Sharing

The responsibility of a leader is to ask the right questions. The responsibility of a follower is to answer these questions with right information. That's a challenge when the basic instinct of most subordinates is to prize what they know and use it only to their own advantage.

Sharing information that would help a coworker solve a problem is not a priority for many of today's workers. They were taught at home and in school to believe that their personal success will be determined by their ability to outfox their superiors and outperform their peers. As they move from job to job these beliefs stay with them.

The importance of pooling knowledge held by your followers cannot be overstated. It promotes rapid learning and builds trust simultaneously. You can demonstrate this by calling your people together and putting them through the following exercise.
Mark an 'X' on one side of a paper cup and place it in the middle of the table. Ask those who see the 'X' from where they sit to raise their hands. Point out that if the 'X' represented a vital piece of information, those who didn't raise their hands are doomed to fail -- unless those who do see the 'X' are willing to share what they know.

Knowledge Pooling Completes The Picture

Pooling knowledge becomes especially critical in those situations where no one person has the full and complete picture. It also demonstrates the futility of arguing over whether or not there's an 'X' on the cup. Additionally, it points out the need to explore the deeper meaning of a situation whenever the people involved see things differently and can't agree on what action to take.

Any time there's a dispute over the same set of "facts" it should serve as a warning that some critical piece of information is missing. It should also trigger the same question in everyone's mind: How might the missing piece affect what I do?

In the above exercise the solution to knowledge pooling is simple- just turn the cup so everyone can see the 'X.' But it's not that simple when these same folks are scattered in various locations throughout the organization and typically don't communicate collectively unless management calls them to a meeting. Also there's not likely to be a place where followers can go to compare their viewpoints and come up with a unifying vision.

You've no doubt heard the phrase: "being on the same page" and nodded your head in agreement without giving much thought to what it really means. Being on the same page means that leaders and followers have access to the same information and are in agreement as to the best action to take and the best time to take it.

An inclusive data gathering process like the 'X' on-the-cup exercise brings your people together to share their points of view. All you have to do is apply such a process and watch the change it makes in the way your people interact.