I’ve become increasingly more convinced that the best sign of real intelligence is being able to see both sides, or all sides, or any argument. You might call that having an open mind. You might call it listening. And you might call it having the good sense to say “I don’t know” a lot.

I love it that in the competition of debating the debaters must prepare to argue either side. They find out which side at the very last minute. That’s great preparation for life.

I think most entrepreneurs develop a good relationship with uncertainty. We deal with an uncertain future every day. If we can’t live with doubt and lots of divergent possibilities, we drive ourselves crazy.

On the other hand, I think certainty, being sure of anything, is not so good. We don’t know the past that well because it gets filtered through points of view. And we don’t know the future at all. Hope is good, concern is good, looking at scenarios is good. Planning, as long as the planning understands uncertainty, deals with it, and manages it, is good too.

I think the smarter you are, the less certain of anything. I think people who are sure of things, especially the future, are walking around on thin ice. The smart ones know that the ice can break.

But of course I’m not sure. What do you think?

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