de Stricker

Colin Powell: An Information Natural

At former US Secretary of State Colin Powell's keynote address opening the 100th conference of the Special Libraries Association (www.sla.org) on June 14, marching to the front of the huge hall rewarded me in the form of a seat in the second row of chairs: His strong and warm personal presence was close enough to experience "for real" - as opposed to looking at images on the jumbotrons.  My high expectations were exceeded: It was fascinating to hear him speak from the heart about his career experience - and it was a special treat to hear him comment on the information related aspects of his many and varied former and current endeavors.  The anecdotes - as an example, checking facts online while on the phone with an overseas official believing Colin Powell was relying on memory - were amusing and characteristic of a talk that was at once inspiring and down to earth. 

For me, the true delight was hearing that Colin Powell insists on good information, accessible by those who need it, and quickly.  He stressed how it is essential in order to achieve organizational, project, and mission success. (Yes!)

Mr. Powell spoke vividly about the "special collections" that are crucial for any organization - the documents and materials preserving its unique memory and knowledge and thus enabling it to perform its work, to make decisions, to verify facts in support of planning, and so on.  He described the payoff from deploying appropriate information tools and from demanding that everyone use them; and he stressed the impact today's technologies are having on what he called the "speed of events". (It was poignant that the SLA conference coincided with events on the other side of the world shared in many cases only through cell phones and social networking instruments.)  His comments on the need for investment in good information and communication tools - and rigorous use of them - resonated with someone who is regularly engaged in advancing the business case for such investment!

A special personal focus, the General explained, is education through documentation.  I have put on my list of future must-sees the history education centre he mentioned being involved in developing.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to an accomplished speaker, inspiring leadership figure, and true believer in the higher purpose of information stewardship.  Thank you, General Powell! 

"There's such a thing?" Nurturing Information Imagination

In a few days, a licensed optician will arrive for the second time at my doorstep - this time with a finished pair of eyeglasses ready for the final adjustments.  The frames were examined last week at my dinner table from a selection she had assembled based on a phone conversation and my website photo; the final choice rested on her ability to use  examples of my business wardrobe to demonstrate the suitability of certain frame colors.  

 

In accomplishing the transaction effortlessly at home, and in getting frames I would have passed over had I been on my own in the store, I am the beneficiary of information a colleague offered me as I casually mentioned the wear and tear in my current glasses. "There is such a thing as an optician who makes house calls?"  was my surprised reaction.  Had I thought such a practitioner existed, I could easily have looked for her.  Not in my imagination, no search.

 

In the world of information and communication services, such a dynamic is common:  If it is not conjured up in thought, it cannot be requested.  Knowledge workers are not in a position to look, or ask information professionals to look on their behalf, for materials, tools, and services they are not even dreaming of.  Nor can knowledge workers be expected to imagine and hence inquire about the full sweep of implications arising from our innovative uses and combinations of existing or emerging web services.

 

Information and communication professionals - taking their own wizardry for granted - may be underestimating the there's-such-a-thing?  factor.  (On the other hand, it is a concern for some that we might overdo the "did you know" outreach; but upon reflection, I believe it is better to verify that our knowledge worker clients know of the opportunities we enable than to make the assumption they know.)

 

We cannot insert visions in the minds of knowledge workers.  We can work on building relationships to help them experience how airing concerns, ideas, and plans with us usually results in the discovery of some new advantage they had not imagined.

It's only words ... but "sleep on it" really is good advice!

David Silverman is my hero for posting wonderful pieces (blogs.harvardbusiness.org/silverman) on business writing.  In his April 14 post, he offers eye-opening advice on how many times a piece of communication needs to be revised according to its nature and purpose and the size of the audience.  I highly recommend that item - and while you're there, check the February 10, February 19, March 6, and May 1 posts.  Be sure to look at the reader commentary; it is entertaining and instructive.

 

The fast pace of work may make for limited opportunities to "smith" our prose as much as we might like - and soaring oratory may be unnecessary in many cases.  After all, with our adoption of email and then the instant or twitter message, we have increased our tolerance for formulations that might otherwise be considered a bit rough.  However, the common admonition "sleep on that email before you hit send" is a wise one; misunderstanding is difficult if not impossible to correct after the fact.

Here are two sets of questions I apply in creating or editing any non-casual text:

 

DOES THE MESSAGE "WORK"?

 

1. Having read the piece, are readers likely to know clearly what action is expected from them?

 

2. If the purpose is anything other than communicating low-risk information, is the tone appropriate and at the right level of intensity? 

