Intellectual Capital, Yes We Have Value

Today we had an important meeting with lawyers about intellectual capital. In this day and age of global think with a click, it was a meeting of real interest, not so much to prevent sharing, but in doing it responsibly as we all give and take from each other in this life.

There is nothing new under the sun, so how much of what you think up is original, really original?

The business world use to think of capital as the value of what a company is worth monetarily. When Thomas A. Stewart published his book: Intellectual Capital: The New Wealth of Organizations, thinking changed to consider value in what is normally hidden within an individual and an organization. His more recent book, The Wealth of Knowledge: Intellectual Capital and the Twenty-first Century Organization, is fascinating, practical and another eye-opener to all the value an individual and an organization has stored within them.

One of the hidden and intangible assets for creating value is your intellectual capital: your knowledge, strategy, service, brand name, copyrights, customers, or followers if you blog or tweet.

The old adage "knowledge is power" is essentially true. Each has the power to think and to do. Each facing the unseen hopefully guided by a set of principles. To create an enduring legacy one must think twice and become aware and not rely on habit.



The experts say that capital, labor and raw materials are no longer the key resources. What's in your mind and your social network are essential. And how the information flows, is organized and is set in motion throughout what you do as an individual and as an organization is capital.