Whether recently graduated or transitioning into the role from a different career, information professionals (IPs) new to their position face unique challenges as they work to help their organization achieve its goals. As a professor of information management (Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Porto), here is my advice to new IPs that I believe can help them achieve lasting success in this profession.
Keep your focus on your skillset. Now more than ever, your expertise is crucial to your corporation’s success!
Despite the new, accelerating technology now available to IPs, it’s absolutely essential not to lose the identity of what you do. It’s all about information, its production, organization, storage, preservation, recovery, and most importantly, understanding the behavior of the users. A big part of an IPs’ success is exploring how users behave toward information, and how they use information is the key to developing good and useful services and products.
This means that IPs are not informatics or data scientists, and I often see new IPs trying to compete with others in these roles despite how different they are. Think about it like this: if you plan to build a house, you need to have an architect and an engineer. The architect is the expert in planning, design, and supervision, whereas the engineer is the expert on the structural integrity, safety, and the efficient operation of mechanical and electrical systems. They complement each other but their expertise is different.
In the case of IPs, we are the information architects who are responsible for planning, designing, and overseeing the construction/development of information flow (considering its lifecycle) in the different process chains within organizations. Good results come from partnering with informatics, data science, and other required shareholders — we must each bring our own unique skills to the table.
Be strategic, consistent, and patient.
As an IP, you must fully understand the culture, mission, and goals of your organization to better define a strategic plan for information resources to support your company’s main mission. It’s important to keep in mind that a plan only leads to success if actions are consistent toward goal(s). This means planning, organization, flexibility, and patience. I believe patience and expertise are two absolutely necessary characteristics when trying to expand your organization’s mindset towards the way information is managed, from the “housekeeping” concept to a strategic corporate practice.
When supported by a set of processes and techniques (conducted interviews, info maps, information ladder strategy, etc.), your know-how in creating and implementing information management governance is fundamental to unlocking the full potential and value of information management as a means to enable better decision making within an organization. Looking back at our construction metaphor, we, as IPs, should remember that successful results come from careful crafting, not just rushing to the end product.
Push your communication skills to the limit.
Excellence in communication is crucial. Never forget that your success is dependent on the actions and cooperation of others in your organization. You’ll need to share complex ideas in a very clear and attractive way. Polish your written and verbal communication skills and make sure you believe in what you are communicating. If you don’t believe in what you’re communicating, you will not be able to persuade others.
Create a powerful network.
Building a professional network — both inside and outside your company — not only provides support to the success of your work’s execution inside of an organization but also opens doors to collaborative opportunities and career advancement. Stay tuned, always!
Professional organizations can be good resources to help build your network. Some well-known IP associations include the Association for Information Science & Technology (asis&t), Knowledge Associates, Pharma Documentation Ring, IFLA – International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Information & Knowledge Management Executive Network, and AIIM — the Association for Intelligent Information Management.
Be “foolish” and courageous.
Perhaps this last point sounds strange but, in my view, it’s essential. IPs are visionaries. We often see what others are not seeing or understanding. It could happen that you are trying to implement something, and it seems kind of “foolish” and/or not adequate or possible in the eyes of the majority, so it’s fundamental to be courageous to proceed with something that may face (many) obstacles. Find the balance between pursuing what you believe is right versus listening to what others say is right. It is at this balance point that you will achieve success.
Interested in more resources for information professionals and librarians? Check out:
5 AI Topics Every Information Professional Should Think About in 2024
10 Questions to Ask When Searching for a Corporate Literature Management Solution
Accessing and Analyzing Relevant Content in Today’s Information Chaos