Newminimalists respect the power of secrets.
Secrets come in different forms and sizes. First there is the personal secret. Second there is the one you inherit from others. Third there is the one that is bound by laws, treaties, trade agreements, diplomatic resolutions, etc. Each category of a secret is important in different ways but they all share a common bond. They are all tied to trust. Trust between individuals, between nations, and between commercial entities.
When you live, as we all do, in a complex world where relationships are often misconstrued or manipulated on the basis of a lack of trust or a growing sense of mistrust then secrets become supremely important.
The golden rule for me is to reduce my personal secrets to a minimum [preferably zero]. And to do this you must be more transparent than is comfortable for your personality. You must live this way because it will influence the decisions you make in ways that allow you to keep your need to have and to hold secrets to a minimum. When you can forget where you store the key to the lock on your personal secrets you will find that life runs much more smoothly.
If you work with people who like to generate secrets to make themselves feel important then you must work on a strict "need to know" basis. Those who love to gossip, create conspiracy theories, or gain control through the use of information against you are to be avoided. The best way to extract yourself from such a "secret network" is to make it clear that you are able and capable of telling everyone what you know and how you come to know it.
Finally, if you work with "commercial-in-confidence" content then it must remain locked and secure at all times. But. Again aim to keep your contractual agreements brief and remove any unnecessary confidential elements from them. In addition, if for any reason someone tells you a secret then you must take it to your grave.
Trust is the missing link in most workplaces. It is missing because too many workers use classified information, gossip, rumour, make-believe, stories, etc to control their environs. These people are not necessarily evil, bad, or treacherous actors but they are dangerous because they can quickly drag you into a spider's web of intrigue, suspicion, and mistrust that is bad for your general state of well being.
Richard
Please be in touch with me via direct messaging or email at minimal-you.com
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