Imperfect information

We like to think that in our decision making we have access to, and fully understand, all the available information… it is rarely the case.

I recently heard a popular, and very competent, industry consultant make the claim that “Marketing and sales is what I know 100%...”

Now I know consultants, like owners and managers, are prone to hyperbole at times but… 100%?

Of course, being 100% certain ignores the fact that you don’t know what you don’t know and the problem with believing that you know something 100% is that you don’t have to investigate the issue any further… which simply perpetuates the status quo.

And defending the status quo encourages tweakers and faster horse thinking that can never move us forward.

Wanting to be certain about our decision making is perfectly natural but the best opportunities exist in the uncertainty.

Information is almost always imperfect and imperfect information can reduce uncertainty but never eliminate it.

If you are 100% certain about something… you are almost certainly wrong.