Know it and Done it All’s

This is funny that I’m writing about this because some might say that I fall into this category, but I can’t help but think there are worst people than myself out there…:D

Granted, everyone has a topic or two that they are intimately familiar with and as such are able to engage and provide good sound advice and input. Then there are those people that just don’t shut up.

This one time 25 years ago I did this thing, that was related to that thing, that could easily be applied to this thing, that makes me an expert in that. Uh? Are you listening to yourself? When it comes down to it, that thing you are referencing is so far removed from the subject that just bringing it up is a waste of time and more importantly energy.

This situation is further exasperated by that same know it all that, even after sharing their unwarranted insight, decides to go about telling you how to do your job. One thing is giving advice, it’s a complete other thing to give advice, then proceed to tell the person what to do. Seriously? Or like an supervisor used to say, Really?

To help put a fork in this, I remember this time in Iraq, I was creating a product for my commanding officer. It was about to mobility in a specific area in preparation for a DA hit we had been planning for some time on a HVT. Well I ran my analysis and symbolized my outputs in real simple “Red, Yellow, Green”. (Remember I was in the Corps, had to make things really simple.) In any event, as you might imagine, Red meant Bad, Green Good, Yellow, well you get it. Anyway, I turned the product in and the response I got back from the CO was, “Perez, don’t like all this red, can we turn it green”.

I was in shock, I responded “Sir, apologies, but that’s a no-go area,” I even explained why. Well, I was quickly instructed, as kind gentlemen would, to go about making the requested changes. Like a good Marine, I went about and did as I was instructed, because that would mules do right? Wouldn’t you know it, the info was disseminated and the operation was a go. Not to long after the operation kicked off the hit was aborted, the unit went into the new ‘Green’ zone, got stuck, came under attack and had to abort. Granted, this is a pretty severe case of ignorance and I know it all, but this is the type of crap we enable of our leadership and colleagues to get away with.

What’s even worse than that is being in the civilian sector and be surrounded by the same crap. We enable this folks and I know why, because when you try to educate or inform them that they are incorrect you get the look. You know the look, the look that says, “Who are you to challenge me?” or the “What do you know?”. Anyway, I digress…

Then there is the guy that always has a better story or experience. I say, “Man was it crazy or what, got in a fight with these two guys and knocked them both out.” The other guy responds, “No kidding, I remember this fight I was in with 12 guys, they had guns and bats and a switch blade too and I knocked them out too.” Wow, bit intense uh? Makes you kind of sit back and be like, “uh, didn’t you need to call in air support dude?” I mean, why can’t we just let people enjoy their one moment, why do we need to get crazy with it folks?

Look, to all you know it all’s and done it all’s, like, that’s really cool and what not that you have the experiences and knowledge that you do. It is a wonder that you’re not President or CEO of some fortune 500, but that I am sure has it’s explanation, either way I really don’t care. Guess what, I too know it all, I just have a problem with memory leak and like the attached image states, I have a problem recalling it all at the same time so spared me all the insight.

Ok, that feels a lot better… thanks..:D