Author: Shooresh Golzari
Last night we hosted our third Connect event of the year at the Radisson Edwardian hotel, close to Tottenham Court Road. The theme of the evening, kindly chaired by Gwenda Sippings of Linklaters, focused on how KIM professionals could demonstrate the value of their function and themselves as individuals to the business in times where cost cutting may put them at the fore of management scrutiny.
The first presentation was that of Rosemary Nunn, who demonstrated how she has championed the value of KIM as a critical function of business at EC Harris. Rosemary highlighted the problem as largely being a lack of understanding in the business around what KIM is all about.
She stressed that this problem is often compounded by the obscure language of KIM, which people outside the discipline struggle to link with business objectives. This very much resonates with what other speakers at previous Connect meetings have posited and echoes our own Vivienne Winterman's blog on plain speak.
Where I feel Rosemary's piece was particularly powerful was in the solution she proposed: let's not only use plain speak, but let's also demonstrate how intrinsically linked what we do is to the business cycle. Let's look at the business, identify where we add value and be ready to demonstrate it. If we do this effectively, by showing what we do, what it enables and what would happen without it, then we will not make for such easy targets in lean times.
Dave Tullett of Heidrick and Struggles added to Rosemary's angle by bringing an introspective turn to our attention with his presentation, building the case for you. The crux of Dave's point was that you, as in you personally, have to know what your value to the business is and be ready to present it in a way that is resounding to the places that matter and authentic to yourself; because it's not anyone else's job to monitor and promote your value.
To illustrate with one of Dave's examples, it is not very useful to answer, when asked who you are and what you do, with "I'm a knowledge manager" - what's a knowledge manager? On the other hand, what would be useful is to demonstrate quickly and effectively how you make things happen for those you're there to support. An "elevator pitch" for yourself.
Dave recommended you do this by firstly measuring your actual impact (how you are perceived) with how you intend to be perceived. Then by following a three step process of self discovery, expression and evolution begin to build for yourself a case, a set of stories and a brand that demonstrates your skills, attributes and ultimately, your value.
Finally, for those of you who are members of TFPL Connect, we'll be making Rosemary and Dave's slides available online in the members' area.
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