No one considers themselves an expert if they really know their job

I recently listened to an older episode of the “Founders” podcast where host David Senra unpacked the book “ The Vagabonds “, which was the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s Ten-Year Road Trip. I’ve not read the book yet (it’s on my list now), but Senra’s podcast was fantastic.

I have a few posts that will come out of that episode, but this one is based on a statement from Henry Ford about people that work for him. Ford said:

“None of our men are ‘experts.’ We have most unfortunately found it necessary to get rid of a man as soon as he thinks himself an expert because no one ever considers himself expert if he really knows his job. A man who knows a job sees so much more to be done than he has done, that he is always pressing forward and never gives up an instant of thought to how good and how efficient he is. Thinking always ahead, thinking always of trying to do more, brings a state of mind in which nothing is impossible. The moment one gets into the ‘expert’ state of mind a great number of things become impossible.”

This reminded me a lot of what Ryan Holiday shared when he said:

“The pretense of knowledge is our most dangerous vice, because it prevents us from getting any better.”