Knowledge is Power
My previous blog was Chapter 2 from my Power Bites book. Well, yesterday I was in the Morgan Library Gift Shop and saw a porcelain tray on sale that said “Knowledge is Power” and took that as a message to include Chapter 1 in a blog, so here it is.
Knowledge creates power. Therefore, acquiring knowledge will give you the power and make you perform better.
The more you know, the greater advantage you will have over those you work with … and against.
Learn from the experiences of others. Don’t rewrite the Bible. If someone has already found a solution, why should you try to find it by yourself when all you have to do is find out what they did? The amount of time will be a lot less than it will be for you to do what has already been done. Seek out business and industry leaders.
Read their interviews, articles, and books, attend their speeches and podcasts, and become more aware of what is out there. Spend some time at least monthly looking at the new books in the bookstores or local public library; see what new magazines are being published and what types of articles they are publishing. It is easy to do both of these at most airports.
It is impossible to know everything, to be able to learn everything or to even know everything you should learn about. What you can do, however, is to never pass up an opportunity to learn something. On your journey through life, you will come upon many new things. At that moment, use it as the time that you will learn about that item. When it comes to acquiring knowledge, the least you can do is not kick aside something you are tripping over. If you don’t seize that moment, not only may it never come again, but you might be expected to know it from that point forward. And then you will never ever be able to learn it because “Who could you ask?”
Just as knowledge creates power, so does information. Keep informed. Keep current. Read newspapers daily. And read the right newspapers. You should read a local daily paper. And, you should read a national daily paper, such as the Wall Street Journal or New York Times. And, it should be read before you enter the office in the morning, not at home at night after work.
Also, get into the habit of calling people or dropping notes to those you know that are mentioned in the news or if you read something that may be of interest to them. This helps them think of you as a resource or renews old acquaintances.
Access to knowledge and information also creates power. Know where you can get things answered and done. Keep an extensive reference library close by. Learn to effectively search the Web. Know whom to call. Become the person called by those you know. You may not know the answers for them, but you will learn what is important to them, and that will lead you to more knowledge.
Reprinted from Power Bites: Short and to the Point Management, Leadership and Lifestyle Advice I Give My Clients! by Edward Mendlowitz, CPA ©2010. Available for sale at www.bn.com and www.Amazon.com . BTW, it wouldn’t be so terrible if you bought the book!
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