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Ethics – Professional Responsibility and Career Success in Records and Information Management
By Doug Allen, CRM, CDIA+ | March 12, 2008
One of my “google alerts” last week led me to an article on the topic of personal business ethics in the pursuit of professional growth. I found the article to be rather insightful. It was one that touched on issues that those of us on the ARMA International Board of Directors occasionally encounter, when fielding questions or issues raised by members. For those of us who are vendors or who are consultants, the following passage grabbed my attention…
“If your career involves consulting, advising, or otherwise providing solutions to other people in any capacity, whether it is to consumers who seek your expertise, or peers within your own specialty who stand to gain something from the information you can impart upon them, your personal sense of ethics is a premier point by which others will judge you.”
During my 33+ years in the information management business, I’ve seen many of our compatriots heed this advisory, and those individuals have typically prospered over time and remain in the business. Others who failed to recognize the role of ethical conduct in success have more often that not “evaporated”, and have often moved on to destinations unknown.
For those of us who are members of ARMA International, many of us are aware of ARMA’s Code of Professional Responsibility, although it would not be a bad idea for us to review that code from time to time. There are provisions for the enforcement of that Code of Professional Responsibility, but I am happy to report that instances where complaints are filed, or where disciplinary action is deemed appropriate are quite rare.
If you have time to review the article, and to review the Code of Professional Responsibility, I would recommend highly recommend it. Not because I see most of us as lacking in any way, but to ensure that we appreciate the link between ethical conduct and long-term career success.
As always, I would like to hear any comment that any readers of this blog might have!
Topics: ARMA International - Activities & Commentary |
