During a race in the 2024 Formula 1 season, McLaren’s Lando Norris asks his engineer, “How far behind is Max?”
He’s referring to Max Verstappen, one of his top competitors.
The engineer responds with something to the effect of, “Do not worry about this, it does not matter now.”
Fascinating.
The engineer is trying to thoughtfully curate Lando’s headspace — to provide information that will help Lando perform his best and to withhold information that might threaten his ability to remain sharp and focused.
Sometimes we’re eager to share knowledge, because after all knowledge is power — or so the saying goes.
But, critically, this is only true when the knowledge is timely.
The insight you have to share might have great potential to influence, but it can only go so far if you are not thoughtful about when and with whom to share it with.
