What Do You Know That Other People Don’t?: The Hidden Power of Asymmetric Knowledge

What is asymmetric knowledge? Simply put, it is having access to information, experience, insight, or patterns that most people do not possess.

I can remember being a child in school and wondering what teachers did during “teacher workdays.” It was almost a mystery to me. Now that I am a teacher myself, I am all too familiar with what goes on during those days. What was once hidden knowledge to me is now completely ordinary.

And that is the interesting thing about knowledge: what seems obvious to you may not be obvious to someone else.  Why is that?  Because sometimes our greatest teacher isn't a classroom, a book, or even another person.  

Sometimes, life itself is the teacher.  

Not all asymmetric knowledge comes from books.

There have been times when I had to make a financial decision, experience the consequences of that decision, and learn not to make the same mistake again.

We don't know what we don't know.

Unfortunately, sometimes the only way we discover what we don't know is by getting something wrong. We make a decision, suffer a loss, and then recognize what we should have done differently. Hopefully, these aren't devastating losses. Sometimes the smaller losses are actually valuable because they teach us lessons while the stakes are still relatively low. We learn from a $100 mistake before we have the opportunity to make the same mistake with $10,000.

That lesson becomes knowledge we didn't possess before.

Knowledge Can Be Acquired

A great deal of asymmetric knowledge can be deliberately acquired through studying, going to school, learning a trade, developing a skill, or entering a profession.

For example, I am a special education teacher, and much of the knowledge that has shaped my pedagogy came through formal education. But some of my most valuable knowledge has come through experience.

There are situations you encounter at work where simply knowing what a special education law says is not enough. You have to understand what that law means in practice. There are circumstances that may not be spelled out neatly in black and white, and experience teaches you how to interpret information, recognize patterns, exercise professional judgment, and determine the appropriate course of action.

A textbook can give you knowledge.

Experience can teach you what to do with it.

And that distinction matters.

When Knowledge Becomes Opportunity

Asymmetric knowledge can become an advantage, and that advantage can eventually turn into wealth, opportunity, or influence.

There was a time when I thought everything worth discovering had probably already been discovered. I would hear people say that successful entrepreneurs recognize a need and figure out how to fill it. And I would think, What need is left to discover? Everything has already been done!

Then I went to Virginia Beach this weekend.

It was hot and sunny, and there was a man on the beach renting umbrellas and beach chairs. Looking at the number of people using them, I started thinking about how much money an operation like that could potentially generate.

But what really struck me was this: I have been going to Virginia Beach for decades. Over the years, I have certainly thought, They need umbrellas out here. They need chairs out here.

But my thinking stopped at “somebody should provide this.”

Someone else's thinking went further:

“I could provide this.”

There is an enormous difference between those two thoughts.

I knew there was a need. What I didn't have was the knowledge, experience, or perhaps even the mindset to recognize how an individual could turn that need into a business opportunity.

That is the power of asymmetric knowledge.

It isn't necessarily about possessing some great secret that nobody else on Earth knows. Sometimes thousands of people can look at the exact same problem, but only a handful understand how to solve it, and even fewer understand how to turn that solution into an opportunity.

Knowing Something Isn't Enough

That brings me to perhaps the most important part of asymmetric knowledge: you have to know what to do with what you know.

You might know an extraordinary amount about ancient Mesopotamian civilization. That's specialized knowledge. But what can you do with it?

Could you teach it? Write about it? Create educational materials? Develop a course? Become a consultant? Create documentaries or online content? Design museum programming? Write historical fiction?

The question becomes:

How can I turn what I know into something useful to someone else?

Because knowing something rare is one thing.

Recognizing its value is another.

And knowing what to do with it is where knowledge can become opportunity.

Administrative Burden and Shadow Work: Why Simple Tasks Feel So Complicated

I am piggybacking on my previous post, “Why Does Everything Require So Much Follow-Up?” Researching this topic gave me language for experiences I have witnessed in my own life and in the lives of friends and family.

I already knew it was a thing, but I did not realize these experiences had been studied and recognized as legitimate organizational problems.

Administrative Burden

One term that was new to me was administrative burden. Researchers use this term to describe the learning, compliance, and psychological costs people experience while trying to access services or complete official processes.¹

Have you ever called a company with a simple question about a bill, insurance account, or another service, only to be sent on a merry-go-round of automated responses?

