Information repressors are people who hoard information for personal gain in a futile hope to protect their own interests. What these people fail to realize is that in today’s hyper connected and hyper distributed working environments, information hoarding is career suicide.
Businesses, due to reduced budgets and personnel, need employees who can function within a group to achieve results beyond the ability of any single person. For this to happen, you must freely connect information to ideas, ideas to motivation, and motivation to action. This means we should all strive to become information experts – knowing the latest trends, technical information, or buzz. The value and the personal opportunity, however, is in building relationships through freely sharing our resources and knowledge. Spread it.
Real power comes from being indispensable. Indispensability comes from being a switchboard, parceling out as much information, contacts, and goodwill to as many people – in as many different worlds – as possible. – Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone
If you are like me and countless others, the hardest part is making the connections to create a lifelong, meaningful circle of friends, coworkers, and mentors. Bill Clinton, whose personality can reduce a roomful of people to a conversation between two, is a master at establishing connections. Like Bill, we need to offer a friendly smile and handshake while asking the question, “What can I do for you?” Looking to first represent the other person’s best interest will be remembered and rewarded in the future. Just as a farmer plants a seed to grow his crop, we need to plant the offer of assistance and gratitude when building relationships.
Give it.
Individual managers with entrepreneurial networks move information faster, are highly mobile relative to bureaucracy, and create solutions better adapted to the needs of the organization. – Ron Burt, professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
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