In the age of knowledge workers, information truly is power–which makes withholding information debilitating, as it subtracts value, especially when done subversively to gain power.

It’s the need to win, only more devious, and it appears in many forms:
– Playing your cards close to your vest
– Keeping secrets
– Protecting sources
– Having certain people out of the information flow
– Not returning phone calls or answering emails
– Giving partial answers
– Concealing the facts
– Saying half-truths for PR purposes
and so on.

If you don’t see why it annoys people, reflect on how you feel about a meeting you aren’t told about, a memo or e-mail you aren’t copied on, or a moment when you are the last person to learn something.

Not sharing information rarely achieves the desired effect. You may think you gain an edge and consolidate power, but you breed mistrust. To gain power, you need to inspire loyalty, not fear and suspicion.

We’re talking about the willful poison-sowing refusal to share information in an effort to divide and conquer, and also about all the unintentional or accidental ways we withhold information when we’re too busy to get back to someone, or forget to include someone in our discussions or meetings, or delegate a task but don’t show people exactly how we want the task done.

If you and your assistant aren’t meshing as a team, why not? What would your assistant say is your biggest flaw as a boss?

Perhaps you don’t communicate well with her, leave her out of the loop, and keep her in the dark, simply because you are so distracted, disorganized, and busy responding to calls and putting out fires that you never sit down with her for a daily briefing. You mean well, but you fail to get around to it, and over time it looks like you are withholding information.

Make sharing information a higher priority. Take time to debrief co-workers daily. You’ll improve your communication and show that you care–that what they think matters to you. Enjoy the freedom to develop and share knowledge, especially if this can mean something in the life of others.