 

3. Is the level of formality appropriate for the topic and for the relationship between the writer and the readers?

 

IS THE MESSAGE FREE OF ERROR OR DISTRACTING CLUTTER?

 

4. Are there mistakes with real impact - e.g. "not" where we mean "now"?

 

5. Could plainer words convey the meaning, and did fad expressions sneak in - e.g. "operationalize" where "carry out" would do?

 

6. Is informal usage cluttering up the reading experience - e.g. "there are many people who believe" or (ouch) "there's many people that believe" where "many believe" would be crisp?

 

7.  Is there ambiguity?  Sentences starting "This ..." are especially likely to require reformulation:  "A hacking incident uncovered a serious loss of data.  This caused great concern and much extra work."  (In my own writing I simply avoid beginning a new sentence with "this" - problem solved!)

 

Once such questions are addressed - we may each have a personal checklist of pitfalls to avoid - wait!  Look at the item later, with fresh eyes and a bit of distance.  I have been "saved" many a time just by planning ahead for inserting such a delay.  So indeed, in the absence of a different set of eyes ... do sleep on it. 

Speaking of Volunteering: A Sharing of the Wealth

Last night, I met with colleagues to deliver the second event in SLA Toronto Chapter's 5-event "Career Series" (http://units.sla.org/chapter/ctor/events/default.asp), focusing on corporate cultures and the "fit" we may or may not experience in them as a result of our individual work styles and talents. (In response to popular demand, the organizers have scheduled a repeat for May 5.)  One of the attendees was Bruce Harpham, a highly promising new professional who, at www.bruceharpham.ca, demonstrates volunteering in a creative way through expert deployment of "all the new tools". From the get-go he has joined the ranks of those who share discoveries and observations with time-starved colleagues, and I expect his diligent contribution to the profession to be reflected in his career.

After the session, the topic of SLA's upcoming annual - this year the 100th anniversary - conference in Washington DC (http://www.sla.org/content/Events/conference/ac2009/index.cfm) came up in conversation.  It is a worrying concern for habitual conference goers - not to mention presenters - that overall, employer funding for professional events and training appears under pressure, limiting opportunities for some to interact in person with their colleagues across the world. The benefit of professional growth and value brought back to employer organizations in the form of new skills may not sway budget managers, and taking vacation days and footing personally the entire bill for attending a major conference may not be feasible.  (Ironically, I am presenting at the conference a Leadership & Management Division workshop on June 13 focused on business cases; it seems we need that polished business case for conference attendance in the first place.)

If the cost of in-person participation in an event in a major city is prohibitive, it is especially important for us all to get the most out of those "new tools" by networking, pointing to resources, asking questions, discovering how others have tackled a challenge, and so on.  In these interesting times, it is essential to reach out and share the wealth - the wealth of what we know and what we have to offer - with our colleagues. If you haven't already done so, now is a good time to set up that profile on LinkedIn and Twitter and to become an active contributor of comments to relevant blogs - or to follow Bruce's example and create a personal blog.  We'll discuss those and more options at the third event in the SLA Toronto Careeer series on September 8: "Self Promotion, No Cringe: Gaining Visibility Through Giving".

Volunteer: It's your Career

Volunteering has two sides:  Doing it ... and enticing others to do it.  For those who have already volunteered in many roles, the next step is encouraging others to follow suit.

I am pleased to refer to my colleague Cindy Romaine's blog post at http://testingintelligence.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/a-new-era-of-service/ where she explains her reasons for running for elected office in the Special Libraries Association.  The associated comments on her post support the volunteering spirit of "pay it forward".

Readers of my blog are familiar with my views on volunteering.  For newer readers and for those who may be counseling new professionals, let me emphasize the "what's not to love" part:

• You will have someone to guide you - say, a previous committee chair or a unit leader.  But if you don't for any reason - you have the freedom to move in new directions!

• You get to tackle typical or unforeseen projects.  (Recent example of the latter:  Too many signed up for an event - how can we accommodate the wait list in a second session - and what about the ones who can't make the second date?)

• You get to be in front of people who can put in a good word as references and of potential future employers.

• You get to strut your stuff comfortably until you are ready to take on a solo role.  Serving on a committee before you take on chairing one is a good way to begin.

• You get to put your accomplishments on your resume.

Volunteering is a stellar opportunity to grow professionally and to gain visibility.  Indeed, what is not to love?