Something which has been coming up a lot at my work lately is the subject of shared knowledge. Of course, I subscribe to the age old expression “sharing is caring” and I absolutely apply that to knowledge and information too. In terms of both personal development and the smooth running of any business or organisation, I think that it’s important for people to educate one another as to the different areas of their expertise.
On the one hand, this is a great way for people to learn new skills and to expand their own skillset and on the other, it means that should one member of staff be unavailable to do their job for whatever reason, their colleagues will be able to cover them without too much difficulty. There’s no real downside, unless you consider the time spent in training as a downside – which you probably shouldn’t.
And it’s not just something that people should do at work – but outside of work too. To be able to learn new skills from your colleagues, you already need to have a job… so what about the unemployed? I, personally, do try and teach friends about my skills as much as possible. I’ve discussed creative writing techniques with many friends and done all I can to try and refine their skills (as they, also, have done with me.)
I appreciate that writing is more of a hobby skill (and probably something which you’ll get more out of, if you share in a social context) but I have also made efforts to try and teach friends about digital marketing and SEO. I enjoy teaching and I think quite a lot of people do get some kind of pleasure from imparting knowledge on others. So, if you’ve never done it before, I recommend that you try and exchange skills with your friends (and colleagues) as it will be rewarding both personally and professionally.
