyone else is wrong?
Navigating disagreements as a peer
When you inevitably get into disagreements with people like this, there's generally two paths forward. You can cooperate to avoid conflict (majority case) or escalate (should be used sparingly). We'll also assume that you've spent sufficient time with them directly to convince them otherwise, but they're unwilling to budget for the reasons above.
In my experience, this trend only manifests for tenured folks, as newer team members are more open to feedback from peers/managers. Given they're tenured, you should find others in an organization who've had to navigate similar situations. If no one else has had this problem, that's a red flag – the problem either lies with you, or you lack a network of peers willing to tell you the truth.
Next, be strategic about which battles you choose to fight. It should be high-priority to the business and important that that it's resolved now. If it's minor, I'd suggest sharing the feedback (could be directly, with their manager, your manager) and moving on.
Finally, assuming that you've gone through the steps above, get counsel from others who've had similar experiences. You should understand what approaches have worked and which ones haven't, and come up with a strategy that fits your situation. Depending on how senior the person is, you may also need leadership buy-in.
Navigating reports as a manager
The best way to deal with these situations as a manager is to avoid hiring people like this in the first place, but interviews are lossy, and it can be difficult to gauge this in advance.
Warning signs that someone falls into this category:
- Causing unnecessary interpersonal conflict justified because "they were right".
- Making incorrect assumptions because they can't recognize their blind spots (unable to recognize ignorance).
Navigating these situations can be difficult, because these folks are typically both senior + tenured. As a result, they do great work most of the time, and losing them may be leave a short-term hole for the team & company. However, if reports are not coached out of this pattern of behavior, they typically continue down this path and their behavior continues to worsen.
First, recognize that this behavior is a serious issue, and needs to change. You should document evidence from peers & cross-functional partners, and also recognize that because they may be the most senior person on the team, feedback may be less obvious. Often times though, you'll get warning signs in 1:1s and by observing their behavior yourself.
Next, once there's sufficient evidence, this feedback should be communicated directly to the person, with the caveat that this needs to improve. Behavioral issues like these can exist outside the scope of a leveling guide, but regardless there should be organizational alignment on productive ways to disagree.
Bringing up this subject can be a sore spot for those exhibiting this behavior, and as a result, you should come to terms with the possibility that they may leave. However, ignoring these signs as a manager can lead to far worse outcomes long-term, and it's best to address any constructive feedback as soon as possible – this is no exception. Ultimately, if it doesn't improve, you may need to part ways, which can be an unpopular decision (as mentioned, they're productive team members most of the time).
Closing thoughts
As I've progressed in my own career, the mistakes I've made have larger consequences, and I've been painfully humbled by each one. Paradoxically, the more I learn, the more I realize the breadth and depth of my ignorance. I've heard cliches about "the beginner's mindset" for most of my career, but it's only recently that I've appreciated the wisdom in the saying.