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Topic: Etiquette of sharing contact lists
| Author | Message |
| macyd | Posted – 7/20/2006 10:15:01 AM | show profile I have a fat rolodex of contacts I've amassed over five years on staff at a publication. Now I've got a staffer working for me who's been at it for less than a year, and has few contacts. Is it greedy for me to keep the rolodex to myself? I'm totally fine helping him out with individual contacts on an as-need basis, but I'm reluctant to give him all my contacts at once because it took time for me to build relationships with people in that rolodex, and I feel he should have to put in the same kind of work. Am I getting in the way of team efficiency? |
| Upward Bound | Posted – 7/20/2006 1:51:29 PM | show profile It certainly sounds like you aren't being a team player. I wouldn't want you on my staff. That's for sure! It's one thing to keep contacts to yourself as a freelancer, but on staff, it's another. If you've amassed the contacts at that publication, then I think you should share them with the organization since all the work you do is essentially work-for-hire. The way I see it, if you can't be a team player, then get the hell off the team and go freelance. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 7/20/2006 2:08:05 PM | show profile I understand what you're saying. I think you should help him out and give him a number of contacts, but I wouldn't want to just hand over my Rolodex to someone, even though technically the Rolodex and its content belong to the company rather than you. |
| eriksherman | Posted – 7/20/2006 2:12:29 PM | show profile I'll take a different view - whether or not you're working on staff, contacts you make are not a work product - they're personal relationships that you use to your company's advantage. To keep them worthwhile, you must maintain them. Sending anyone and everyone from a company to a contact is a good way to destroy that relationship. If you're helping out when necessary, I suspect you're being a team player. |
| marianna | Posted – 7/20/2006 4:51:50 PM | show profile This is a tricky area, but the short answer is, no, I wouldn't hand over my rolodex. But I would supply your assistant with lower level contacts and advice on nurturing his own relationships--give him the ones that really don't matter too much, so if he pisses them off, not much damage will be done. I assume you were hired and/or maintain your position because you have MORE than a contact list; you have good relationships with these people and know what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. Otherwise, your company would have just purchased your contact list from you without giving you a job. |
| ignatz | Posted – 7/20/2006 6:19:11 PM | show profile I agree with eriksherman if their contacts who trusts you I wouldn't hand them over. Lets put it this way if I probably wouldn't want you handing over my contact info to everyone at your company if I was on that list. On the other hand If their contacts your assistant could probably find on his own and your just making his life a little easier, well then I just might. ...So what I'm saying is maybe I would and maybe I wouldn't. hope this helps |
| df | Posted – 7/20/2006 10:21:26 PM | show profile question: how is he working for you if you don't share information with him? Sounds to me you are making your life hard without any reason. Give him the rolodex, make him work work work for you and go home an hour earlier. hint: You think EIC's make all their own calls to their contacts? No. They have a rotating number of EA's doing it for them. From their rolodex. |