Press 1 for your account balance.
Press 2 for billing questions.
Press 3 for technical support.
Press 4 to return to the main menu.

You select an option and are given another series of commands. You continue pressing numbers and navigating menus until, after exhausting nearly every option, you are finally connected to an actual person, assuming the system has not disconnected the call first.

I once encountered an automated system that was so difficult to navigate that I searched online and found a Reddit thread explaining exactly what to say to bypass it and reach a human being.

Things should not be that complicated.

A customer should not have to research secret commands simply to speak with someone about a service they are already paying for.

Shadow Work

Another term I had never heard before was shadow work. Social critic Ivan Illich used the term to describe unpaid activities that support the formal economy. Today, it is also used to describe labor shifted from organizations to customers through self-service systems, automated technology, and digital platforms.²

Have you ever felt as though you were doing someone else’s job?

Customers are increasingly expected to troubleshoot their own accounts, upload and organize documents, scan their own purchases, track requests, navigate complicated portals, and correct administrative errors.

Work that was once handled by a trained employee now requires the customer to become an unpaid administrative assistant.

Technology was supposed to make life easier, and in many ways it has. However, convenience for an organization can create additional work for the customer.

A company may save time and money by replacing employees with automated systems, but the administrative labor does not disappear. It is simply transferred to the person attempting to use the service.

Footnotes

1. Donald Moynihan, Pamela Herd, and Hope Harvey, “Administrative Burden: Learning, Psychological, and Compliance Costs in Citizen-State Interactions,” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. ↩

2. Ivan Illich, Shadow Work, which examines unpaid labor that supports and complements the formal economy. ↩

Why Does Everything Require So Much Follow-Up?

Disclaimer: All names, workplaces, companies, and identifying details in this post have been fictionalized to protect privacy. Any resemblance to actual people or organizations is purely coincidental.

Lately, Angela has noticed what feels like a growing lack of communication, competence, and follow-through.

She recently contacted Greenwood Property Services about a minor electrical installation in her apartment. She was told someone would follow up, but more than a week passed without an update. Even after calling twice, she still did not know whether the request had been reviewed or assigned.

Similarly, when Danielle Carter was injured while working at Brighton Family Services, she had to locate forms and navigate much of the workplace-injury process herself instead of receiving clear guidance.

Why does the person requesting assistance increasingly have to become the coordinator, researcher, record keeper, and follow-up manager?

What Is This Called?

One term is administrative burden. It describes the time, effort, confusion, and emotional strain people experience while trying to access services or complete official processes.¹

Another term is shadow work, unpaid labor that organizations shift onto customers, employees, patients, and tenants. People now schedule appointments, upload documents, track requests, correct errors, and coordinate communication that employees once handled.²

There is also diffusion of responsibility. Several people may participate in a process, but no one takes ownership of the final result.³

I also think of it as responsibility leakage: the organization is technically responsible, but the work gradually leaks back onto the person asking for help.

Why Is This Happening?

Organizations Are Operating Too Lean

Many organizations expect fewer employees to manage larger workloads. Human resources may be responsible for payroll, benefits, hiring, medical leave, injuries, and compliance. Property managers may handle maintenance, rent, inspections, contractors, and tenant concerns.

Heavy workloads and inadequate support can increase burnout, mistakes, and poor communication.⁴

High Turnover Weakens Knowledge

When experienced employees leave, organizations lose institutional knowledge. New workers may know how to enter a request into a system without understanding how to move it toward completion.⁵

They know how to open the ticket, but not how to own the process.

Work Is Too Fragmented

One person answers the telephone, another enters the request, a manager approves it, and someone else contacts a contractor.

Each person may complete a small task while assuming someone else will handle the rest. The customer becomes the only person following the entire situation.

Technology Creates the Appearance of Progress

A request can receive a ticket number, an automated reply, and several status updates without anyone actually resolving the issue.

Technology works well when it supports competent employees. It works poorly when it replaces judgment, communication, and accountability.

Activity Is Measured Instead of Results

Employees may be judged by how many emails they answer or tickets they close rather than whether the underlying problem is solved.

A request may look completed inside the system while remaining unresolved in real life.

Why Does the Work Fall Back on the Individual?

The person needing help has the greatest motivation to see the process completed.

The organization can forget the request and continue operating. The tenant, employee, customer, or patient cannot because the consequences affect their home, health, income, or safety.

