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Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems Before They Happen

Michael A. Roberto

3.81 · Rating details · 231 ratings · 19 reviews

"In Know What You Don't Know, best-selling author Michael Roberto shows leaders how to go beyond mere "problem solving" to uncover and address emerging problems while they're still manageable - before they mushroom into disaster!" "Roberto first identifies the diverse, sometimes surprising reasons why problems typically fester in the shadows, ignored and unaddressed. Next, ...more

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Kindle Edition, 225 pages

Published (first published January 1st 2009)

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Dec 02, 2012 Carleen rated it did not like it · review of another edition

"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem." - Theodore Rubin

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Oct 07, 2017 Simon Eskildsen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reread

After reading "Decisive" about how to improve decision-making, I wanted to dive more into how to find the problems worth solving: "identifying the true problem facing an organization often proved to be the most difficult challenge that leaders face." One of the main takeaways from the book is that if you spend the majority of your time zoomed out, focusing on the high-level, you'll lose the nuance and texture when zoomed in. Staying close to the front lines and doing the necessary ethnography is After reading "Decisive" about how to improve decision-making, I wanted to dive more into how to find the problems worth solving: "identifying the true problem facing an organization often proved to be the most difficult challenge that leaders face." One of the main takeaways from the book is that if you spend the majority of your time zoomed out, focusing on the high-level, you'll lose the nuance and texture when zoomed in. Staying close to the front lines and doing the necessary ethnography is key to identify problems: "I worry about what my people aren't telling me." Car satisfaction scores are 90%, yet only 40% re-buy the same brand. The high-level looks great, but there are cracks when you zoom in. Think about it: How often when you go to a city you've been to before do you go out of your way to book the Airbnb you gave a 5-star review last time? Do you not try to see if you can do a little bit better? How often does that happen around you?

We have to consider that all information we receive has been filtered. In an organization, we often play a game of Chinese whispers where information is lost along the way, people's agendas are added, and incentives get mixed up. If you keep yourself close to the front-lines through embedding yourself in the work occasionally, you'll have access to non-filtered information. Your intuition is important, and it's honed close to the work, you can then step back and look at whether the problem is worth solving. "With intuition, we discover, with logic, we prove." Even the most shrewd number-wizards will have trouble seeing the delicate patterns in numbers alone. Use your own intuition, and listen to that of the people around you.

Small problems proceed, and they compound into catastrophes. The better you become at seeing issues before they become problems, the less reactionary you become. As an example, the author describes Rapid Response Teams that are called to patients on often nurse intuition. This reduces the death rate by 20%. What's your equivalent of a Rapid Response Team? Another useful technique I've always needed a name for is 'chair flying': Close your eyes and imagine what's going to happen. Are you ready? If you're about to embark on a camping trip and you're afraid you've forgotten something, sit back, close your eyes and play the weekend—you may very well realize you've forgotten a tarp for the rainy scenario you envisioned.

I liked this book because of its high focus on being proactive and the rich stories scattered throughout to support the book. I've seen people plant the right seeds months before a problem surfaces, making it an almost non-event. It's tough to recognize this, but I do think you have to be incredibly suspicious if someone's perpetually a fire-fighting hero in your organization. That's visible and easy to give credit to, but how many of these problems could've been prevented if they'd had their ears and eyes more open to be more proactive? ...more

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Sep 10, 2017 Jessyca505 rated it it was ok · review of another edition

⭐⭐1/2
“The best problem-finders demonstrate intellectual curiosity, embrace systemic thinking, and exhibit a healthy dose of paranoia.” ~ Roberto

This book wasn't horrible, but it wasn't "awe inspiring" in the way that I was hoping. There are definitely some good take aways. The key thing is: be a problem finder, not just a problem solver. In our world, problem solvers are always the ones praised, yet problem finders may save the organization in many ways. Good examples from football (watching ta ...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Doug rated it liked it

Recommends it for: anyone interested in business

If you are in business, this book can help point you at methods to uncover the hidden problems that invariably happen during the course of business. It won't explain why they happen. Instead it gives you suggestions and guidelines on how to discover them. From that aspect the book is loaded with good information.

Unfortunately, the book reads like the work of a college thesis. On the plus side, it has some great examples .. on the negative side, the language is somewhat stiff at times, making for ...more

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Jun 14, 2010 E rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Constructive look at problem finding

Sir Winston Churchill, Great Britain’s intrepid prime minister during World War II, was an amazingly perceptive leader. He was one of the first to warn of the military threat Germany posed prior to both world wars. How did he know? He routinely sought out rank-and-file members of the British military and low-level English government bureaucrats to find the truth. In the same way, you should dig deeply into your organization for unbiased, accurate information s ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Paul rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The heart of this book is contained therein by a quote from former US Defense Secretary McNamara when he says that "identifying the true problem facing an organization often proved to be the most difficult challenge that leaders face."

Michael Roberto does a great job of mixing story with principle to present an approach to helping you "find" problems before they happen. He explains that problems are not the enemy - the real enemy is the hidden problem. The book then walks you though very practi ...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Michelle rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: leadership, non-fiction, 2013, reviewed

I expected more from this book. Essentially you must ask questions, share information, encourage your team to take smart risks, and incorporate after-action reviews into your routines. I did enjoy the section on "Listening". Winston Churchill once said, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
Overall this book doesn't uncover any groundbreaking information on problem solving, and I found the extensive citations at the end of each cha ...more

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Nov 10, 2013 Andy Tischaefer rated it liked it · review of another edition

"Know What You Don't Know" describes common patterns that keep problems hidden in organizations, then outlines ways to spot them and combat them at the organizational and personal level. It is well grounded in practical, real-world examples and solutions, ranging from hospitals to commercial airlines, from retail to the CIA. I found the chapters on filters (2) and bias (5) to be the most useful. While the conclusions it draws are not groundbreaking, Roberto’s no-nonsense approach offers an easy ...more

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Aug 02, 2014 Leader Summaries rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Desde Leader Summaries recomendamos la lectura del libro Conoce lo que ignoras, de Michael A. Roberto.
Las personas interesadas en las siguientes temáticas lo encontrarán práctico y útil: liderazgo, anticiparse a los problemas.
En el siguiente enlace tienes el resumen del libro Conoce lo que ignoras, 7 habilidades que todo directivo debería cultivar para adelantarse a los problemas que puedan surgir en cualquier organización: Conoce lo que ignoras

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Aug 07, 2011 Vaughn rated it liked it

Problems are equal-opportunity troublemakers. Just as minor scratches can become major infections if ignored or neglected, minor problems can become major disasters unless they are discovered and solved as quickly as possible. This book offers several suggestions for becoming a better problem finder; however, the chapters I found most useful were "Watch the game film" and "How to communicate."

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Sep 01, 2012 Recommend Book Reviews rated it it was ok

This book was worth the read if just for the chapter on 'game tape'. The author makes the case that people and businesses in particular should take a pro-active approach to finding and solving problems.

Recommend?: Yes, people who are looking to improve upon what they do will find some good tips on how to gain expertise. Not all chapters are as good as others though.

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May 05, 2009 Shannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

read as much as i could without being able to put any concepts or ideas into practice as this work does work as a practical workbook guide to being open to mistakes and errors to prevent real large issues from happening

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