# Knowledge



## Darps (Mar 24, 2014)

Knowledge is the most worthless attribute for an employee to have. There's no money in knowledge and experience. The only attributes worth anything to an employer are conformity and production, because very few employers trust an employee who knows more, or knows better than their employer.


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## Delta Painting (Apr 27, 2010)

Mmmm k...


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Darps said:


> Knowledge is the most worthless attribute for an employee to have. There's no money in knowledge and experience. The only attributes worth anything to an employer are conformity and production, because very few employers trust an employee who knows more, or knows better than their employer.


Adolf Hitler made a career based on that management style. I think there's been changes made to those management theories.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

But on the serious side, if what you're referring to is standardization, then it's absolutely important employees have a basic knowledge of what those standards are and how to implement them consistently in order to sustain the fiscal health of an organization.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Darps said:


> Knowledge is the most worthless attribute for an employee to have. There's no money in knowledge and experience. The only attributes worth anything to an employer are conformity and production, because very few employers trust an employee who knows more, or knows better than their employer.


For a owner/operator with one job running at a time. Maybe right.

A big outfit. No way.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

It's a difference in management styles. 

Within reason, an employer who values input from his or her employees will likely have a more content and productive work force. When everyone is vested in the success of a company, other than just because of their pay and benefits, then the company as a whole profits.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Darps said:


> Knowledge is the most worthless attribute for an employee to have. There's no money in knowledge and experience. The only attributes worth anything to an employer are conformity and production, because very few employers trust an employee who knows more, or knows better than their employer.


OK, now I'm depressed.


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## Lambrecht (Feb 8, 2010)

Darps said:


> Knowledge is the most worthless attribute for an employee to have. There's no money in knowledge and experience. The only attributes worth anything to an employer are conformity and production, because very few employers trust an employee who knows more, or knows better than their employer.


This has to be the absolute dumbest post I have ever read on Painttalk.


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## Darps (Mar 24, 2014)

The reason for this post is because I just got a call from a guy I work with that's never used dryfall, yet explained to me that he's in charge because the boss likes him more, which is the case for everyone we work for. He's a good painter, but not very knowledgeable when it comes to products and applications. I know everyone has their "system", and to be successful in a company, an employee has to be able to adapt to that system, but experience and knowledge pay nothing. This guy produces faster, therefore makes more money, and gets more responsibility than I do. I'm not mad, but I do feel like I've wasted quite a few years getting to know my stuff. If you disagree, fine. Don't start talking trash without using some kind of logical explanation as to why, though.


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## Darps (Mar 24, 2014)

Oden said:


> For a owner/operator with one job running at a time. Maybe right.
> 
> A big outfit. No way.



I agree. When I ran work for bigger companies, I got the real detailed, pain in the butt jobs. They told me that it was because I knew how to do them. That doesn't work in small residential companies, though.


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## Lambrecht (Feb 8, 2010)

You stated that knowledge is useless. So with that you are basically saying that it is better to have a employee with no knowledge of product, application of product, safety measures to take with product, or proper disposal of product and associated sundries. Even basic knowledge of the fore mentioned are extremely important on most every job. Having an employee without basic knowledge can be and usually is just dangerous. Having an employee with no knowledge most likely will have no skill either and will end up costing you more than he makes you. So with that...... knowledge is the most valuable thing you could have in an employee and if that employees knowledge is greater than yours even better because you can learn something from them. Thus increasing your own knowledge because hopefully if you have an employee you realize that knowledge is hands down every ones most important asset. Even a hillbilly like me knows that. Do you?


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Darps said:


> The reason for this post is because I just got a call from a guy I work with that's never used dryfall, yet explained to me that he's in charge because the boss likes him more, which is the case for everyone we work for. He's a good painter, but not very knowledgeable when it comes to products and applications. I know everyone has their "system", and to be successful in a company, an employee has to be able to adapt to that system, but experience and knowledge pay nothing. This guy produces faster, therefore makes more money, and gets more responsibility than I do. I'm not mad, but I do feel like I've wasted quite a few years getting to know my stuff. If you disagree, fine. Don't start talking trash without using some kind of logical explanation as to why, though.


It's difficult not to be repulsed by the idea that it's better to have a work force who'll blindly follow orders without regard to the possibility of advancement through knowledge. Even a staunch Military structure provides encouragement and opportunity through knowledge and leadership.

Your message reads as a little discouraged that someone less competent then yourself is in a leadership position. Who hasn't experienced that before? The only thing you can possibly do, is to continue educating yourself and building those skill sets that will allow you career advancement. Whether it's with your current employer, another company, or your own company.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Darps said:


> I agree. When I ran work for bigger companies, I got the real detailed, pain in the butt jobs. They told me that it was because I knew how to do them. That doesn't work in small residential companies, though.