That imbalance forces responsible people to keep calling, documenting, correcting, and escalating.

Eventually, “You have to advocate for yourself” begins to sound like:

Do everyone else’s job in addition to your own.

No One is Asking for Perfection

Most people understand that delays happen. What makes the experience exhausting is the silence and lack of ownership.

A functioning organization should be able to say:

“We received your request.”
“This person is handling it.”
“We are waiting for approval.”
“You will receive another update by Friday.”

People are not demanding perfection. They are asking for basic communication, accountability, and follow-through.

Someone should receive the request.
Someone should own the process.
Someone should explain what happens next.
And someone should make sure it is completed.

The goal is simply for systems to function like well-oiled machines again.

Footnotes

1. Donald Moynihan, Pamela Herd, and Hope Harvey describe administrative burden through the learning, psychological, and compliance costs people experience while interacting with institutions. (Oxford Academic) ↩

2. Shadow work includes tasks transferred from businesses to customers through self-service systems and technology. (Financial Times) ↩

3. Diffusion of responsibility occurs when shared accountability reduces individual ownership. (PubMed) ↩

4. Excessive workloads and inadequate support can contribute to burnout, reduced productivity, and mistakes. (American Psychological Association) ↩

5. Employee turnover can result in the loss of institutional knowledge and specialized expertise. (U.S. Government Accountability Office) ↩

How the Civil War Changed the Way We Buy Clothes

The Civil War helped accelerate the development of the ready-to-wear clothing market we have today.

Before the war, much of a person’s clothing was made at home or tailored to fit the individual. However, the military needed uniforms produced quickly and in large quantities. Manufacturers began using standardized measurements to create clothing for thousands of soldiers.

After the war, this system of mass production expanded into the general clothing market. Instead of having every garment made specifically for one person, people could purchase clothing in standard sizes.

It is interesting how a major historical event can influence something as ordinary as the way we shop for clothes today.

Faith and Finances: Supernatural Help in a Real-World Hustle

I’ve felt supernatural help in my business journey—moments I can’t fully explain, divine nudges that led me exactly to where I needed to be. One of those moments was how I discovered Zazzle.

I had been searching for a way to step into entrepreneurship. I was in grad school, juggling assignments and life, yet still yearning for something that allowed me to express my creativity and build wealth on my own terms. I needed something that flowed naturally, something I could pour myself into without it becoming another burden. But it wasn’t until my final year of grad school that I stumbled across Zazzle and it felt like a divine setup.

At the time, I thought that just because I was a child of God, He would automatically bless the work of my hands. I was holding on to teachings like, “If you take care of God’s business, He’ll take care of yours.” So I poured myself into church work—prayer, Bible study, serving faithfully—believing that if I stayed devoted, customers would just come flooding in.

But they didn’t.

That was a hard and humbling lesson. I realized that God is not transactional. He’s not a vending machine where if I press A1 for “devotion,” He automatically drops blessing B7. Many Christians approach God with a barter mindset: “If I do this, then God will do that.” But that’s not how He operates. That kind of thinking might work in business negotiations, but not in relationship with the Almighty.

What I had to learn—and I’m still learning—is that divine favor doesn’t replace diligence.

And I’m saying this as someone who is a full-time teacher. My days start early, and my responsibilities are heavy. I pour into students, support my classroom, collaborate with colleagues, and still come home with a to-do list. Yet somehow, I still carve out time for my business. That’s where I see God’s grace at work—not in eliminating the need to work, but in giving me the capacity to do both.

I had to show up for my business. I had to research what customers were actually searching for. I had to write compelling titles, craft thoughtful descriptions, and use the right tags. I had to study the market, follow trends, and stay ahead instead of constantly playing catch-up. I had to embrace the discipline of creating even when I didn’t feel inspired and trust that God’s hand was still guiding me through the algorithms and analytics.

Faith is not a substitute for strategy—it’s the fuel that empowers it.

Yes, I believe in angelic assistance. I believe God can bring unexpected opportunities and divine connections. But I also believe in preparation, perseverance, and pressing forward when the results are slow. Faith isn’t passive—it’s proactive.

