Knowing is not the same as doing

The difference between the leader you are and the leader you want to be is what you do.
The difference between the impact you have and the impact you want to have is what you do.

If knowing was the same as doing, life would be boring because everyone would always make the ‘right’ choices. How many times have you said ‘I know I should….’, but don’t do it? Ever hear the saying ‘knowledge is power’? Well, it’s not!
To have knowledge, one must first have awareness, then lean into curiosity to begin learning. To keep learning, we must continue to be curious and a move to action requires us to dig deeper again into curiosity. So actually….
(Awareness + Learning + Action) x Curiosity = Impact
I’m going to switch out the word ‘power’ for ‘impact’ here because the power of our actions is visible through the impact we have on the world and the people around us.

Here’s how I see it unfold…
Our attention and awareness is drawn to something, a problem, and we have a decision to make. Sometimes we choose to let this pass us by, sometimes we decide that we cannot let it be, sometimes we simply don’t know where to start. The difference is our willingness to lean into curiosity and explore why we care about this problem and how it is affecting people or the planet. If this issue is a seed, our curiosity is the sunlight and the rain that helps our awareness grow and encourages us to seek out opportunities to learn about it and how we might have an impact. But the key is our curiosity…without it, awareness will stay just that.
Knowing is not the same as doing.

If a seed falls in the right place it will germinate and a new seedling will sprout.
Te mea ka taka te kākano ki te wāhi e tika ana ka tinaku, ā, ka pihi ake he tipu hou.

With curiosity, awareness can transform into learning and as one’s knowledge grows, generally their curiosity does too. The more we know, the more we want to know, the more questions we ask, the better the questions get and the more depth and detail the answers give us. However, there is a risk here of continuing to learn, accumulate knowledge and do nothing with it.
Knowing is not the same as doing.

As someone who loves to learn, I have found that sometimes a desire to know more, to learn more and to continue to accumulate knowledge can become a barrier to taking action. A need for knowledge, a desire to be right, a fear of failure and worrying about what others might think can result in inaction and using a continuation of learning as an excuse. Is that what holds you back?
Here’s where curiosity is needed again. Being curious about what might happen (and what might not happen!) and taking a small step (rather than a giant leap!) initially might be a good way to start. A small action is better than no action….and lots of small actions can have a big impact.

The difference between the leader you are and the leader you want to be is what you do.
The difference between the impact you have and the impact you want to have is what you do.

– Fiona Deehan, Leadership Lab, Cara Consulting