To the best of my knowledge…

Barry Ashmore, MD and co-founder of StreetwiseSubbie.com, tells us about the importance of ‘real knowledge’.

You may (or may not!) be interested to know that I received a few new business books over the festive period, so I’ve been doing a spot of reading.

I’ve just finished the million-copy best seller by Rolf Dobelli entitled ‘The Art of Thinking Clearly’ and I’d like to share with you details of just one of the chapters that really struck a chord.

‘Don’t Take News Anchors Seriously’ – Chauffeur Knowledge is the title of chapter 16 of the book. In it, Dobelli outlines the two types of knowledge that we are exposed to on a daily basis.

The first is ‘real knowledge’ and “can be seen in people who have committed a large amount of time and effort in understanding a topic”.

The second is what Dobelli refers to as ‘chauffeur knowledge’ after eloquently outlining how Nobel Prize winner, Max Planck, reportedly took up his chauffeur’s offer to deliver a lecture on quantum mechanics during a tour across Germany in 1918. The chauffeur in question had listened to Planck’s speech so many times he felt he knew if off by heart.

So, one night in Munich, Planck donned his chauffeur’s cap and took a seat in the front row and listened to his driver give a long lecture to a distinguished audience. After finishing the speech, a physics professor asked a question and the chauffeur recoiled and responded: “Never would I have thought that someone from such an advanced city as Munich would ask such a simple question! My chauffeur will answer it.”

‘Chauffeur knowledge’ is the second type of knowledge that essentially comes from people who have learned to put on a show. The knowledge isn’t their own, they reel it off as though they were reading from a script; just like Planck’s chauffeur.

This brings me nicely to the premise of this article: don’t believe all you see, hear or read in the media. It goes without saying that most of us are familiar with being wary about what the mainstream press writes and reports. I also think, rightly or wrongly, we should exercise the same caution with construction media.

Dare I use the ‘P’ word at this stage? How do we differentiate between ‘real knowledge’ and ‘chauffeur knowledge’ especially when it comes to articles on major projects, how things are improving in our sector and all the new houses the Government is building? What’s true and what isn’t?

What about Build UK’s widely publicised (by key trade and national press) claim that it will provide, “for the first time, a single voice for the whole of the contracting supply chain” and the idea that it is “ideally positioned to promote collaboration and provide industry-wide solutions for the benefit of everyone”?

Both statements are extremely hard to swallow because how can 67 separate businesses and associations with such diverse interests speak with one single voice? It’s impossible. Could it be that such pronouncements are based on ‘chauffeur knowledge’. Time will tell, and you can make your own mind up. And what about the Government and politicians of all denominations? Possibly the worst ‘chauffeurs’ of them all. None of them can ever give a straight answer and every single Government scheme devised to tackle Fair Payment in our industry has been wholly ineffective. Is it because they simply have ‘chauffeur knowledge’ of the issues? Or is it that they simply don’t care?

The lack of training and apprentices, dithering around with the CITB, the withdrawal of funding for the Growth Accelerator Scheme and the abuse of the supply chain by cash-strapped main contractors in the form of late or non-payment and spurious contra-charges continues to result in good, experienced, ‘real knowledge’ Specialist Contractors going to the wall.

Maybe we need to challenge the so-called key influencers and certain journalists, because we might find that they are only ‘chauffeurs’ after all… When the vast majority of UK businesses employ very few people, why is there not more genuine support and ‘real knowledge’ of those firms that are the very backbone of the industry? To the best of my knowledge, both sides have work to do to tackle this but until the propaganda – there I said it – ceases, or we learn to ignore it, the shape and health of our industry will only worsen.

Barry Ashmore is MD and co-founder of StreetwiseSubbie.com which provides business solutions for Specialist Contractors throughout the UK.

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