The Old vs. New Records Manager
Northern Virginia Chapter
Introduction
 Leigh Isaacs, IGP, CIP
 30 + years of legal
experience
 15 years of records &
information management
experience
 Paper based
 Back-Office Operation
 Little to No Interaction or Integration with Other
Departments
 Reactive not Proactive
 Archival
 Electronic Data are the “Record”
 Email
 Documents
 Email & attachments
 Websites
 Electronic Data are the “Record”
 Email
 Documents
 Email & attachments
 Websites
Complex Technical Environment
 Enterprise systems
 Line of business systems
 Departmental systems
 Multiple content creation systems
 Multiple content management systems
 Cloud Storage
 Mobile Devices
 What Does it Take to Succeed?
 Do You Have What it Takes?
 How do I Get Stronger?
 Training, Certifications, Degrees
 "Ninety percent of what we call 'management' consists of
making it difficult for people to get things done.“
--Peter Drucker
 Exciting time to be in this industry
 Change is not on the horizon- it is here now and will
continue to come
 Organizations need our assistance
 BUT…we have to be ready to lead the information
management discussions from a position of strength and
expertise
 Change management is a structured approach to
shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a
current state to a desired future state. It is a process aimed at
empowering employees to accept and embrace changes. In project
management, change management refers to a project management
process where changes to a project are formally introduced and
approved.
Get the seat at the table
 Understand your organization’s business
 Share Responsibility for Business Goals and Plans
 Run your department like a business
 Measure Outcomes and Goal Achievement – not Processes
 Express Thoughtful Opinions, backed with data and study
 Harness the Benefits of Technology
 Recommend Programs for People that Continuously Improve
the Business
 Learn and Grow Every Day Through Every Possible Method
Elevator Speech
 States who you are, what you do and what sets you apart in your
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profession.
Is concise and on track
Is memorable
Has a hook to entice your listeners to hear more.
Needs to be practiced
Feels friendly, enthusiastic, and sincere.
Must feel spontaneous
 Focused skills – managing physical records
 Service oriented – reactive to customer needs
 Modestly educated – no graduate degree necessary
 Tactical and operational – part of the facilities and operations
team
Records Management Organizations
 ARMA International – www.arma.org
 AIIM – The Global Community of Information Professionals – www.aiim.org
Federal and Industry Specific Organizations
 SEC – United Securities and Exchange Commission - www.sec.gov
 AICPA – American Institute of CPAs – www.aicpa.org
 ABA – American Bankers Association – www.aba.com
 FFIEC – Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council - http://www.ffiec.gov/
Related Organizations
 IAPP – International Association of Privacy Professionals -
https://www.privacyassociation.org/
 PRISM – Global Trade Association for Information Management Companies http://www.prismintl.org/
 Information Governance Professional
 Certified Information Professional
Certification
 ARMA International
http://www.arma.org/r1/professional
-development/certification
 AIIM
 http://www.aiim.org/Training/Certif
ication
Challenges or Opportunities
 Analysis Paralysis
 Get your information facts
 Benchmark your current maturity and determine your
target maturity
 Practice on some easy ROI projects
 Assemble a cross-functional Steering Committee
 Build your strategy (the “why”) and framework
(the “who”)
IG as a Career Builder
Competencies (skills) without results are useless. Results without
competencies will be erratic, unreliable, and difficult to replicate
in new situations. By understanding the link between
competencies and results, we can identify and develop throughout
the organization precisely those competencies and perspectives
that will most help the company achieve its long-term strategic
objectives. (Dave Ulrich)
A serious thing happened on the
way to the file room
 The economy became global
 Time became a commodity
 Need for collaboration became critical
 Organizational knowledge was found to be a strategic
advantage
 Technology became a real tool that enabled and empowered
all users
 Compliance to legal statutes and regulations for records hit
the news
Focus on Value
 Too much information
 Not enough time or resources
 Information Fatigue Syndrome
 Doing more with less is critical
 Efficient and effective go together
 It’s all about providing value to stay ahead
Information Becomes a Valuable
Asset
 Properly managed
 information has a tangible value as a key asset of the
organization
 Can support and protect the organization
 Creates competitive and strategic advantage
 Mitigates liability
 Improperly managed…
 Information can destroy an organization
Opportunities Exist for Those who
Seize It
 Too much information – not enough time and resources
 Executives need help managing this asset
 IT can only do part of the job
 Compliance and risk management are continuing areas of
concern
 Policy, process, technology are all equally important
 A realization that managing the information asset requires
professional management
Who is Worthy?
