Back in the day (a long time ago, see my previous blog post, hint dinosaur!), I was one of those guys hoarding knowledge. I was fresh out of university and ready to take on the world! My brains were working like a sponge sucking up all the knowledge I could get my hands on. I believed, like most others, that I was so valuable, almost irreplaceable because I had all that knowledge.
Wisdom Comes from Experience
It took me several years and some bad experiences to find out that I couldn’t be more wrong. Because I became that go-to-guy that knew and fixed everything, I was in fact stopping my own personal growth. I had all that work to do and no time to learn, so no room to grow.
The Turnaround
Therefore, I went from hoarding knowledge to the complete opposite: sharing knowledge.
Because when you think you are making yourself replaceable by giving away all your knowledge, you are actually making yourself indispensable!
Aruba’s open approach applies to this idea of knowledge sharing as well. Hoarding can be considered a closed approach, where sharing is of course the open approach towards knowledge.
One of my true lessons in life has been that sharing knowledge is the only way to grow as a person, team or company. If I see other people grow by the knowledge I have shared, I truly believe that that is the ultimate reward of sharing knowledge. Moreover, when others around you grow in knowledge, that will in turn give you room to grow. More than enough motivation to keep up this way of thinking.
Acquiring Knowledge
There are many ways to gain more knowledge. If you look at networking knowledge, one of your first stops should be Aruba Training. This is where you will find all different certifications, which you can achieve. Aruba Training is open to everybody and has many ways of doing the courses: scheduled classroom courses, virtual courses (my new favorite one, when I am gaining knowledge!) and off=course e-learning (completely self-paced).
Your second stop by far should be Airheads, Aruba’s great online community. Again, it’s a great example of an open approach. Even the great minds within Aruba are very active on Airheads. They also believe that sharing knowledge is the only way to go.
Sharing Knowledge
I think that sharing knowledge should be something you do unconditionally. It is also something I do on a daily or even hourly basis. A great example is the conversation I had earlier this week. Through LinkedIn, Teja from Denmark reached out to me to learn more about my journey to becoming AMFX#22. He taught me the following, which in turn I would like to share with you (thanks Teja!):
- If you are able to teach the knowledge you have learned, then you have a deeper understanding of the knowledge, more than you would have by just reading it.
For me personally, my two favorite ways of sharing knowledge are:
- In person, because being face-to-face you can see reactions and have good discussions.
- On Airheads, because I can reach a bigger audience—people you would normally not meet, but need a helping hand all the same.
My advice to you is start sharing your knowledge today! It will only improve you as a person and people will love you for it – trust me, I know!
I still have to decide on the topics of my next series of blog posts. I do not know when yet, but I will be back!
See my other blogs in this series:
HPN and Aruba: A Match Made in Heaven
