“He who knows not,
and knows not that he knows not,
is a fool; shun him.He who knows not,
and knows that he knows not,
is a student; Teach him.He who knows,
and knows not that he knows,
is asleep; Wake him.He who knows,
and knows that he knows,
is Wise; Follow him.
”
“What do you know good?”
My Dad would use this as a greeting from time to time. Now, it is not perfect sentence structure. It is colloquial…and that was my Dad. He was idiomatic, a real artist in the craft.
“What do you know good?”
It is a good question that can be taken two ways:
-
“What good news can you share?” Or, in other words, “Tell me something uplifting or encouraging.”
-
“What knowledge do you have that I don’t? Please share it.”
One of our company’s core commitments is this: “We share knowledge from the heart.”
Investment in others is one of the big-ticket items in life. We are not meant to be like the Dead Sea, where a wealth of minerals is trapped and never passed on. We are meant to be reservoirs and rivers, carrying the wealth of knowledge we gather along the way to others in order that we might enlighten their minds and enrich their lives.
Be, however, ever mindful that nobody likes a know-it-all.
Theodore Roosevelt said,
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
This is from the heart!
That is where “from the heart” comes into play. That is where humility finds its traction. If your goal, when sharing knowledge, is to thump your chest or toot your own horn, then you are missing the point and so will the listener!
If you share your knowledge with arrogance or condescension, you will find the only thing others learn from you is that you’re an ass. Your words – and even your wisdom – will fall on deaf ears and hardened hearts.
People business is a delicate business and it is the only business that really matters.
Share your knowledge from the heart.
Ask and you shall receive.
“What do you know good?”
This is not just about sharing knowledge. It is also about gaining knowledge, wisdom, and insight from others. At the outset, I mentioned that this was a “throwaway” phrase my Dad often used by way of greeting. I don’t know how many times he asked me that question. I do know how many times I asked it of him. Zero.
He died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1991 when he was just 51 years old.
I would love to ask him today, “Dad, what do you know good?” I would love to ask it and really mean it”¦and listen to the answer.
Hey, what do YOU know good? Tell me something good.