Guardians of the Gate

Dear Corporate Friend,

They say „sharing is caring”...in most situations at least. In the corporate world we are taught that we should contribute, that it’s a must have „virtue”. Every Christmas all companies organize fund raisers for different causes. Every summer we plant trees or donate hardware. In the cafeteria, everyone asks if you want a bite of their pizza...just to taste. We also share compliments....you surely can’t use the bathroom without hearing how nice your shoes are or how fresh your perfume is.

So if sharing is good....then why do managers refrain from sharing their wisdom? In this article I want to take a minute to debate and dispute this topic. As always, nothing should be taken literally. Surely there are managers who do share; but I am certain that, if you are honest with yourself, you will realize that most of them just don’t...or at least...partially don’t.

If you are a manager...you know what I mean :)

The elephant in the room that nobody wants to see. And the threat is real, I’m not saying they’re wrong: If you pass all your wisdom and skills to someone else they might end up surpassing and replacing you. You might become obsolete so you hold on to everything that you know and use it to keep proving that you are still a star. Ok, maybe you some times pass along just a little part of what you know to create a mirage of sharing but this happens only after you’ve done your math and very meticulously calculated the risk, the strategy, the probability. It looks good, no major risk so here we go: shared! We might even brag about it, telling our manager or peers how much we invest in our team members. But then, at the annual evaluation cycle, they usually all „meet expectations”. Sure, John is great, but he is still not there yet. John will surely not be there yet until you are sure of your next move, at which point John becomes so valuable, he exceeds expectations all of a sudden and now he is ready to be your successor.

This is why I feel compelled to dispute this! Please stop withholding information as it can only bring bad results. We feel that this way we’re safer? Why? Can’t a completely different „competitor” arise? If we intentionally keep our team members from outgrowing us, what’s to say that a different employee can’t steal our job?

Instead, I want to propose a different view: let’s help ourselves by helping others. Let’s share all that information and knowledge. Let’s build incredible teams that shine throughout the company. Let’s have the best team, the one that will make HR fight with us at calibrations because we simply can’t follow the Gauss curve, they’re all extraordinary! Let’s build an environment where their success becomes our success and they lift us up. They will then shout out loudly that their manager is the best.

Moreover, instead of pouring our efforts into keeping the team at „their level”, why don’t we take advantage of all that effort and send it in the right direction: improving ourselves. If we value ourselves and we constantly evolve and improve, how can someone else catch up, not to mention exceed us? It’s impossible, again, basic math.

I would never be afraid of sharing as I am fully aware of my value and my capabilities. I can do more, I will always improve and be a little bit better each day so there is no risk.

Would you like the opportunity to grow and to be empowered by your manager? If so, then treat others like you would like to be treated.

If we send out positive energy into the universe, it will come back, I promise.

From my cubicle to yours,

The D.