What You Know More Than Your Employer (And How to Use It to Your Advantage)

Ever wondered why your boss always asks you to do things that they don’t know how to do themselves? CEOs rarely seem to know how to convert something to a PDF.

Or why bosses never seem to appreciate your skills and talents that go beyond your job description? Would “Vice President of figuring-it-all-out” be a better title for you?

Well, it’s because you have something that they may know nothing about: tacit knowledge.

Tacit knowledge is the knowledge that you have acquired through your personal experience, intuition, or observation. It’s knowledge that you can’t easily express or transfer to others by writing or speaking. For example, knowing how to deal with a difficult customer, how to fix a glitchy software, or how to make a perfect cup of coffee.

A defining factor of Tacit Knowledge is how hard it can be to express or transfer to others. Mastering those skills can be a game-changer in leveling out the playing field in your organization and throughout your career.

Conversely, explicit knowledge is the knowledge that you can easily communicate or document. It’s the knowledge that your employer expects you to have and often tests you on. Knowing the rules of a game, the facts of a subject, or the steps of a procedure are examples of explicit knowledge. However, explicit knowledge is not enough to succeed in today’s complex and dynamic world. According to a study by Harvard Business Review, tacit knowledge accounts for 80% of the knowledge within an organization is tacit.

Having tacit knowledge as an employee can give you many advantages: you can solve problems faster and better than others who rely on explicit knowledge alone, you can innovate and create new solutions that others haven’t thought of before, you can build trust and rapport with your customers and colleagues by showing your expertise and empathy. However, having tacit knowledge as an employee can also pose some challenges. You may find it hard to share your knowledge with others who don’t understand or appreciate it.

Here are some tips and strategies on how to leverage your tacit knowledge as an employee and how to overcome the challenges:

Document and codify your tacit knowledge as much as possible. This will help you communicate and transfer your knowledge more effectively and efficiently.

Seek feedback and validation from others who share or appreciate your tacit knowledge. This will help you improve and refine your knowledge and skills.

Use your tacit knowledge to add value and differentiate yourself from others who only have explicit knowledge. This will help you stand out and advance in your career.

Don’t hoard or hide your tacit knowledge from others who may benefit from it. This will only limit your growth and potential.

Don’t underestimate or neglect your explicit knowledge while focusing on your tacit knowledge. This will only make you lose credibility and relevance.

Tacit knowledge is the secret superpower that you have as an employee that your employer either doesn’t have or can’t wrangle. It can help you solve problems, innovate solutions, and build relationships better than anyone else. However, it also comes with some challenges that you need to overcome by documenting, validating, and leveraging your tacit knowledge wisely and strategically. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and show your boss who’s boss with your tacit knowledge!