Professional
people who work with technology or some other area of expertise are
knowledgeable people and knowledge carries influence. People respect knowledge.
The more knowledge you have the more influence you will also have.
The
question is: how will you use your knowledge? Will you use it for good or for
bad?
Professional
people need to understand how much influence they carry. It's more than most
know. Unfortunately, if used in a negative sense, this influence has much more
power than when used in a positive sense. At least it can seem that way.
For
example, it takes very little effort to stop a project. The negative influence
of one professional person can stop a project dead within minutes. And the
effect is huge.
On
the other hand, the positive influence of one professional person can keep the
momentum going in a project until the finish line is crossed. However, because
completing a project is far more difficult than stopping one, the effect is
seemingly not as great.
A
lot of effort and teamwork goes into getting to the finish line. You must wait
for the gratification that comes from completing a project. Ultimately, the
professional person who helps get a project to its goal line may not even get
credit or recognition for their efforts. Whereas with stopping a project, the
gratification is immediate because the results are immediate.
If
a professional person wants to feel powerful they may choose to use their
knowledge to scare, to play politics or to control people and situations. This
is bad and is a poor use of knowledge. It does not find solutions. It does not
help others.
It
is much better to use knowledge to seek solutions. If a problem exists, use
your knowledge to solve the problem. Don't stand in the way of progress. Don't
use your influence to veto a project because challenges exist. There is already
enough bureaucracy at the University making it difficult to move any project
forward. We don't need more roadblocks and detours.
Professional
people don't abuse your knowledge. Use your knowledge and influence to overcome
challenges. Bring a win-win attitude to the table. Don't side in with the
problems; present solutions. We need your knowledge to help us cross the finish
line.
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