The Power of Ignorance

How creative solutions emerge when we admit what we don't know

Dave Trott

• Publisher: Harriman House
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9780857198365
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Media & Communications Industry
• Index: Business

"The wise man knows he doesn't know.The fool doesn't know he doesn't know."Lao Tzu "In the West they only respect experts.But the expert mind is the closed mind."Shunryu SuzukiWhat's the most important step in fixing a puncture?It isn't jacking up the car, or taking the wheel off, or finding the puncture. There's something more fundamental than any of those.Something without which you can't even begin to fix a puncture. The most important step is finding out you've got a puncture. Without that you can't do anything. Instead of saying, "It's just a bit bumpy, must be the road, " and carrying on, you must acknowledge that something has changed and you don't know what that is. If you don't admit you don't know what's happening, you can never find out.If you don't find out, you can never change it.The most important step, always, is admitting you don't know. That's the power of ignorance. In this latest collection of real-life stories, Dave Trott provides lessons about problem solving and creative thinking that can be applied in advertising, business, and the wider world. With his trademark wit, wisdom and critical eye, he shows how great problem solvers and creative thinkers are those who are not afraid to say "I don't know."

PART 1: WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW

THE ANSWER ASKS THE QUESTION

In 1942, Britain was losing the battle of the Atlantic, which meant they were losing the war.

This has a way of concentrating the mind, so they were prepared to try anything.

One of the desperate moves was to try war-gaming.

All that could be spared was a retired naval officer and eight young Wrens, for a group called Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU).

The young Wrens knew nothing of anti-submarine warfare of course.

This meant they had lots of questions.

As with any problem, questions are always a good place to start.

Q) Whereabouts in the convoy are the ships being attacked?

A) Usually in the centre, at night.

Q) How big is the convoy?

A) About 8 miles square.

Q) What is the torpedoes’ range?

A) About 2 miles.

Conclusion: the U-boats must be attacking from inside the convoy. Torpedoes can’t reach the centre from outside.

Q) What is the convoy’s speed?

A) Around 10 knots.

Q) What is a U-boat’s speed?

A) 16 knots on the surface, 6 knots submerged.

Conclusion: the U-boats are attacking on the surface, they are too slow when submerged.

Q) How long does it take to reload the torpedoes?

A) About half an hour.

Q) Would they do this on the surface?

A) No, they would submerge.

Conclusion: after an attack, a U-boat will submerge and be left behind by the convoy.

They will then have to surface to catch up.

In having to answer the Wrens’ questions, the naval officer had to think like a U-boat commander, and that was the first time anyone had done that.

Instead of rushing around after the first ship exploded, they realised the destroyers had some time while the U-boat reloaded.

They could let the convoy pass on and, after it was gone, search for the U-boats that were reloading.

Because they were submerged they were slower, and the destroyers could use ASDIC (underwater radar) to locate them.

But first they had to prove it to the Admiral in charge, so they used a war game.

Admiral Sir Max Horton was an ex-submariner.

He took the role of a U-boat captain.

Five times he attacked the convoy, five times he was sunk by his unseen opponent, using these new tactics.

He asked to be introduced to his opponent, who he hadn’t even seen yet.

His opponent was 18-year-old Wren, Janet Okell, who’d been helping devise the new tactics.

The Admiral was convinced, and the tactics began sinking U-boats for real in the Atlantic.

WATU was expanded to eight male officers and 36 Wren officers and ratings.

During the war, they trained 5,000 naval officers in anti-submarine warfare.

At the end of the battle of the Atlantic, 75% of all U-boats had been destroyed.

They discovered the value of asking new questions is you come up with new answers.

Which wouldn’t have happened without having to train those Wrens.

Asking questions that hadn’t been asked before wasn’t silly, in fact it won the battle of the Atlantic.

THE POWER OF NICHE

At Gwyneth Paltrow’s site, goop, you could buy a candle labelled: SMELLS LIKE MY VAGINA for just seventy-five dollars.

Naturally, the online media went wild with outrage and jokes.

It was only on sale for a few days and it sold out straightaway.

Never mind, if you’re too late to get one, you can still buy one of her Vaginal E...

Table of contents

• CONTENTS
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• INTRODUCTION
• PART 1: WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW
• PART 2: WE CAN’T KNOW WHAT HASN’T HAPPENED
• PART 3: IGNORANCE IS A SECRET WEAPON
• PART 4: SIMPLE IS SMART. COMPLICATED IS STUPID.
• PART 5: THE POWER OF AN OPEN MIND
• PART 6: IGNORANCE WE CAN FIX. STUPID WE CAN’T.
• PART 7: REAL IGNORANCE BEATS FALSE KNOWLEDGE
• PART 8: THE TRAP OF THINKING WE KNOW
• PUBLISHING DETAILS