I feel the more I know about the people I work with, the better I can respond to the requirements. Silos create so many problems; real issues are not discussed; solutions are proposed rather than problem definitions; existing solutions are ignored out of ignorance, or turf protection. IT is RARELY "the business," not that there isn't value and competitive advantage, just that we are here to support something. The more we know about the environment and the people in it, the better we can do the things we are expected to do! I've always felt it was important to listen at the help desk, figure out what is causing the pain, and tried to look at the solutions from the support perspective, as well as from the end-user perspective.