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In my last post, we talked about developing your professional expertise – knowing your stuff without becoming a know-it-all. Next step? Know their stuff. What, exactly, does that mean? It means that you can demonstrate a working knowledge of and some expertise in the business you are supporting. You need to know how the business works, so you’ll be better able to understand how your work will impact the company. The best way to Know Their Stuff is to ask questions and listen, listen, listen. I learned tremendous information and gained enormous respect for my coworkers when I worked second shift, on the warehouse floor—picking product, arranging pallets, and loading trucks! (Can you envision me driving a forklift? It wasn’t terribly pretty.) Be willing to learn from everyone—from the C-suite to the guys in the warehouse. Every single team member plays an important role and the more you know about the role each person plays, the more valuable your contributions to the team. Find opportunities to shadow different team members to better understand the difference they make each and every day. As you commit yourself to learning “their” stuff, use these questions to build your knowledge base:

• How does our company make money?
• What are our products and services?
• What makes us different from our competitors?
• Who are our customers?
• How do we find and engage our customers?
• How do we lose customers?
• Who are our vendors and suppliers? How does our supply chain work?
• What are the biggest threats to our success?
• Where/How do we lose money or margin?
• How are we planning to grow, become nimbler, or offer something new?

Be a good questioner and an even better listener. You will gain the trust and respect of your colleagues as you engage with them and seek to understand their contributions. Motivational speaker Steve Gilliland puts it this way: “You need to know your audience if you’re going to contribute to them. You have to know what they need. You have to know what they’re going through.” Who is first on your list of team members you’d like to shadow? I will send a complimentary copy of my book Sought-After: How to Be Heard, Be Trusted and Be Recognized for Your Expertise, to the first three commenters who let me know who they would like to shadow. (Tell me their position and why you’d like to shadow them, but no names, please!) Want to inspire your entire workplace toward excellence? Learn more here.