Don’t Hoard Knowledge
I learned a new trick today on a piece of software that EVERYONE in my organization uses. I thought it was so cool that I created a quick word document with screenshots on how to do it. I sent it to my team of six people and left work for the day.
I got up at 3am because my child was screaming. I picked up my phone and found an email that went out to the entire organization - including all of the client and internal leadership - with my word document.
This was a transforming experience for me, because I had been under the impression that hoarding knowledge was one way that you could stay competitive. I thought that knowing tricks that other people didn’t know would make me look better. Boy was I wrong!
If you learn something useful - especially on the job - take the opportunity to share it. Try sharing it with a few people first, and if it seems to be popular, share it more broadly. Turns out that people like to learn new things that help them to do their jobs more efficiently. There is also a chance that your name will be associated with words like “helpful” and “ideas” instead of some of the alternatives. :)
Have you had any experiences with sharing that have had positive impacts on your career or life?
