# Common Sense is NOT Common

Source: https://dairycoach.com/common-sense-is-not-common/
Published: 2011-10-12
Author: Tom Wall

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Have you ever wondered how *common sense* got its name?  Think about it.  Almost every time we talk about common sense, the gist of the conversation is that someone doesn’t have any.  So then why do we try fooling ourselves into thinking that it’s actually ‘common’?

I’m not really sure if anyone can even define the concept.  Whenever we refer to it, the line we almost always defer back to is “I mean, it’s just common sense?!”  Unfortunately however, it turns out that it’s not.  Now I’m not trying to start a campaign to call it something else.  But if I were, I’d probably suggest we call it *uncommon sense*.

Yet time after time, we want to believe that everyone has common sense and that we can rely on them to use it to make good decisions.  And then when that doesn’t happen, we tend to get frustrated with the outcome.

Ultimately, relying on someone’s common sense is almost always a losing bet.  On one hand, if everything works out, you’ll be satisfied with the outcome because that’s what you expected.  But if it doesn’t, you’re left dealing with another headache that costs you extra time and money.

So how do you teach common sense?  I’m afraid you can’t.  Although each life experience helps prepare us for the next one, it seems that some people are just better at identifying and responding to a situation’s cause and effect relationship than others.  These are the people who are able to foresee the various potential outcomes of their decisions and act accordingly.

Ok, so if we can agree that relying on common sense usually doesn’t work, then why do we keep doing it?

Instead of counting on all of your employees to use their common sense to perform their jobs, wouldn’t it be wiser to create effective protocols and policies that help direct your team’s decisions and actions?  These written systems would help provide answers and guidance while reducing questions and poor decisions.

Unfortunately, common sense is not a virtue you can depend on to run your business.  Although it’s convenient to think that everyone will see the same things you do and make good decisions, it’s somewhat foolish to believe they actually will.

So the next time your team makes a poor decision, don’t simply respond by thinking “C’mon guys, it’s just common sense.”  For a lot of people, it’s not.  Instead, help your team improve its performance and reduce potential losses by depending on effective strategies and systems, and not common sense.  But you probably already knew that… after all, it’s common sense!