Maintaining Godly Composure in Business

"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them". Luke 6:31

           As many of you might know, I have several online stores where I sell customized gifts on a platform called Zazzle.  Well I have started to promote my products using YouTube as well as making tutorials to teach other people how to be successful on Zazzle.  So far, 99% of the feedback has been positive, but there is always that 1% that is negative.  Yesterday, I received a negative comment on a video that I made celebrating one of my Zazzle achievements.  Instead of just congratulating, two individuals left negative comments.  One of the comments really got under my skin and I wanted to track the person down and tell them off.  However, I just quietly deleted the comment because 1) I do not want to do anything that will affect my brand or my Youtube channel.  2)  It is not Godly to conduct myself in this matter and that will negatively affect my brand.  So sometimes you just have to hold your peace and display a character of Godliness.  

Consistency is the key to success

 Consistent:  acting or done in the same way over time

• unchanging in nature, standard or effect over time
• marked by harmony, regularity or steady continuity

"the hand of the diligent brings wealth" Proverbs 10:4

Consistency is the key to success.  One area I can testify in is my online stores.  I have several online stores  on an ecommerce website called Zazzle that took years to build up.  When I first started my e-commerce journey, I would often hear people tell  "get rich quick" stories on Youtube.  They would speak of how they achieved success seemingly overnight, often with a link to their courses and webinar attached.  However, it took me years to build up a customer base and I am still working diligently everyday to grow it.  

Another cause of discouragement is having an incorrect understanding of how God works.  We read the Bible and sometimes think that just having "faith" is enough.  I used to believe that.  However when I was not succeeding, on Faith alone I even felt that God was being unfair.  However, we have to learn practical things to succeed on business.  We can't use "Faith" as a cheat code to success.  "Faith without works is dead" James 2:17.  We must do the work involved in achieving success.

I hope this post has helped encourage you.  See you next time!

Why aren't we taught the value of hard work Charismatic circles

       I was watching a video by a Pastor named Sunday Adelaja, called "Urgently become a workaholic" and he was talking about how it is important for us as Christians to work hard in our calling, careers, business, etc. instead of looking to God to constantly perform financial miracles in our lives. He discusses the Western mentality of "getting rich quick" and how it pushes the thought that their is a shortcut to success. He asserts that God has already given us the tools to be successful and we just need to use them. He is just one of the few Pastors that I see saying this. 

     This causes me to ask, where does this disdain for hard work come from? Has the "get rick quick" mentality permeated the Body of Christ? Is this why we see so much "seed sowing" for financial breakthrough instead of becoming financially literate, developing our skills, etc.?

 

Overcoming Discourage through Perseverance

      Perseverance is the ability to persist in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.  It is a very important trait to have if you want to be successful.  I had been on an emotional rollercoaster all last week.  This week I spent a great deal of time on Pinterest marketing my products for my Zazzle stores.  

     However, I became disappointed when my monthly views were decreasing each day instead of increasing despite my effort.  

Sept 19 

Sept 20

                                                          

       However,  I decided to take a closer look.  Maybe there was something I wasn't understanding.  I checked my weekly analytics that covered the past 7 days and discovered that my views were actually going up.  In addition, all the stats in each area was increasing.  

I begin to understand that it may take a while for the monthly views to reflect the new viewership that I received this past week.  

 

Then this morning I checked my stats and it had increased again.

This challenge taught me a powerful lesson in perseverance.  We must not allow how things look to cause us to give up.  We may not know what is truly going on behind the scenes.  Keep pushing!

Study to show yourself approved

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay 

"Study to show yourself approved"  2 Timothy 2:15


One of the most important principles in life that the Bible speaks of is studying to show yourself approved.  In Christiandom we often look to God to do things supernaturally that we should be doing in lives everyday.  For example, we may have an exam coming up that we did not study for.  We may start praying for God to recall information by His Spirit or that we will supernaturally past the test.  

After school we may carry this practice into our adult lives.  We may start asking God to grant us with favor to receive jobs that we are not skilled for, or we may start a business and ask Him to supernaturally send customers our way, instead of us learning marketing techniques.

I wouldn't want to visit a doctor who did not understand the class material and always prayed that God gave them supernatural insight to the answers of the test.  Is God going to help us supernatural cheat on our test through the Holy Spirit?  Is that how God operate?  

Are you willing to pay the price for success?

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay 

Success is something that we all work to achieve.  In the media we see countless stories of multi millionaires, CEO's, billionaires, music moguls, etc. who have all achieved success.  However, we do not see the "come up".  We have no idea what they sacrificed just to make it.  We do not know what price they paid.