 The key is in providing value to the organization that
supports its strategic mission and is lasting in impact
 Anyone in the organization can do it.
 Why not you?
Necessary Skills
 Presentation is everything
 Tactful to a fault
 Articulate at all times
 Strategic in thinking
 Multi-multi tasking required
 Business savvy gets you noticed
Needed – Broad Knowledge
 Knowledgable in:
 Records
 Archives
 Information technology
 Compliance
 Risk mitigation
 Business Management
 Working understanding of
 The integration of records, document management, email and
other communications systems
 How the organization benefits from the strategic value of the
information in its possession
Needed – A Diverse Experience
 Different areas of operation
 Finance, legal, operations
 Multiple industry perspective
 Corporate, manufacturing, consulting
 Broad managerial roles
 supervisory, management, senior staff
 Diverse personal interactions
 multi-cultural
 multi-educational
Needed – A New Attitude
 Confident
 Belief in yourself and your abilities
 Positive
 Bringing solutions not problems
 Collaborative
 The collective effort of the team is most important
 Open minded
 No idea is a bad idea
 Respectful
 Treat others as we would want to be treated
Needed – Big Thinking
 Create a vision
 Think in conceptual terms
 Maintain a strategic perspective
 Have and share big audacious goals
 Connect your vision and plans directly to the core mission of
the organization
 Communicate concisely the what’s, why’s and when’s
Needed – Leadership Ability
 Confidence
 Commitment
 Courage
 Character
 Credibility
 Dedication
 Passion
Doing What It Takes
 Drive the information evolution
 Be the architect of the future
 Provide value from the information
 Prove yourself as a leader
 Be proactive
 Be a key player in risk management efforts
 See technology as a tool…not a solution
 Think strategically
Staying At The Table
 Continually provide value to the organization
 Build professional alliances into the future
 Be an advocate for excellence
 Maintain your vision and passion positively
Skills – Is Understanding
Information Management Enough?
 No.
 Project Management
 Effective Communications
 Leading a team
 Managing up, down and across the organization
 Developed core values for team
 Empowered others to do work
 Training
Managing Limited Resources
Strategic Considerations
 Org Structure – where does records fit?
 Staffing – skill set of employees
 Training – transform the new knowledge worker
 Technology
 Program Development – policies, procedures,
communication, end user training
How not to succeed in 10 easy
steps
 Stay isolated
 Retain paper-based focus
 Don’t network
 Resist innovation
 Refuse change
 Don’t learn new things
 Adopt a “small picture” approach
 Lose sight of what is important to business
 Abandon strategic vision
 Fail to sell yourself
ARMA TOOLS
 RIM Competencies
 RIM Self-Assessment
 Sources of Information
 Professional Organizations
Be a Priority
 Be Practical
 Be Relevant
 Be Innovative
 Be Open
 Be Reasonable
 Be Involved
 Be Tenacious
 Be You
Understand stakeholders
 Administrative Management (HR, Finance, Marketing, etc.)
 Business Intelligence
 Information Security and privacy
 Ethical/Legal Compliance
 Firm Intellectual Property
 IT System Administration/Infrastructure
 Knowledge Management
 Litigation Support
 Records and Information Management
 Risk Management
IG - Defined
 “IG is an enterprise-wide approach to the management and protection of a law firm’s client and
business information assets. An effective IG Program:
 enables lawyers to meet their professional responsibility regarding client information.
 recognizes an expanding set of regulatory and privacy requirements that apply to firm and
client information, and
 relies upon a culture of participation and collaboration within the entire firm.
 With IG, firms are better able to mitigate risk, improve client service through increased lawyer
productivity, and reduce the cost of managing the information needed to support the efficient
delivery of legal services.