Tell me something I don't already know!

 

 

 

"He may not always be right, but he is always the boss..."

Years ago, I worked for a General Manager who would invite you in his office to chat. The conversation would always start out by him looking you square in the eyes and saying "Tell me something I don't already know". This was very hard as this man did his homework and was well connected with the customer base. If you ended up telling him information which was redundant to what he already knew, the visit was very short.

Many times I was on the receiving end of one of those "short" visits. I would go back to my office feeling hurt, sometimes mad. I thought maybe an "atta boy" for some things I have recently done, or how are the wife and kids, or even some sports talk might be nice. Nope. It was all business, and if you did not expand his knowledge base, he did not have time to waste with you.

As the years have gone on, I have become the same way. Not in the way I deal with people - I have become the same way in how I want to get my information. I read or listen to  multiple sources for two reasons. First, I need to vet information I have recently obtained and second, I need perspective. After that, I really don't need to hear the same thing over, and over again. Today, more than ever, there are so many things going on which are so important, it is hard to keep up. Some people have just given up and tuned out. To me, that is a huge mistake. Many of the things which are happening right now are shaping the future - our future. We have to pay attention.

A person quite a bit younger than me recently asked me the best way to stay informed. Is it the internet, the television, the radio, or what. My answer was some of all of them. I read two to three blogs a day, watch both Fox News as well as MSNBC (remember... perspective), read the home town newspaper, and listen to the radio. I also read Drudge, The Blaze, Huffington Post and USA Today on-line. That is my normal diet. I also add in something new and different which is not news related. What I usually learn every day is how much I don't know.

Even though my visits to see my former boss were often painful, I am grateful to him for helping me expand my hungry mind. Every news consumer should act this way. If you are not learning something you don't know, you need to move on to something else. And that, is how we help inform the electorate. And that, is good for all of us.