Late nineties, a brave knowledge worker of Pink Elephant wrote this to his colleagues.

Following a long and difficult debate on knowledge sharing:

Let’s get things into perspective. Knowledge management is not the role of management, but the duty of the knowledge worker; ALL OF US.

In the current climate, anyone will be able to tell you that Leadership is respected more than management. How to be a leader? Get a team. How to get a team? SHARE KNOWLEDGE.

Rewarding knowledge sharing is silly. Sharing knowledge is the reward itself. Anyone maintaining that knowledge is something you should keep to yourself (to better your market position) is wrong. Sharing knowledge is the fastest way forward not only for your customers, but for your company, and, more particularly; for yourself.

The only reward I need to share knowledge is the thought that my knowledge helps others get where they want to be. I’m not scared to tell everyone all I know, and feel I don’t need to be rewarded for it either.

Let’s start then not by looking for rewards from a company that has let us learn and grow, but by sharing knowledge to let others (and the company) learn and grow themselves.

What a statement this is.

With this, he went far beyond the debate.
Excellent choice of words.
This is what matters.

Unfortunately, this outstanding knowledge worker is no longer with us. He died in a plane crash.

Let’s honor him for his courage and his excellent choice of words.
Let’s follow his lead.

This statement was sent to me by Bert Wolthuis. He wrote me an email in which he shared these special words of his former colleague. Thank you, Bert.

Knowledge worth sharing.

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