Passion, Curiosity, Learning

If you have never read the book "Hackers" (Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution) by Steven Levy I highly recommend it.  Originally published in 1984 it describes the passion and insatiable curiosity of the pioneers of the personal computer.

[amtap amazon:asin=0141000511]

Now, 25 years on, Levy revisits the "hackers" and how they have changed the world.  Lest you think otherwise, a hacker is someone good, not a rogue criminal as used by the news media.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/04/ff_hackers/

"...hacking’s values aren’t threatened by business — they have conquered business. Seat-of-the-pants problem-solving. Decentralized decision making. Emphasizing quality of work over quality of wardrobe. These are all hacker ideals, and they have all infiltrated the working world."

The same values described in the quote above from Steven Levy embody the same purity, freshness and altruistic vision that the early Knowledge Management community embodied.  KM, just like the term Hacker was misappropriated and exploited to sell product.  It is OK to make money via KM, but when the outcome becomes all about money and not value creation, that is where I believe a line has been crossed.

As practicioners of KM we should constantly be learning.  Our passion and curiosity should drive us to be leaders within our organizations, to help make connections that generate and add value personally and professionally.