Hello!
Recently I was interviewed, and at one point, the interviewer commented that he wouldn’t ask me to give away all of my secrets. I told him that I share everything and never hold anything back. I think I left him somewhat confused. Why would anybody hire me if I give away all of my knowledge?
I often come across people with this attitude. These people believe that their ‘intellectual property’ is what gives them a competitive advantage or keeps them in their job.
The Subtle Forms of Knowledge Hoarding.
This desire to horde knowledge manifests itself in all kinds of ways, some of which are more subtle than others.
- Designers who claim their expertise comes from being inherently creative.
- Developers who talk in technobabble rather than explaining what they do in plain English.
- Digital teams who insist they oversee all digital output in their company, rather than teach colleagues how to do things for themselves.
- Agencies who are more concerned with tying clients in than empowering them to take ownership over their digital channels.
- Developers who fail to document their work so that nobody could replace them.
- Managers who micromanage their teams rather than teaching them the skills they need to do the job effectively themselves.
The list goes on and on.
Hoarding Knowledge Regularly Backfires
The irony is that this attitude often results in the absolute opposite outcome they hope.
- Digital teams seeking to control often find colleagues hiring third party agencies who are more amenable.
- Agencies who seek to tie in clients, sour the relationship and drive them elsewhere.
- Those who seek to protect their intellectual property, languish in obscurity because nobody gets to see their expertise.
- Those who seek to secure their job by being indispensable lose it for being a roadblock and poor team player.
The reason you are on this mailing list is not that I am the best in my field, its because I am willing to share what I do know.
The Enormous Advantages of Being Generous With Your Knowledge
So, why do people hire me if I give them all the answers via my blog, this newsletter, my courses and podcast? There are lots of reasons:
- They might be too busy.
- They might lack confidence.
- They might need an outside voice to convince management.
- They might be too lazy!
- They might want me to guide them through what they have learned.
- They might want to work with me because I am awesome!
The fact that I share so much for free works in my favour, not against me. By sharing what I know, I:
- Ensure people have heard of me.
- Establish my expertise in their minds.
- Make sure they know what to expect from me.
- Build trust and a relationship.
- Educate my clients to make my life easier!
In short, you have everything to gain from educating everybody you meet about everything you do.
Advice Recently Shared
Talking about me sharing what I know, here is some of my latest:
My Finding Clients Course is coming together fast, so if you want the preorder price, you might want to move fast.
My latest book Click! is now available for purchase in print and ebook formats.
I have shared my business case against dark patterns on Smashing Magazine.
Try To Make Yourself Redundant Will Make You Indispensable
I would encourage you to do everything you can to educate and empower your clients or colleagues. Do your best to make yourself redundant, and I promise you that you will be more in demand and appreciated than ever before.
Go forth and be generous with what you know!
