Dealing With Chronically Ignorant People
I can’t think of a job I’ve held in my life where I did not work with at least one ignorant person. By ignorant I mean someone that is either unaware of or unconcerned with the negative effect their behavior has on the work environment. For whatever reason, these people ignore the feedback and other cues from the environment that testify to the fact that the things they say and do are counterproductive.
Ignorance is not the same as stupidity. The stupid person lacks the intellectual capacity to evaluate his or her behavior; the ignorant person simply chooses to disregard opportunities to learn and improve. Although they often believe otherwise, smart folks are not immune to ignorance.
We are all vulnerable to displays of episodic ignorance. The route to wisdom is more a winding road than a well-marked superhighway. Henry Cloud asserts that if you confront a wise person with the fact that they are currently meandering on the path of ignorance, they will ask for you for a map back to the right road and sincerely thank you for correcting them.
It’s the chronically ignorant folks at work that concern me, especially the intelligent fools. We know that their choices are not our responsibility, but their choices consistently affect our ability to perform the responsibilities we’ve been trusted with.
Ignoring the ignorant person avoids a confrontation, but it is also a subtle form of collusion with the very behavior we abhor. Benevolent confrontation is the right answer to ignorance, but it does not always work and sometimes blows up in your face. I’m sorry to say that I don’t have some cheesy five-point list to offer as a guaranteed prescription for curing the chronically ignorant. I’m still trying to figure it out myself.
How do you confront chronic ignorance in your workplace? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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About the Author: Bret L. Simmons
Welcome to my blog! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section of my posts. I publish all constructive, non-anonymous comments. 
Great insights Bret. Some of the brightest people are sometimes also the most arrogant. Arrogance affects others in a counterproductive way. I have also tried “benevolent confrontation” (great phrase BTW) with less than perfect results. Often the only solution is to remove the person, no matter how bright or talented. Let us know if you find something better. Thanks.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 11:47 am
I think you hit a key point in arrogance, Chris. I wonder if arrogance makes you ignorant, or arrogance is a cover for ignorance. Probably both. Thanks for sharing! Bret
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Great Post. If it were only as easy as removing the person, sometimes you have to remove yourself, as some of these people get into management positions and create totally toxic environments.
If you find the cure you’ll make millions!
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 11:48 am
I don’t think removing the person is always the answer, Denise. I think sometimes we nurture a culture of ignorance, which means we share the blame. Thanks for sharing! Bret
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Denise Bevard Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
I don’t think removing the peson is always the answer either, but sometimes is not a possibilty.
As most things in life, we almost always share the responsibility.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Concur, Denise. Thanks! Bret
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Funny, I recently confronted a form of ignorance and it was extremely awkward because the person I was dealing with was very smart. The ignorance was holding me back from being able to do my own best work. To resolve the issue, I actually went around the person to upper management and framed the issue as a strategic business issue that needed attention as opposed to a bringing it up directly as a specific issue with the individual. The response was positive.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 11:49 am
Good for you, Tiffany! When you say the response was positive, I assume you mean from upper management, not necessarily the ignorant person. Thanks for sharing! Bret
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Tiffany Brown Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Actually, all parties were positive about it. True to your statement: “if you confront a wise person with the fact that they are currently meandering on the path of ignorance, they will ask for you for a map back to the right road and sincerely thank you for correcting them.”
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Glad to hear that, Tiffany!
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Sometimes ignorance manifests itself in a smart person due to a lack of job satisfaction or job challenge. I think it’s important to keep people engaged and not allow them to get too comfortable in their positions. Sometimes the best solution for the ignorant worker is to realign them and their work responsibilities through proper coaching and job evaluation.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Welcome, Christian. I think you make a great point about how the work environment can impact behavior. I just don’t think anyone should be allowed to blame crappy behavior on a crappy job. If it’s broke, help fix it. Thanks for sharing! Bret
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Christian Theumer Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Agreed and I have definitely worked with the ignorant person who should take a long hard look in the mirror instead of blaming the working environment. It’s a shame that a negative attitude can be so contagious.
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Bret:
Wow! This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I am dealing with this issue at work and I look forward to finding a resolution.
I work for the government and frankly there is no incentive for the ignorant person to change. What historically happens is the piranhas come at me with a million excuses to change my ways. Like, I should some how fabricate options to “go easy” on the person who has committed an unethical act.
I feel like Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons in that I believe what I believe. I have been in the pressure cooker for over a week to “fix the problem.” I have chosen not to as I have no options to move forward with but I have offered to prepare the paperwork for signature for those higher above me. It has created a contentious environment. One senior official told me today (among other critiques) I would never advance beyond where I am because of my adherence to integrity and ethics. He even laughed at me when I said I didn’t need consequences to do the right thing.
At this point it’s more of an ignorant environment which many people describe as “never able to change.” It truly stinks to be in an organization meant to do great things but never quite does anything.
I will continue to review the comments here hoping someone will come forward with part or all of a solution. I greatly appreciate all the bright minds out there!
Evergreen
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 13th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
Wow, Evergreen, as someone that currently works for state government I hear you! Don’t sacrifice your integrity or ethics for anyone. Hang in there, and thanks for sharing. Bret
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You’ve hit the nail on the head in your description of the chronically ignorant and their impact in the workplace.
The problem with dealing with the chronically ignorant is that there is little chance that they wake up to the reality of their impact because they don’t self-reflect and can’t take on board feedback they receive at work.
The decent thing to do is to confront them about their behaviour. And the behaviour part is important because it can be changed if they so desire. But I wouldn’t bank on it.So you have to also find a way to work around them.
I am a firm believer in taking on a task and asking for forgiveness later. You should never allow others to keep you from doing your best work. And you shouldn’t allow them to distract you either. If they want to stay in the dark, you shouldn’t invest much time and energy trying to illuminate them. You are better off putting all that effort into creating a positive impact in your organization through your own work.
L
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
February 14th, 2012 at 9:38 am
Welcome, Leonie. Your thoughts are exceptional, and just what I needed to hear today. Your second paragraph is unfortunately all too true. Thanks for sharing! Bret
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Great article – it is hardest when immediate management is ignorant and escalation to executive or leadership lacks support (in fact pushed back to follow immediate manager for example – I have been even told the immediate manager has absolute authority). I have experienced a lot of resistance especially when seen as breaking rank or going above my immediate manager when bullied and this is after attempting many many times.
Recently I came across a word I loved to hear “Wilful Deniability’ recently as being the legal case for claim of ignorance by top level accountable people where they claimed ignorance to avoid any responsibility of actions by the company. There is a saying ‘the law does not protect the ignorant’ however it does not see to be so in real life – the law should not protect ignorance, it should encourage discovery of the truth – it should bring ignorance to light get it acknowledged and worked on to enable good outcomes and forgiven too. After all a great wise teacher once said “Forgive them for they do not know what they do” if and when ignorance is genuine and acknowledged of course not for those that take shelter in willful deniability not leading to the truth of the matter. The discovery of truth objectively about a matter sets everyone free after all …
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