Beyond knowledge management to better management
While you may be ready to take off like a rocket this year, that isn't enough to guarantee professional success. Even if you personally are firing on all cylinders, you will be hampered if the same cannot be said for each team of which you are a part.
It is only through the act of reflection that we are able to extract from an experience the lessons that can make your life easier and better.
Voting on Tuesday was an unforgettable experience. We were welcomed at the door of the neighborhood elementary school by a cheerful poll worker who wished us a good morning, ushered us into the building and then carefully directed us to the school cafeteria where the voting booths were located. That was the last time we received clear... Continue Reading →
Do you know how to wash your hands? Now, before you complain about bloggers who ask dumb questions, let me rephrase that question slightly: Do you know how to wash your hands properly? Chances are you don't. This issue arose when I found myself getting frustrated by restaurants that piously posted signs in restrooms instructing... Continue Reading →
He thought they were going to have a quiet dinner, but she arrived apoplectic. Some of the folks who worked with her had dropped the ball on a project that was routine and should have been foolproof. She thought they were going to have a quiet dinner, but he arrived apoplectic. Someone had asked his... Continue Reading →
If there are days when you doubt the value of knowledge management, take a closer look at Project ECHO: it saves lives by sharing specialist knowledge from teaching hospitals with a wide network of primary care physicians in far-flung areas. As a a result, the patients in those areas get the benefit of cutting edge... Continue Reading →
Let's start with the premise that you're fantastic. In fact, you're well-trained, experienced and routinely exhibit good judgment. So, do you need a checklist? Ask a pilot or a surgeon. Surgeon Atul Gawande did exactly that and learned some interesting -- and sobering -- things. In a recent interview, he discussed his latest book, The... Continue Reading →
Some folks aspire to be as beautiful as a model, while other folks aspire to have a model on their arm. Lawyers, by contrast, aspire to have a collection of models. Model DOCUMENTS, that is. And, as long as lawyers want model documents, law firm knowledge management personnel are going to try to find ways... Continue Reading →
Yesterday's post, Just Tell Me What Works, discussed some of the weaknesses arising from a blind obsession with best practices. The chief weakness is the false belief that someone else's solution will work perfectly for you. But what if you avoid that weakness and actually do the hard work of thinking for yourself in order... Continue Reading →
Sometimes we just want to be told what to do. To be honest, we all have days when that seems far preferable to thinking for ourselves. Unfortunately, it's exactly this temptation that has led us to make a fetish of "best practices" in knowledge management. However, we would do ourselves a great favor if we... Continue Reading →
Above and Beyond KM 