No matter your role, you can be a knowledge champion
Let's take a moment to think about this statement: "I'm tired of not being able to locate this knowledge... I wish I could do something about it."
If you're reading this post, I'm sure a similar thought has crossed your mind more than once. It starts as a wandering thought. Then it results in shared feedback and frustrated discussions with others.
Over time, we start to feel powerless because nothing is being done, and no one seems to listen to the problem. We ponder if the business doesn't think this is an issue, even when you see the cause and effect - long onboarding cycles, wasted time digging around for resources that may not exist, and people creating knowledge in silos.
What if I told you that you aren't powerless? There are steps you can take, regardless of your role, to be a knowledge champion at your organization!
It starts with listening. You know the problem exists, but have others identified it as an issue, too? Document those conversations and gather quotes from those who've experienced real knowledge problems.
A couple of years ago, I was fortunate to attend a leadership training session where I could hear direct feedback from some of the biggest leaders in our organization. The training wasn't about knowledge at all, yet concerns about access to knowledge, rogue knowledge creation, and missing knowledge kept coming up. I captured these quotes and who said them.
Then I had a conversation with those leaders to learn more. If they brought this up in a training session, it wasn't a "once or twice" problem. This was happening regularly, and they didn't know how to fix it. I asked open-ended questions to squeeze real, authentic stories from them. I wanted to hear the truth, not some fluff about how it's "not that bad".
Some questions I asked included:
- "How much time do you spend each week looking for information?"
- "What knowledge questions do you answer again and again because people don't know where to find the information themselves?"
- "Where do you start your knowledge search and why?"
- "How do current file naming conventions help or prevent you from finding information?"
- "What knowledge areas are the biggest gaps for you and your team right now?"
- "How do you create your internal team knowledge, and how do you store it long-term?"
- "How do you review and maintain your knowledge so it stays accurate and relevant?"
This allowed me to share what I discovered with others. I had real examples and real data to back up that this was a real problem. It wasn't just in my head!
Regardless of your role or title, anyone can do this. It could be in your team or with other people you work with. It takes 10 minutes to talk to someone about their challenges, and over time, you can capture a lot of evidence.
When I did this a few years ago, I had supportive leaders who recognized the same problems and patterns. They just didn't have the data to back it up, though. That's where I came in!
If you can raise awareness and present your findings to your manager or a company leader, definitely do so. With a PowerPoint presentation I whipped up, I showcased what I learned, who said what, and most importantly, the time, energy, and resources lost due to these issues. I came with facts, not fiction.
At the end, I was in a position where I could say: "These are common problems we can tackle and overcome. Let me take a swing at it. I know I can do this."
Even if you don't have the background or experience, volunteering can help you grow in ways you didn't know possible. When I said I could take on the challenge, I knew it'd be a stretch for me. However, I recognized that I had the right skillset to grow in the knowledge space. I just needed to massage those skills a bit by learning more!
There are so many resources at your disposal. You can mentor with knowledge leaders, take training, watch webinars, or read insightful articles... every little bit helps. Learning more about knowledge management makes you a stronger knowledge champion. (I'll share a few resources at the bottom of my post, but I strongly recommend doing your own research, as you know your skills and needs best.)
I was glad I had learned more about knowledge management and solid knowledge principles before giving my presentation to leadership, because I knew it made a huge difference. Instead of just focusing on the problems, I gave concrete examples of potential solutions and how change could improve things for us. After a few minutes of speaking, I saw the glee in their eyes. I hooked them.
With their buy-in, I was able to take what I'd learned and put it to the test. I learned that the potential solutions I proposed were feasible and achievable, and with time, I could apply them to our organization. I finally had the chance to showcase my knowledge champion skills, and it all started by just listening.
...But let's say you've done all of this - you've listened to the problems, collected loads of information, tried to speak up, learned more, etc., but nothing is changing. The same old behaviors are happening. No one cares what you have to say, as "this is the way it's always been done and it's never going to change."
Champions don't quit. They rethink the strategy. Perhaps that strategy is giving it more time. Quietly advocate for knowledge behind the scenes, and demonstrate good knowledge capture, sharing, storage, and application through your projects and teams you work with. Or the strategy could be a new audience. Maybe that leader or group you spoke to originally isn't ready, but someone else might be.
Your company culture plays a key role in this. Get a temperature check and don't push change for the sake of changing. That'll just piss people off, and no one wants that kind of stress in their life, am I right?
And if all else fails... just know this. You tried to be a knowledge champion because you care, and even if it didn't work out now, your efforts were not in vain. It's not every day that someone who's passionate about knowledge speaks up about this important topic.
There may be opportunities in your life where you can apply what you've learned - places you volunteer at, a hobby, or your household in general. These champion tips are not exclusive to any particular area.
Become a champion in anything you're passionate about. Now that you know how easy it is, the sky's the limit! All it takes is a spark, and you can make amazing things happen. I'll be rooting you on, my fellow champion! You got this!
If you made it to the end, thank you so much for reading my post!!
I know this was a creative approach, but I write all of my posts myself, without AI. Share your feedback with me! Was this post engaging? Did you learn anything new? Will you share Knowledge Documented with others after reading this?
In a future post, I'll share some of the thought leaders who've helped me grow in the knowledge management space. Until then, if you're one of those leaders, and you're reading this post, share your info in the comments!! Let's spread your wisdom to others reading this post!
Finally... I promised some articles, didn't I? Here are a few resources to kick-start your knowledge champion journey:
Bloomfire Editorial Team
Tim Murphy
David Flach
