There is a thread of conversation that has taken part across 4 weblogs that I know of involving a [proverb quoted by Jim McGee](http://www.mcgeesmusings.net/ 2003/06/11.html#a3338). Each of us has added a little more to the gift as Jim reflects.
A continuation of a little snowball I started rolling a few weeks back. Courtesy of Ton I learn still more new and interesting things about the little proverb I had picked up along the way.
This little blog-thread illustrates a couple of important points. First it’s a prime counter-example to offer to those who say knowledge management can’t work because people won’t share. Ton. Lilia, and I have never met face to face but they’ve become two new colleagues in my worldwide network of people I trust. Sharing begets sharing. It only takes a few seeds planted to start the sharing. If you happen to be in an organization that has no one willing to take this kind of small risk, you’ve got deeper problems than I want to deal with
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I didn’t worry about whether I had everything right when I posted the story that got this all started. I made the point I wanted to make and I fessed up to my ignorance at the same time. What I got in return for that tiny bit of risk was the opportunity to learn some neat new stuff and a couple of more strands linking me into the web that links people together. Seems like an awful big return for a tiny little risk.
If you haven’t picked it up already, Knowledge managementt is more about sharing than it is about being correct or knowing where the answer is. When we work from a position of genuine care for the other person in the conversation (in this case even if we don’t know them) our generosity is rewarded with gifts in kind.