Volunteering Provides Professional Development Opportunities

When did you last hear of an organization sending its info pro off to the Wharton Executive MBA program, or any other advanced management training program for that matter? Has it ever been done? If so, I've not heard about it. So who's looking after the professional development of our information professionals? It is my observation that most info pros are either solo or tucked into an organizational corner where professional needs are little understood. For their own good and the good of their enterprise, info pros would do well to take matters into their own hands.

First a word on why we care. With a strong understanding of how businesses work and how leaders function within an organization, the info pro can deliver the highest value and return on investment. Business acumen leads to better decisions for the info pro and the enterprise.

So what skills and training do we need? Consider project management, strategic planning, budgeting, event planning, team leadership, and negotiation skills as core competencies for working within most organizations.

If you're not going to the Wharton School for an Executive MBA, how about volunteering within your professional association. This strategy has long been advocated as a means to network and make valuable contacts with professional colleagues. It is also an extremely effective way to learn the above mentioned skills while working with seasoned leaders within the association.

Think about the professional or non-profit organizations you are a part of. Think about how the routine activities of most organizations lend themselves to leadership and management training: coordinating a newsletter or blog; developing or updating a strategic plan; serving as treasurer or on the finance committee; planning programs or annual meetings or seminars; serving on the governing board; chairing a committee and managing the people on your team; negotiating priorities among the members or a contract with a caterer. These activities all advance the goals of the organization while providing the volunteers with valuable training.

A good organization will have the depth of leadership and experience to provide role models and mentors to those willing to volunteer and learn. I can say from my own experience that volunteering in professional and other non-profit organizations has provided more leadership and management training than I could have ever predicted, and it has served me well in the business environment.

Take matters into your own hands. Go forth and volunteer!

Finding Business Information in Audio, Video, and Image Formats

For a recent article in FUMSI: Find, Use, Manage, & Share Information, I researched the many search engines available for locating audio, video, and images on the Web. "Finding Videos, Audio and Images on the Web: Search Tools" gives some useful links to sources that can deliver business-related search results.

The weakest link seems to be good search tools for podcasts and other non-music audio files. If you have some resources to suggest, we'd live to hear about them.