Employee?
Play the game. Let em think they are the greatest. Act impressed. Blow smoke up their leg. 
If ur working direct for a owner, he most likely isn't gonna change his system. He is comfortable with it,
If ur working for a owners foreman. Let him beleive he is always right. He is Awsome, ur his biggest fan. U just want to work for him and him only here, ur his ally. Takes patience. Sooner or later you will get the ball handed to you direct from the owner, if you've played that dingleing foreman right and have him believing you to be no threat. Then you show direct to the owner what you can do left to ur own devices. Play the game, win the game.


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## Darps (Mar 24, 2014)

Lambrecht said:


> You stated that knowledge is useless. So with that you are basically saying that it is better to have a employee with no knowledge of product, application of product, safety measures to take with product, or proper disposal of product and associated sundries. Even basic knowledge of the fore mentioned are extremely important on most every job. Having an employee without basic knowledge can be and usually is just dangerous. Having an employee with no knowledge most likely will have no skill either and will end up costing you more than he makes you. So with that...... knowledge is the most valuable thing you could have in an employee and if that employees knowledge is greater than yours even better because you can learn something from them. Thus increasing your own knowledge because hopefully if you have an employee you realize that knowledge is hands down every ones most important asset. Even a hillbilly like me knows that. Do you?



Thanks. That's a lot more informative than calling me a poopy face stupid head.


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Darps said:


> This guy produces faster, therefore makes more money, and gets more responsibility than I do.


So why can't you match his speed if you know more than him. He is faster and smarter than you in areas you aren't (like maybe management type stuff).

Sounds like a sore loser to me...


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## CRS (Apr 13, 2013)

Anyone ever hear of the old saying "knowledge is power"?


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

CRS said:


> Anyone ever hear of the old saying "knowledge is power"?



Didn't Cornelius say that in the Plant of the Apes?


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

CApainter said:


> Didn't Cornelius say that in the Plant of the Apes?


No. I think it was Yukon Cornelius.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

CRS said:


> Anyone ever hear of the old saying "knowledge is power"?





CApainter said:


> Didn't Cornelius say that in the Plant of the Apes?





Bender said:


> No. I think it was Yukon Cornelius.


Wikipedia to the rescue




> The phrase "scientia potentia est" (or "scientia est potentia"[p] or also "scientia potestas est") is a Latin aphorism often claimed to mean organized "knowledge is power". It is commonly attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, although there is no known occurrence of this precise phrase in Bacon's English or Latin writings. However, the expression "ipsa scientia potestas est" ('knowledge itself is power') occurs in Bacon's Meditationes Sacrae (1597). The exact phrase "scientia potentia est" was written for the first time in the 1668 version of the work Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, who was secretary to Bacon as a young man.


Personally, I thought it was Calvin, but apparently it was Hobbes with a side of bacon

:whistling2:


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## Darps (Mar 24, 2014)

driftweed said:


> So why can't you match his speed if you know more than him. He is faster and smarter than you in areas you aren't (like maybe management type stuff).
> 
> Sounds like a sore loser to me...



What? What are you talking about?


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Granted, I am approaching this from a boss perspective. But, from the sounds of it both of you have your strength and weaknesses. The boss values his strengths more than yours. Which is why he is in charge.

I.e. He knows more about stuff than you.


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## ExcelPaintingCo (Apr 16, 2011)

I disagree with the whole premise of this thread. I want my entire crew to possess all the knowledge necessary to complete a number of given tasks successfully and efficiently. Intelligence plays a big roll here, and the more knowledge, experience and intelligence one has, the better. There's a lot more to mastering this trade than knowing how to swing a brush. 

Edit: one of the biggest strides I've taken in my businesses' journey is giving my employees more autonomy to carry out their day to day tasks without constant, micro-managing, intervention. In other words, I rely on their experience and knowledge to do the job in a successful manor. I believe this is an essential step toward growing and stepping out of the bucket.


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## jwquantrell (Oct 30, 2008)

Oden said:


> Employee?
> Play the game. Let em think they are the greatest. Act impressed. Blow smoke up their leg.
> If ur working direct for a owner, he most likely isn't gonna change his system. He is comfortable with it,
> If ur working for a owners foreman. Let him beleive he is always right. He is Awsome, ur his biggest fan. U just want to work for him and him only here, ur his ally. Takes patience. Sooner or later you will get the ball handed to you direct from the owner, if you've played that dingleing foreman right and have him believing you to be no threat. Then you show direct to the owner what you can do left to ur own devices. Play the game, win the game.


What he said. :thumbup:http://www.painttalk.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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