We all must pay the price for success.  That price is hard work, diligence, perseverance and patience.  That price is delaying instant gratification, saving money, enduring jealous people and naysayers that calls you a "dreamer". 

That is why you have to lean and depend on God.  Be prayerful abut every step you take.  Even as you acquire the necessary skills, education and expertise, Redeemer God is there to help you through.  

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  Philippians 4:13

A diligent hand...

Image by MJ Jin from Pixabay 

"A lazy hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth". Proverbs 10:4

This year we must strive to be diligent, steadfast, unmovable especially when it comes to manifesting our breakthrough.  It could be losing weight, job, business, relationships, etc. we need to be diligent in all that we do.  

Diligent means that we must work at something until we get the results that we desire.  We write our goals and see them through to completion.  

Accomplish your dream: Write down your personal goals

Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay 

"And the Lord answered me, "Write the vision; and make it plain upon tables, that he may run who reads it".   Habakkuk 2:2 

As 2019 come to a close, a brand new year is upon us.  Matter of fact, we are moving into another decade, 2020.  We want to make this time in our life a success.  One way to insure success is by writing down our goals.

Reflect upon the goals you set out for this past year.  Did you accomplish them?  Are you on the path to accomplishing them?  Do you have a plan for implementing each goal?

Now think about the goals you want to accomplish next year.  It is good to set aside a time of prayer in order to get from God what He will have you to do this upcoming year.  Are there any pressing ideas on your heart that you believe was placed their by God?

Now all of your goals may not be completed the year you set out to accomplish them.  This is why you want to make sure you break your goals down into short (0-3 years), intermediate (3-5 years) and long term (5 years+).  For example, you may want to start your own day care business in 2020.  However,  it may take training, securing a location, making sure you are up to code, etc.  This may take a couple of years to accomplish and that is alright.  

After you identify your goals, take steps towards achieving them.  If your goal is to open a day care center, read books on how to start, take classes to sharpen your skills, etc.   Every day make sure you are taking one small step in accomplishing your dream.

God is not a magician

 
Imagine that you are a business owner driving in your car while listening to a sermon. You are feeling discouraged because your online clothing boutique has hit a dry spell. It has been weeks since you received a
n order, and you keep wondering what you are doing wrong. You have bills to pay, a roof to keep over your head, and the cares of running your business are weighing heavily on you.

As you listen to the sermon, the preacher begins to prophesy:

“There is someone driving in their car and listening to this message right now. You are experiencing a dry spell in your business, and you are feeling discouraged. But the Lord says, ‘Do not be discouraged any longer. I am turning it around. I decree that this is a new day. Within 30 days, you will have customers from all over the world ordering your products. What took you five years to accomplish in business, you will accomplish within 30 days.’”

As you hear this word, something leaps within your spirit. You feel certain that God is speaking directly to you through the preacher.

You arrive home feeling as though you are walking on air. Later, you turn on the television and begin flipping through the channels. You come across a woman promoting a book about how she became successful in business through social media marketing.

You think to yourself, “That is nice, but I am waiting on the Lord to move.”

Week after week, you continue waiting for the Lord to move. You wait and wait, but nothing happens within the promised 30 days. Now you are sitting there discouraged, disappointed, and frustrated.

What happened? Why did God not move?

As you reflect on the past month, you suddenly remember the television program and the woman promoting her business book. Could that have been God directing you toward the practical wisdom you needed? Could part of your breakthrough have been found within the principles she was teaching?

Suddenly, a light bulb comes on. You rush to the bookstore, purchase the book, and begin applying the marketing strategies it teaches. Within a month, you start seeing positive changes in your business. As you continue applying those principles, your business grows month after month.

The moral of this story is that God’s Word is true, but sometimes we expect Him to operate like a magician in Heaven, granting our desires without requiring us to make any effort or change. We hear a prophetic word and simply sit back and wait. Then, when we do not see its manifestation, we become discouraged and confused.

However, when we receive a prophecy, we must first test it according to Scripture. Once we believe it is truly from God, we should ask Him for wisdom concerning how to move forward.

Are there instructions connected to the prophecy?

Are there practical steps we need to take?

Is there something we need to learn, develop, change, or pursue in preparation for its fulfillment?

Sometimes the answer to our prayers comes through practical wisdom and opportunities that God places directly in front of us. The prophecy may reveal what is possible, but wisdom teaches us how to participate in bringing it to pass.