I had bookmarked to read later the article by Stan Garfield, titled "7 Habits by Highly Successful Knowledge Managers". The article starts with a few lists in response to the question posted in a forum: "What makes knowledge managers effective?", and then comes to the point where I started reading more attentively: "Effective KM Leaders". This section lists activities and tasks a KM leader should do and then a profile with experience, skills and attributes of an effective Knowledge Manager. It's quite a thorough list, I think and hard to summarize, so I'll pick out a few items.
KM Leaders should ... lead by example. I think this is one of the most important behaviours for a knowledge manager. Use the tools you promote, share knowledge and information, reward people who reuse. Practice what you preach. It's all about believing in what you do, seeing the value although it's not always directly visible.
Under Experience: "Reputation: has earned the respect of people both inside and outside of the organization based on accomplishments, networking, and communications". Only a good reputation builds trust and a willingness to share. Reputation doesn't come overnight, it takes time and hard work.
Under Attribute: "Curious: Stay current in the field, Open to new ideas, Asks others to share their knowledge and experience". I believe a natural curiosity is important. I've met leaders who referred to one book and treated this as the Bible, ignoring that this book is usually one point of view (amongst many). Wanting to learn, especially from others inside or outside the company or field, is crucial.
With the title of his article, Garfield refers to the famous book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. A book popular for 25 years now that I read and re-read a few times and find new interesting points every time again. Most, if not all, habits apply to the behaviours of a successful KM leader. Like habit 4, KM should be Win/Win for everybody involved, so think Win/Win! It's not easy to make KM a success and looking at the list of skills and expertise, it requires a manager with a broad set of skills.
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