On Knowledge Hoarding

Train the Trainer

There’s this teaching model in the world of L&D called train the trainer, or T3. It is exactly what it sounds like: instead of directly teaching to an “end-user” audience, a lead trainer or coach provides information to a group of other trainers, who can then spread the information within their own groups.

That’s what I wanted to talk about this week.

I think it’s a useful concept, and more importantly, it’s talked about a lot in the L&D world, so I knew I would have to hit on it at some point during my deep dive into this area. Plus, what better way to talk about knowledge transfer than to talk about T3?! Literally, in a T3 environment, you are transferring the knowledge you have to people, who are then transferring it to other people, and so on. It’s the embodiment of knowledge transfer!

But then I started outlining this post.

It didn’t go well...

You know what, it’s hard to write when your topic is boring AF.

Sorry, T3, you just aren’t very compelling.

There wasn’t much to say about training the trainer because it makes too much sense. People learn better when they know they will need to teach others what they’ve learned. This has been shown a bunch of times in different studies. End of story.

But why is there so much talk about it in the world of L&D? Why so big of a push for such an obvious theory and technique? What I found in trying to figure this out was a way more compelling topic!

I want you to imagine a hoarder. And I’m not talking about a hoarder like we see on TLC. I’m talking more like the hoarders we’ve seen buying up all the toilet paper at the grocery store this past year. Visualize that in your mind. Now imagine the life and mindset of one of these hoarders. They try to constantly accumulate these things, and they can’t bear to give away a single item in their “stash.” Why? Because they feel threatened by something. So, yeah, train the trainer is an important skill and mindset to have, but that’s because we live in a world of hoarders. Not of tangible stuff, but of knowledge.

Knowledge Hoarding: Causes and Cures

Cause: Doubt

Why do people hoard anything? Because they don’t know when they’ll need it, and they want to be that go-to person when YOU need it most. It’s about feeling useful. You’re the toilet paper guy! Or something like that. This same thinking applies to knowledge hoarding: I have accumulated all this knowledge over the last decade when it comes to doing what I do in mental performance coaching, and when doubt about my importance to the organization creeps in, guess what I’m more likely to do? Keep that experience and knowledge to myself! If I give away what I know to the coaching staff and help them become equipped to teach and reinforce mental skills, then why keep me around? If I don’t guard my “proprietary” techniques, then I’ll be of no value. We all are susceptible to these thoughts.

Cure: Reality Testing

How can you counteract doubt? Reality test your assumptions. Try giving as much knowledge away as you can. Assuming you believe that it’s useful knowledge that you want people to know, recruit some “trainers” and see what happens. Why is this an antidote to doubt and knowledge hoarding? Well, when was the last time you received a really useful piece of advice from someone and then thought to yourself, “Wow, that was super helpful! Glad I never need to talk to that person again!”

That’s what I thought.

Cause: Perfectionism

“I don’t trust others to do it right.” “I need to do it because I’m the only person that can teach it correctly.” I know I have had those thoughts at times. “If you want something done (100%) right, then do it yourself” might be mostly true. But you also need to weigh that against wanting something DONE. And in the world of knowledge transfer, as another saying goes, done is better than perfect.

Cure: Compassion

Do you remember when you were first learning the concepts that you now teach? You probably were not very good. Everyone needs to begin somewhere. Show some compassion as new trainers work through new material. Let them “practice ugly.” That’s how you got better at doing something, right? I mean, a big part of natural learning is getting in there and doing it, isn’t it?

Cause: Ego

Maybe the most pervasive cause of knowledge hoarding is ego. It’s the enemy of, amongst many other things, knowledge transfer. Wanting the credit and being the go-to person will not make you a good teacher. But, if I am the one with the most knowledge on a subject, my brain is going to tell me that my knowledge is what makes me special. That I am important because of what I know, and if everyone else knows what I know, then somehow I won’t be important anymore. Ego, needing to feel important and the center of attention, makes hoarders of us all.

Cure: Mission

A clearly defined mission. If you define your ultimate goal, your real reason for doing what you do, then it counteracts your ego. My guess is that your mission isn’t to be the expert on all things in your industry. Your stated goal is probably not to be the only person who knows how to do what you do. If that is your goal, then there are greater issues at play than I can’t get into here. Sorry! But, my guess is that you want to help others be great, whatever that greatness may look like. If that goal is clear, it will help drive your actions. It’s easy to give away knowledge if you remind yourself that it will HELP those you are trying to help. We all just need that consistent reminder that training the trainer is about helping the CAUSE, not ourselves.

Conclusion

Knowledge hoarding is not a rare condition! Everyone will fall back on this when any or all of the these causes are present. It’s natural, and it’s ok! We just need to become more aware of these tendencies.

So here’s today’s knowledge transfer: Focus on being a knowledge philanthropist. Give away as much of your knowledge as you can, because chances are you will not only make more of a difference in your community, but you’ll also be amplifying your message exponentially! If you learn with the mindset of turning around and teaching others, you’ll learn more, and if you teach with the mindset of equipping learners with the same knowledge you have, then you’ll also be a better teacher.

And if your topic is a bit bland, find a catchy angle. :)