In the age of knowledge workers, the old clich\u00e9 \u201cinformation is power\u201d rings truer than ever. Which is why withholding information has become not only extreme, but downright irritating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intentionally withholding information doesn\u2019t add value \u2014 it deletes it. Yet the motive is the same: to gain power. It\u2019s the same old need to win, only more devious. And it shows up in subtle ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022\tPeople who exaggerate the virtue of secrecy, using it as an excuse to exclude others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022\tThose who answer every question with another question, convinced that revealing anything puts them at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022\tThe passive-aggressive types who don\u2019t return calls, ignore emails, or give only partial answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t understand why this behavior annoys people, think about these moments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022\tA meeting you weren\u2019t told about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022\tA memo or email you weren\u2019t copied on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022\tA situation where you were the last person to learn something important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The truth is, not sharing information rarely achieves the intended effect. You may think you\u2019re consolidating power, but in reality you\u2019re breeding mistrust. Real power comes not from secrecy, but from inspiring loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Withholding information is often a misplaced need to win. Sometimes it\u2019s deliberate \u2014 a Machiavellian tactic to divide and conquer. But more often, it\u2019s unintentional. We withhold information when we\u2019re too busy to respond, when we forget to include someone in a discussion, or when we delegate a task without explaining it properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of us don\u2019t mean to keep people in the dark. We simply fail to get around to sharing. But over time, this neglect looks exactly like intentional withholding. And in the eyes of colleagues, the result is the same: mistrust, frustration, and disengagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how do you stop withholding information? The simple answer: start sharing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A friend of mine made this shift by scheduling time each day to debrief his assistant. That time was inviolate \u2014 it couldn\u2019t be cancelled, postponed, or interrupted. By prioritizing sharing, he didn\u2019t just improve communication; he proved that he cared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you share information, you demonstrate respect. You show that others matter. And you build trust. It\u2019s rare to find such a clear two-for-one solution to our interpersonal challenges, but this is one: move from withholding to sharing, and you\u2019ll transform both your relationships and your effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digested read from What Got You Here Won\u2019t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the age of knowledge workers, the old clich\u00e9 \u201cinformation is power\u201d rings truer than ever. Which is why withholding information has become not only extreme, but downright irritating. Intentionally withholding information doesn\u2019t add value \u2014 it deletes it. Yet the motive is the same: to gain power. It\u2019s the same old need to win,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,40,3,4],"tags":[71,72,64],"class_list":["post-332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-growth","category-personal-growth","category-relationships","category-social-commentary","tag-information","tag-knowledge","tag-power"],"yoast_head":"\n