What Books Don’t Teach You: Improve Your Situational Knowledge

Situational knowledge is the information you gain from your encounters, from managing and understanding certain circumstances. You see things. You learn things. You begin to perceive designs and handle problems as they arise. This situational information helps you to support your customers, sniff out problems, connect with co-workers, and even win big deals.

For emerging talent, it’s hard to pick up the type of situational knowledge employers are looking for. Solely learning from books is one of the many cruxes which widens the gap between education and employment. While book knowledge is in no doubt useful, it does not carry the same value as situational knowledge. Check out my article The Future of Work where I elaborate further on this widening gap.

Gaining industrial and real-world experiences are vital. Exposure to an array of situations that you can draw upon to improve your skillset will set you up for professional success. This means, if you are new to an industry like information technology, you may have to practice with a programming language or cloud infrastructure platform in ways that no tutorial from a book could guide you through – you must experience it. Then, if you find yourself in another context, you may have to relearn and reskill—a process of acquiring new situational knowledge for a new job role.

Though it seems like trial and error, the following four thoughts should assist you in crossing over that situational knowledge barrier put up by employers.

Ask Before You Act

There will be times in an interview or in a new job when you don’t have a clue how to answer or proceed. Confusing questions. Unclear instructions. The use of jargon. Perception differences. When instances like this occur, ask questions. The interviewer, a co-worker, a peer in the field… someone with the situational information should be able to provide and guide you with that information.

Get over the fact that you will make some errors, but you don't have to commit the obvious ones that could have been avoided by asking somebody what you need to know.

Guided Experience

Maybe there is a client or boss that has acquired years of experience that can teach you a thing or two. Observe them. Follow them. Check out what they are doing at work, on social media, and in networking settings. What makes them successful? What do they do that you could incorporate into your routine? Observing someone else’s use of their situational knowledge will rub off on you.

If you get the courage, and you don’t have one yet, ask this person you are observing to act as your mentor. Most individuals further along in their career are willing to do so.

Always Check Your Assumptions

In some cases, your absence of situational learning leaves you off guard. Maybe you are in sales and your fantasy client asks you something to which you don't know how to reply, or they have needs that you aren't yet prepared to assist them with. Don’t answer immediately. This tip goes for almost any situation: if you don't know what the correct answer is, don't reply. Instead, ask for some time to find the correct answer.

In almost every case, it’s better to give a correct delayed answer than an ignorant answer that might hurt your reputation. During the time you bought, gather the situational knowledge you need to make an informed reply.

Tracking Lessons Learned

Most organizations have official knowledge bases, training, or lessons learned recorded so those not involved in an experience can still benefit from the learnings of it. You can do the same. Start to track and enhance your situational knowledge, consider keeping a journal. Doing so can really help in all stages of your career. Track learnings from your good and bad experiences and analyze what might help you in the future.  

Ultimately, while situational knowledge is traditionally best gained first hand… it can be acquired by using some of the techniques above along with conscious practice and reflection. It’s great to see the young minds of today challenging themselves and seeking to improve the industry with their knowledge and perspective… let’s all do our best to assist them in gaining the situational knowledge needed to further themselves and their organizations.

Final Thought: Questions to ask yourself:

• When are you most tested by an absence of situational knowledge?
• What do you do when you don't have the situational knowledge necessary?
• How might you improve your situational knowledge today?