top of page

‘Know It All’ In Leadership Is Off-Dated

  • Feb 16, 2022
  • 2 min read

Updated: Apr 28, 2022

Written by: Sílvia Fontquerni, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

Have you ever felt that you needed to have more knowledge than your team members to be able to lead?


Have you ever felt the pressure of having to be constantly updated to know it all?


Have you ever thought that leaders need to constantly give direction and tell what to do to maintain their authority?

We currently live in the VUCA world, which stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. It describes the situation of constant and unpredictable change that businesses are constantly facing due to globalization. New and updated knowledge exponentially arise continuously. This means, that there will always be new information or knowledge that you may not know about, it means that there will always be someone knowing more than you, there will always be someone with more expertise. ‘Know it all’ in leadership is no longer sustainable, therefore, giving constant direction and orders of how to do the job is no longer viable.


How does it feel that you may not be the professional with more expertise?

How does it feel to be continuously off-dated?

How does it feel to be no longer the smartest brain in the room?

How does it feel that you may lose authority?


It may be challenging or not easy to accept, however, the world is changing and companies and leaders need to readapt their way of operating if they want to succeed or survive in this new world. Getting used to not knowing it all is a must. It is important to shift this challenge to an opportunity to readapt your leadership skills as well as business operation and culture to what the context requires. Knowing it all does not define your value as a leader, not being fully updated does not define your worth as a leader.


The choice is yours.


Want to learn more from Sílvia? Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and visit her website.


Sílvia Fontquerni, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Silvia Fontquerni is originally from a town near Barcelona currently working and living in London, UK. She is the founder of Silvia FF Coaching. She is currently creating a new program to help C-suite leaders (CEOs, business owners, directors and managers) operating in high-stress, high-pressure environments streamline and become peak performers. C-suit leaders’ program is being designed to reduce overwhelm, stress, fear and indecision, and step into high performance, bold confident, successful to become unstoppable professionals leading results. She understands the importance of aligning leadership roles with organizational culture, values, and goals. Therefore, is currently studying a master in HR/Learning & development and preparing herself to expand her business even further in leadership development & high-performance teams, organizational training, as well as helping executives and human resources to create high performance companies with strong ethics and integrity as well as valuing human potential to stand out from the market. She has been featured in magazines such as Leaders Global Today and Brainz Magazine where she was listed in Brainz CREA Awards Honoree 2021.

 
 

This article is published in collaboration with Brainz Magazine’s network of global experts, carefully selected to share real, valuable insights.

Article Image

Why High Performers Struggle With Confidence

Confidence is often described as something you either have or you do not. We speak about naturally confident leaders, athletes who play with swagger, or professionals who appear steady in high-stakes...

Article Image

5 Stages of Identity Anchoring and Why Top Women Leaders Defend Their True Selves

Everyone is talking about imposter syndrome. I want to talk about the opposite. The feeling of not knowing if you're good enough. I became a CEO in my 20s. I didn't doubt my ability. What I doubted, quietly...

Article Image

AI is Killing Your Company Culture

Generative AI, often called GenAI, should definitely be used to improve your workforce by enhancing skills and streamlining knowledge. It concatenates vast quantities of data faster than any human and...

Article Image

What Do Women Need to Thrive in High-Performance Environments?

Having worked across multiple high-performance systems over the past two decades, supporting everyone from elite athletes to senior leaders, I am often asked whether women have different needs in these...

Article Image

Hustling vs Building – Why Most Entrepreneurs Stay in Survival Mode

Entrepreneurship has been glamorized into a highlight reel of early mornings, late nights, and celebrated grind culture. Social media praises the hustle. Culture rewards being busy. But behind that narrative...

Article Image

Why Self-Sabotage Is Not Your Enemy and 5 Ways to Finally Work With It

What if self-sabotage isn't a flaw? What if it's actually a protection system, one that your body built years ago to keep you safe, and one that's still running even though the danger is long gone? Most...

I Don’t Chase Symptoms, I Change States and the Power of Regulated Presence in Healing

If Your Product Needs Constant Explanations, It’s Not Ready

How Women Lead Without Shrinking to Fit for International Women’s Day

How Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Environments Shape Behaviour, Learning, and Leadership

What if 5 Minutes of Daily Exercise Could Bring You Longevity?

Why Waiting for a Second Chance Holds You Back from Building a Fulfilling Life

5 Hidden Costs of Waiting to Be Chosen

Why Great Leaders Don’t Say No, They Influence Decisions Instead

How to Change the Way Employees Feel About Their Health Plan

bottom of page