John Phillips said 
"There is no magic that I have ever seen in getting organizational
cooperation and buy-in, other than in multiple ways, appealing to everyone's
professional self-interest. If there is something in it for them, they will
go for it. Catching flies with mostly honey, and a little vinegar."

John,
You have hit upon a theme that resonates well with my own philosophy, derived partly from seeing the effects of marketing in societal change (think about changes in attitudes towards smoking, littering, etc.) and also from my own experience in parenting (and teaching, being a Cub Scout Den Leader, selling products AND being a records manager).  

My greatest successes have come when I address the problems or challenges of influencing the behavior of others by thinking in terms of the behavior that I hope to effect, considering what might motivate the child, student, customer or employee, and finding a simple way to get the message across.  All the while, I remember that for the message to stick and the change to occur, the message must be repeated, in different ways, MANY times.  Although I don't espouse guilt trips, a little bit of the appeal to the conscience and moral compass that most humans get even at a very young age isn't a bad thing.  And finally, it is also helpful to have a stick of some sort that is sort of kept in the background, but is understood to be available in the event that the message gets ignored (not a factor in sales).

Good records programs start with setting forth the rationale (policy), describing what needs to be done (program documents or procedures) and then making sure they are easy to read and understandable by a lay person, that training is tailored to the audience, that some sort of PR/marketing campaign is created and then the information is presented at intervals in easily digestible bites.  If accountability is clearly outlined and there is a requirement for those responsible to self report compliance, if the top management is behind the program, then, over time, there will be improvement.  

I find that most people that I have worked with, once they can understand the rationale behind making changes are much more receptive to them.....don't like them and don't automagically change, but are receptive and can be motivated to make the changes given time and the above steps.

I don't think you and I are alone in these opinions - but just like everyone else, we Records Managers need reminders and repeat exposures to the message.

Mary Hilliard, CRM

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