Five steps to better personal knowledge management

Businesses today are suffering from information overload. Carol McLachlan explains how to overcome this challenge.

One of my clients – not an accountant by an IFA – recently came to me with a problem. “I have 18,000 unread emails. What am I going to do?” He proceeded to describe his expert system of email management, an elaborate filtering system, an impressive folder hierarchy, all labelled and tagged to permit rapid retrieval.  There was no doubt that it was an impressive knowledge management process but still, I wondered how he could have 18,000 unread messages. Why not just delete them? I thought. The classic challenge in knowledge management – and certainly an issue for this client – was ‘what?’, not ‘how?’.

For accountants, this is a trap for which we are well primed. Systems and processes, data and project management - these are our bread and butter. However, given the huge explosion in recent years in the volume of information and knowledge we are required to handle, it’s no longer humanly possible to manage this data in a meaningful or valuable way. I’d wager that it’s positively dangerous to perpetuate a mindset of ‘just keep it, you never know. . .’

Quite simply, we’re becoming lazy in our screening habits. Our professional filters are sluggish through lack of use. We keep everything and lose the appreciation of what’s useful and important.  We also spend far too much time playing with our systems and not enough leveraging the value of the knowledge we’re amassing.  So, take heed of this and remember the five key steps to better personal knowledge management.

Set boundaries
Ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I need to know, to meet my personal and business objectives?
• In which specific areas am I going to extend these boundaries to exceed these objectives?

Employ the Pareto principle here. If 80% of consequences stem from 20% of causes, identify the 20% of inputs that get you 80% of your results. When extending your boundaries into areas where you wish to exceed, be specific and realistic.  Expert and everything are contradictions in terms. 

Operate within your boundaries
Faced with amassing knowledge, constantly challenge yourself with the filter question:

• Does this take me towards my goals?

Delete, eliminate, delegate
Where new knowledge does not take you toward your goals, choose to:

• Stop it now, and in perpetuity, or
• Pass it on to the most appropriate person. 

Organise and access
Remember those systems and processes I mentioned? Now is the time to get stuck in. Capitalise fully on the tools available. From tagging and filtering to Access and Excel, if you don’t know how to use these systems and processes fully, learn, or find the (wo)man who can. 

Convey and collaborate
So, you’ve created your intangible assets - now you leverage: 

• Who needs to know? 
• Who would benefit? 

Share and communicate – make use of Wikis, the intranet, and online networks. Once again, capitalise on the tools already out there, and do be prepared to be sensitive in your generosity.  Make sure you outlaw ‘cc all’ forever. Finally, don’t forget the golden rule – do unto others as you would have others do unto you. 

Carol McLachlan FCA helps accountants solve problems, at home and at work. From work/life balance and time management, to assertiveness, communication skills and career planning, she draws on her long career in practice and training as a coach and NLP pracitioner

Carol McLachlan FCA
theaccountantscoach.com
Email: [email protected]