This system allows employees to benefit from the work and knowledge that their co-workers have already done.
For example, if you’re a mid-level IT manager who works with the Sales department of a company, suggest that all other mid-level IT managers from different departments contribute to the online discussion group. This could take the form of a weekly webinar or group Skype session in which employees can chat and share problem-solving techniques, or other kinds of professional knowledge.
Send your co-workers an email that links to an informative article or website. In the body of the email, write something like, “Hi everybody, the linked article provides some useful information on effectively closing sales deals. Hope it helps!”
For example, if you’ve worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years, you could put together training documents for new hires at every level of the restaurant you work at, from busboys to chefs. Or, if you’ve worked as a business project manager, type up a weekly blog detailing solutions to common problems that other project managers may face.
Try saying something like, “Hi Jim, if you have a minute to talk, I learned a new trick recently that might help with that budget renovation you’re working on. It seemed like it’d be pretty useful. ”
For example, you could open a meeting by saying something like, “I’ve been thinking about all of the expertise that we have individually. It would be great if we could all share that expertise with each other. I’ll start; let me share a few tricks I’ve picked up over the years that I think might help a few of you. ”
If your company doesn’t already have a mentorship program in place, talk to your supervisor about setting up a program. For example, each new employee could be paired with a mentor for a 1-year period.
For example, if you work in the publishing industry and are an expert at book layout or cover design, put together a 30-minute presentation that covers the basics of what you do.
Remember that part of sharing knowledge is being open to receiving new knowledge yourself. So, don’t talk down to the attendees at your presentation. Instead, once your talk has concluded, ask if any of the audience members have suggestions as to how you could improve your current practices.
