Friends of Dave #446: 😈 devil wears prada 👗
Knowledge is power.
Friends, let’s talk currency.
Not dollars.
Not crypto.
Not airline miles or Amex points.
I’m talking about the kind of currency that actually moves the needle in your career, your friendships, your family chats, and yes, even your group texts: information.
Information is currency.
Always has been. But now, in an era where the Slack ping is mightier than the sword and group chats can break news faster than CNN, it’s the currency. The one that gets you noticed, trusted, invited, promoted or ignored, benched, and left out of the party thread entirely.
Ever worked with someone who hoards info like it’s a Trapper Keeper full of secret codes?
You ask a simple question and they act like you just requested nuclear launch codes. Then three days later they casually mention the very thing you needed. These are the folks who trade in scarcity and use it to their advantage. They treat knowledge like backstage passes to Lollapalooza: rare, coveted, and only for the chosen few.
They get their power not by being smart — but by making you feel or look dumb. You can spot them because they never answer directly. They weaponize the information they have. They speak in riddles. They “heard something” but “aren’t sure if they’re supposed to say.” They leave just enough breadcrumbs that you need to come back again….and again.
Then there's the opposite problem — the oversharer with a broken filter. The person who’s handed a little trusted info and immediately leaks it like a bad roof in a rainstorm. You tell them something in confidence at 10 a.m. and by lunch it’s echoing through the entire org chart. These people mean well (sometimes), but they burn trust faster than a middle schooler with a blowtorch and a box of fireworks. You learn quickly: don’t tell them anything you’re not okay seeing on a whiteboard in the breakroom.
Now contrast that with the person who always knows what’s going on — and shares it. The one who gives you the heads-up about the reorg, loops you in on the draft deck, or drops the “don’t say that word in front of legal” nugget before your big meeting. That person has social currency to burn.
They’re not just in the loop—they are the loop.
In your personal life, it’s even clearer.
Everyone has that one friend who knows the best under-the-radar taco truck, or the only doctor in town still taking new patients. The ones who find the funniest, snarkiest Instagram reels to share in the group chat — and they ALWAYS hit the mark. They may be not rich in money, necessarily, but they are rich in knowledge.
They get the invites.
People check in with them first.
When their dishwasher explodes or their kid needs a job shadow, the help comes fast. Why? Because they’ve been investing for years — sharing tips, making intros, quietly saving everyone’s ass.
And let’s be honest, most of us have always traded in information. We knew people who knew which payphones gave free long distance. Had friends who could get you into the VIP line at the club or tell you which coworker was secretly sleeping with which other coworker. Shared which bars or liquor stores believed you were the person on your fake ID.
We didn’t call it “networking.” It was just what we did.
But here’s the trick: it only works if you share.
Don’t be an “information hoarder.” You want to be a “knowledge broker.”
Hoarded information stagnates. The real players — the ones with real influence — are generous with what they know. They don’t just send the link; they give context. They don’t just mention the policy change, they tell you how to navigate it.
That’s friendship. That’s leadership. That’s value.
Now, Friends, I’m not saying spill all the tea, all the time. You don’t need to THAT person, the oversharer. But knowing when to drop the right fact at the right moment for the right person is both skill and art.
That’s the real flex. Not “I know everything,” but “I know what you need and I’ve got you.”
Caveat: don’t become a pot stirring, rumor mill. Accuracy matters. Being a trusted source means you’ve got to…well… be trustworthy. And not an a$$hole when it comes to knowing what you know.
We’ve all seen what happens when someone sends a “totally confirmed” update and two hours later it’s debunked in the all-hands.
But done right? Sharing knowledge builds equity. You become the go-to. The bridge. The person people remember after the meeting.
So Friends, when it comes to information, be generous. Be smart. Be strategic.
Because in this economy, the real wealth isn’t who has the biggest title or the corner office — it’s who knows what’s going on, and makes sure the people they care about do too.
And that, Friends, is how we all can stay rich.
XOXO
Dave
And now a few things to make you smarter…
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