LEARN-IT-ALL CULTURE

Across the country, I have conversations every week with law enforcement leaders. Different states. Different agencies. Different ranks.

Yet the internal challenges often sound the same.

Morale issues. Silos. Competition between divisions. Hesitation to share information. Leaders protecting territory instead of developing people.

And when you step back and really analyze it, you begin to see a common thread:

Many organizations are operating inside a “know-it-all” culture instead of a “learn-it-all” culture.

The Roots of the Know-It-All Culture

Let’s be clear — this isn’t about cops thinking they’re smarter than everyone else.

It’s about the culture we were shaped in.

Law enforcement has historically been:

• Highly hierarchical

• Deeply competitive

• Command-driven

• Position-focused

Chain of command matters. Rank matters. Promotion matters. Reputation matters.

And in environments like that, people often feel like they are constantly fighting for position, influence, or credibility. When that happens, knowledge becomes power — and power becomes something to protect.

Information gets guarded.
Experience gets withheld.
Lessons learned stay isolated.

Not because people are malicious.

But because the culture subtly teaches them that sharing knowledge may reduce their personal value.

That’s the know-it-all mindset.

The Cost of a Know-It-All Organization

A know-it-all culture creates:

• One-sided thinking

• Internal competition instead of collaboration

• Hesitation to admit mistakes

• Resistance to new ideas

• Weak team cohesion

When everyone is protecting what they know, teamwork suffers.

And when teamwork suffers, performance eventually suffers.

You cannot build high-performing teams in an environment where individuals are more concerned with being right than being effective.

You cannot create unity where people are guarding territory.

You cannot scale leadership where knowledge is hoarded.

The Shift: Becoming a Learn-It-All Organization

What if we flipped it?

What if instead of rewarding people for having all the answers, we rewarded them for asking better questions?

What if instead of protecting information, we celebrated sharing it?

A learn-it-all culture looks different:

• People openly exchange ideas

• Experience is shared freely

• Mistakes become lessons

• Innovation increases

• Collaboration strengthens

In a learn-it-all organization, growth replaces ego.

Learning replaces posturing.

Progress replaces positioning.

And something powerful happens — competitiveness starts to fade because people begin focusing on the mission instead of themselves.

The Information Power Problem

Let’s address the uncomfortable truth.

Some individuals inside organizations hold significant “information power.” They know processes. They know systems. They know how things really work.

And sometimes they hesitate to share that information because they believe it’s what makes them valuable.

But here’s the reality:

Your value as a leader is not in what you withhold.
Your value is in what you multiply.

If your knowledge dies with your position, you weren’t leading — you were managing scarcity.

True leadership creates abundance.

Why the AI Era Demands Learn-It-All Leadership

We are now operating in an AI-driven, information-saturated world.

Information moves faster than rank.
Technology evolves faster than policy.
Innovation spreads faster than tradition.

You will not have the option of being a know-it-all organization moving forward.

The pace of change will demand collaboration.
It will demand shared intelligence.
It will demand humility.

The agencies that thrive in the next decade will not be the ones with the smartest individuals.

They will be the ones with the strongest learning cultures.

How Leaders Start the Shift

This change doesn’t happen by accident. It starts intentionally.

Here are practical steps leaders can take:

1. Model Curiosity

Ask questions publicly. Admit when you don’t know. Normalize learning.

2. Reward Knowledge Sharing

Recognize those who teach others, mentor others, and elevate others.

3. Create Safe Learning Environments

Allow mistakes to become growth opportunities — not career-ending events.

4. Break Down Silos

Encourage cross-division communication and collaborative problem-solving.

5. Redefine Strength

Strength is not having all the answers.
Strength is building teams that can solve problems together.

The Culture You Choose Will Shape Your Future

You can continue operating in a know-it-all environment — where ego subtly competes with mission.

Or you can build a learn-it-all culture — where humility fuels growth and collaboration drives performance.

The question is not whether change is coming.

The question is whether your organization will adapt fast enough to lead through it.

Because in the end:

Know-it-all cultures protect position.
Learn-it-all cultures build legacy.

And the agencies that choose learning over ego will be the ones that redefine leadership for the next generation.

If you’re serious about transforming your agency’s culture and building leaders who multiply knowledge instead of guarding it, that’s the work we do every day.

It’s not about being the smartest person in the room.

It’s about building a room full of leaders who never stop learning.

H. Dean Crisp Jr.