Connections

Intelligence, we used to believe, required knowledge. But that's not the case. If you somehow managed to store all the world's information inside your head. All of it, you wouldn't necessarily be any smarter. You'd just be more knowledgeable.

What truly makes us smart, both inside our head and outside it, is the ability to transfer the knowledge and experience we have to novel contexts we haven't encountered before. We don't need to touch a hot iron to know we will be burnt. We have all been burnt by something hot we touched at some point in the past and the experience taught us that anything hot will burn us even if we encounter it in an entirely different place and time and it happens to have a completely different size and shape.

The transfer of knowledge from one context to another happens via connections. Inside our head these are neurons each of which has anywhere between 6,000 and 10,000 synapses which weave a complex interactive web with the synapses of neighboring neurons. Our brain is complex because it has approximately 86 billion neurons which form, approximately again, 100 trillion connections.

Similarly, in the 'real world' we form connections to other people. We learn from their experiences, imbibe in the ideas they share, take part in their online and offline conversations and we dive into their wealth of knowledge and experience and (hopefully) reciprocate in kind and openly and generously share ours.

It is this connection that allow us to grow exponentially in our knowledge and skill and become more efficient and more productive. In the offline world psychologists call this "the watercooler effect" and they find it leads to increased cohesion among groups and increased productivity.

Within LinkedIn, if you haven't already, there are some connections you should have on your radar. I have been fortunate to have followed them for some time and benefited from their knowledge and insights. I list them in no particular order. For insights on leadership, ethics and a principled approach to doing business Tanveer Naseer, MSc is unparalleled. On leadership, the practicalities of decision-making and the practical steps we need to take to feel in charge of who we are and what we do Errol Doebler is about as close to the real deal as you are ever likely to get.

Richard Hussey frequently shares observations and insights on content creation and the way business is ran and Benjamin Bar shares insights on SEO and the way it is executed at a corporate level (or not). Teodora Petkova 's knowledge of Knowledge Graphs (pun unintended) and the way they fit into our wired world will only enrich your perspective. Rachel Happe talks about the power of community to transform everything we do in business and frequently shares unique knowledge and insights drawn from her own research, writing and experience.

Elaine Lindsay sits astride the overlap between business and people and how the two are sometimes at odds with each other and shares podcasts and insights on both. Zara Altair is a content creator, SEO specialist and author whose insights on writing, alone, are worth your attention.

Scott Monty broke new ground in the use of social media at scale for large corporations and if you have ever read anything he has shared you know that it comes from a place of erudition and awareness that is not often encountered, period.

I will end my recommendations with Bruce McTague who brings together, solid thinking, a deep knowledge on how organizations work and how people in them interact and a fearless streak that questions conventional wisdom and asks us to re-examine not just the evidence of our own eyes but also the interpretation of that evidence given by our minds.

Together, they all form a constellation of stars that should keep your knowledge sky bright even in the darkest moment. In recommending them I had to pick from literally hundreds of people who have contributed in their own way in the development of my own knowledge, ideas and perspective.

These stars stand out because they burn bright and they burn sure. I hope you find them to be the priceless guides I know they are.