Turning a Grudge Purchase into a Great Experience

You know the feeling  .. when you have to replace something or repair something and it's going to cost you money that you would rather be spending at the Kindle Store or at iTunes but the longer you procrastinate about the purchase, the worse the problem becomes?  This past weekend, I had to buy two new tyres for Tim Robbins (aka my car) and as much as I love and adore him (car and actor btw) dropping R3k on new wheels was a definite grudge purchase.

When I mentioned to my buddy that I need new tyres - she recommended a tyre fitment centre telling me how amazing they were. Admittedly, I was pretty much unconvinced - how exciting can a tyre fitment place be?  Until I got there and met the manager - a lady by the name of Amanda.  She was full of energy and buzz - I watched her as she checked out my tyres, making recommendations and she jumped on the phone and sourced Tim's news tyres  ... rattling off the specs a hundred to the dozen and immediately organising the delivery.

Amanda is the epitomy of a knowledge citizen :
a) she knows her stuff - her expertise and tacit knowledge was formidable and I literally witnessed it
b) she was honest and authentic - she commented that tyres are a grudge purchase but she appreciated that I was interested in my safety
c) she valued me as a customer - she phoned me when my car was ready but told me not to rush - they were only closing at 1pm; she gave me advice on how to prolong the life of my tyres, she told me a personal story that was endearing and funny - I left feeling connected to her in some way
d) her energy was infectious - by the time I left, having swiped away a bunch of moolah, I was smiling and excited to have met her
e) she made a huge impression (geez I am even blogging about her) and I will support her in the future and recommend her to my network

I like meeting people like Amanda - I don't mind spending money if I feel like I am getting value for it - most of all, I like to see knowledge being put to work and I appreciate the years and the effort that this lady has put in to become good at what she does!

So, if you live in Johannesburg and you need tyres - I suggest pulling into HiQ Longmeadow and asking for Amanda - she's a great knowledge citizen!

A list of my favourite things in life

Books

www.goodreads.com - amazing portal for all book lovers where you can create your own virtual library with customised bookshelves.  Hook up with fellow bookworms, write reviews, diss books that wasted your time, celebrate books that didn't, submit memorable quotes and stalk writers on Twitter ... altogether the best place for bibliphilia on the Web

Gratitude for the work I get to do!

Today, I am presenting at SharePoint Saturday on a topic very close to my heart - campaigning! As a Knowledge Management Practitioner - I have spent much of my life campaigning, cajoling, persuading, coaching, showing users how to embrace their own knowledge and knowledge of others, what to do with it and how to do it. I am no expert ... but what I do know is that imagination can go a long way, so can listening to others, so can persistence and patience, so can having a great bunch of people to work with.

So as I put my presentation together and now having spent some time rehearsing - I am humbled by the fact that the work that I get to do everyday can make an impact on an the way an individual approaches their work, an organisation can approach their business of performing and ultimately, how societies can keep their knowledge in flux.

To the users of the SharePoint Portals that I have implemented and managed and still manage today - big up! Today's presentation is a reflection of your engagement and openess to becoming knowledge citizens. You have made me the knowledge citizen that I am! Respect!

It's like being a citizen of a country ... a very big country!

Hi - my name is Melanie Sutton and for the past 7 years, I have been talking, writing and thinking about the concept of knowledge citizenship. Last year, I gave myself the title "Global Knowledge Citizen" and have been doing a lot more thinking about the impact we can have on the world if we embrace this philosophy.

It all started when I considered what it means to be a citizen of a country. I had returned from a project in Australia and was really happy to be home (Johannesburg, South Africa). Many people were puzzled that I was happy to be back in the land of the free and the home of the very brave! While living abroad can be exciting, there is still that pull of national pride, that feeling of belonging, the concept that 'your people' understand your accent, your culture, your upbringing etc.

To me, being a citizen of a country meant several give and take scenarios i.e. as a citizen you pay taxes, you accept responsibility to honour and respect your country's rules and regulations, you acknowledge and respect the symbols and traditions of the country and you do your utmost to be an ambassador of your country. In return, you are given the freedom to vote, the freedom of speech, the freedom of movement, the ability to work and make a living, protection by the country's military and the ability to call a country .... your home.

So, in the world on cyberspace and in the era of Information and knowledge, surely the same citizenship rules apply. I can now connect and network with countless number of individuals whom I will probably never meet in person. By participating in this space, I agree (albeit mostly subconciously) to behave in a certain manner and accept responsibility as a citizen in this frame of reference. In addition, I open myself up to learning, to sharing and managing my interaction in this new space.

There are so many possibilities, so many opportunities for Knowledge Citizenship and I hope this blog will be a space where we can have many discussions and pave the way for a new era of participation.

Yours in knowledge

m.