President’s Message: New beginnings and self-reflection
As I embark on any new venture, I always like to take a little time to reflect on what brought me to this point. As infopreneurs, many of us will be familiar with the knowledge management concepts of ‘lessons learnt’ and ‘peer reviews’ for projects. And we probably apply those concepts as second nature to our client projects. But how many of us consciously take the time to reflect on our personal work or life journey?
For the most part, I like to live in the present and look positively towards the future and what is next – what is done is done and cannot be changed. But I do find it useful to practice self-reflection from time to time – thinking about what went well and what I could (and will) do differently next time. And just taking time to think more broadly about what has led me on the different paths that life has taken me and how I ended up where I am today often helps me gain some needed positive perspective.
A piece of research from Georgia University found, amongst other take-aways, that when the researchers assessed over 800 workers with leadership responsibilities, they discovered that those who exhibited reflection tendencies (distinct from other psychological characteristics such as mindfulness) were often rated more highly by supervisors and more likely to be promoted. Interestingly, many of them worked for companies with a culture where failure was seen not as a negative but rather as a learning opportunity. For those of you who attended Janel Kinlaw’s presentation at the 2022 AIIP Annual Conference with the theme of “Failure is the New Success,” I am sure that these findings will resonate with you.
If we take the time to take a step back and reflect on our careers to date, we can sometimes be astonished by the sheer volume and complexity of projects we have already undertaken. And this can be such a useful exercise if we are having doubts about our ability to undertake the next new task looming on the horizon.
As an example, a couple of years ago I had to compile a portfolio of my career as an information professional. As I dug through old work files from dusty boxes in the basement and ancient memory sticks, I found all of the reports and presentations that I had created. Reading through them, I was amazed. Surely this was some other Denise, for whom I am now the imposter. After looking at all the publications and speaking engagements, I was equally astonished. Had I really done so much? Amongst the files and work projects, I also found cards and notes sent to me at various times throughout my career by colleagues thanking me for my help and wishing me well as I changed departments, bringing back great memories of working with lovely people in dynamic teams.
At the time, looking through all those old files, reports, and cards was a real boost. And now I can use that memory when I stand at the beginning of a new responsibility. As I take on a new challenge as President of AIIP for the 2022-23 term, part of me is a little daunted by what lies ahead, not least because I step into a role that has been done with such professionalism, integrity, enthusiasm and skill by my predecessors. I hope that reflecting on these past career successes will give me the confidence to succeed as I embark on this new experience.
Why not take a few minutes just to think about what you have already achieved – it’s almost certainly more than you think!
Denise Carter serves as 2022-23 AIIP president. Denise started DCision Consult in 2013, providing research and analysis to support the competitive intelligence activities of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Denise is based in Geneva, Switzerland, but her clients are located all over the world.
