The workplace would be a pretty miserable place if nobody ever spoke to one another and, of course, good communication is essential anyway in order to get the job done and co-ordinate the efforts of individuals, teams and departments. Another really important reason for not cutting yourself off from your colleagues and co-workers, however, is the fact that they help to keep you ‘in the know’.
It was English philosopher, statesman, scientist and lawyer, Sir Francis Bacon, who coined the phrase ‘knowledge is power’, and he certainly knew what he was talking about. Knowledge, in the sense of information, is what helps us to stay one step ahead, to anticipate problems and prepare ourselves, and to identify and take advantage of opportunities.
Of course, for knowledge or information to provide us with any real benefit, it has to be timely. Finding out about a job opportunity after the position has been filled is clearly not going to be much use, any more than is discovering on the day that it is announced to the whole organization that your department is to be axed.
So, are you one of those people who always knows before everyone else what is going on inside your company, or do you only hear the latest news after the story has broken, and then from the janitor or a supplier or a client? If it’s the latter, then you are leaving yourself at a huge disadvantage.
Talking to your manager, colleagues, co-workers from other areas of the business and your mentor is an essential part of keeping yourself in the know and enabling yourself to respond accordingly – although it is of course vital that you check the veracity of the information that you come across.
Talking isn’t the only way of obtaining clues about what is going on though. You can often get a heads up from industry reports, press releases and through various of your own company’s publications, as well as simply from keeping your eyes peeled in the workplace. Are there strangers lurking in the CEO’s office? If so, are they new clients or potential buyers? Knowing which could make all the difference to your future, so don’t let yourself get caught out through a lack of interest or the assumption that anything that happens outside your immediate vicinity is of no importance.
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