Stan Garfield shares more maxims

By Graeme Burton

There is no stopping someone as prolific as Hewlett-Packard (HP) knowledge management guru Stan Garfield. His Thought leader column this month (see page five) originally ran to 36 points – but had to be cut for reasons of space.

So, for the sake of completeness, here are his remaining points:

Workforce reduction

27. The people affected by ‘downsizing’ are often those with the most critical knowledge and skills. As a result, laid-off workers often have to be brought back as consultants or contractors;

28. Many who survive downsizing are not as valuable to the organisation, leading the rest to wonder why these people are still employed;

29. The people who send spam and ‘reply to all’ are always good candidates for downsizing.

Personal growth

30. Don’t hide – engage. Take a risk, get outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself to try something new;

31. Submit an abstract for a presentation at a conference. Write a paper and send it to a publication. Start a blog. You will be rewarded by the results;

32. Try out tools and processes yourself. Learn first-hand what works and what doesn’t. You will be able to empathise with other users, learn useful techniques and become recognised as an expert. Be hands-on, use the tools of the trade and practice what you preach.

Networking

33. Expand your personal network. Talk to other people at conferences. Post to discussion forums. Contact other people, including those who don’t know you and those who are famous. You will be surprised at how many people will be glad to interact with you, become part of your network and join a community you lead or participate in;

34. Share relentlessly. Look at each piece of information you receive, read or create and ask “who else could use this?” Then send it to them;

35. When you contact someone else, even if just to share a minor piece of information, it will often lead to an unexpected benefit. They will be prompted to ask you a question, share an idea or make a suggestion that will be helpful;

36. Rely on your colleagues. Ask them to review what you are working on and they will give you good advice. If you do good things for others without concern for what’s in it for you, your colleagues will be glad to reciprocate.