Entrepreneurs should take care that everyone at their organizations has opportunities to learn and grow and leave no one hungry for knowledge.
When I was a little girl my friends would come to my house all the time in order to play. When they did my mother would give out snacks to all children present. If we did not have enough snacks for all my friends, I could not have a snack. As a teenager, when I went out with my friends for pizza, if one friend did not have money, the rest of us would chip in so that each friend would be able to eat. The idea was that, if one of us had money, no one at the table should go hungry.
I have kept that same attitude when it came to how I conduct myself and my business as an entrepreneur. When I gain knowledge, I make sure that those in my company get additional knowledge. During the Civil Rights era in the United States, there was an idea that “each one, teach one.” This meant that each person had an obligation to teach another person. By each person teaching a person, no one would remain without knowledge. Each person would lift others as she climbed in the world. This is a great model for entrepreneurs to follow.
Entrepreneurs who are smart are always learning new and better ways to do things in their businesses and in the world. Education, both formal and informal, is a valuable asset. Entrepreneurs should protect their assets. In protecting their business assets, an entrepreneur should be careful to understand the difference between protecting an asset and hoarding information that employees could use to do their jobs better and make better decisions in the workplace.
Think of information like food on the table. If you are an entrepreneur. Never forget that everyone at your table should eat. Information about changes in the law, changes in policy and new technology make it possible for your employees to do their jobs better. When your employees do their jobs better it is more likely that you will be able to operate more efficiently and more profitably.
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