I once worked for a leader who loved to read. It seemed every Monday he arrived at work with the next big thing he learned.

Far be it, for me to complain about people who read. The problem was that he talked about each new idea as if he had a lot of experience. He would push us to implement this new idea immediately. If we resisted, he would get upset at us and insist we do it.

Don’t over-inflate

Knowledge is information. Wisdom is experience. Knowledge provides the foundation for your work. Wisdom tells you what might work, or not.

Much like over-inflating an inner tube, things might not end well if you over-inflate your knowledge or wisdom.

When you bring new knowledge to your team, don’t make the mistake my past manager did.

Telling your team to try this new idea runs the risk of putting your team into a mindset of obligation. In obligation, the team will do just enough to satisfy your request.

Instead, start by telling the team you read about a cool idea. Then, ask the team what they think about the idea. The team is the experts in their domain. It’s also OK to ask if they’d be willing to try an experiment with you.

Just imagine the wisdom you might gain together.

You’ve got this.