Me again...

I had an offline communication from a member who explained why s/he
didn't vote. The member asked me to not mention a name or specific
circumstances.

I'd like to address this note to that member and to others who may feel
similarly. I apologize to those of you who are not ARMA members and are
becoming weary of this topic. However, I think it is important as it
speaks to our identity as professionals and how we grow and nurture our
profession.

Those of us who are involved in ARMA have chosen many paths and reasons
to do so. In my case, it came about by asking Chicago Chapter members
how I could get involved. Famous last words, indeed... Little did I
know, almost 20 years ago, the ride that I would then embark upon.
We're not all equipped or allowed to take that ride, so I consider
myself very lucky to have been invited along. But invite me along those
members did... many the evening I sat in bars with them, soaking up
years of knowledge about the organization and the profession, hearing
their encouragement to share what I knew, and trying our ideas and
approaches. These same folks gave me many opportunities to put on
educational programs and eventually grow into a leadership position. I
even remember my first ARMA Conference when, not having a ticket to the
Awards Banquet (or knowing that I needed to buy one), one of those
folks invited me to come and sit at the Awards Committee's table as
their guest. 

The member who wrote to me indicated that s/he was prohibited from
volunteering by his/her employer. That is understandable. Companies can
be very restrictive, particularly when they are government entities or
contractors, or when the employee is being paid hourly. In some
instances, bad past experiences have soured an employer on allowing its
employees to participate in this sort of volunteer organization because
they have seen it become a time and resource sink for the organization.
That's unfortunate, but understandable, to some extent. Unfortunately,
not participating in ARMA leadership does take away many opportunities
for growth and networking that can become valuable to an organization
in the long run. It also provides the employee with opportunites for
leadership, education (receiving and giving), and personal growth. My
experience has been that the networking aspect of ARMA is far and away
the greatest value that I reap on a day to day basis. But to a
skeptical employer, the value is not always demonstrable or measurable.
And that is truly a shame, but I can see it from the employer's point
of view. Many years ago, I know that many ARMA members spent hours and
hours and hours of time working on newsletters, processing new member
packets, etc. All on company time. Some employers valued that; many
can't (and couldn't) afford to. The reality is that companies are under
tremendous pressure to ensure that employees are productive; some,
perhaps, are overly so. Many employers refuse to allow employees the
opportunity to get outside training in their profession. That's
shortsighted in my opinion, but it is still reality. That said, members
have to use what they can of their membership and what they learn via
other sources -- and demonstrate what they are learning. I have often
heard people come away from Conference remarking about the side trips
they made, the shopping that was done, and the restaurants that were
visited. Probe as you might like, it seems that the person never heard
anything in sessions that stuck, never talked to another member in
their industry, never had a conversation about a problem that someone
else was working on... It's easy to understand why that person might
not be funded to attend in the future. But there may be other sides as
well...

The member went on to tell me that his/her experience at the ARMA
Conference was that ARMA members were cliqueish and effectively told me
that (and I may be stretching this point) that the Board candidates
were part of the "old boys' network". I'd argue that point, but I can
see how that perception might exist. But I think underlying that
comment was a sense that perhaps there are many subgroups of the larger
organization, and a person who is not with his or her Chapter / Region
/ ISG / Committee / Company, etc. doesn't always feel welcome when
tables are set up by Chapter, people get various pins and geese for no
apparent reason, and there may seem to be a vast culture of odd rituals
and exchanges going on. Then there's the Listserv party... 
Nonetheless, an important observation that tells me that we
(collectively) have to make an effort to be welcoming to members who
feel apart from the mainstream.

The member told me that the new member sessions really seemed to be
geared in the wrong direction and felt like something for people new to
the profession, not people new to ARMA and its sometimes mystical ways.
Valid observation and one that we probably can deal with.

In the end, the member told me that s/he was on the outside looking in
and wasn't able to find the door -- and without being welcomed into the
association and the profession, felt that s/he couldn't vote
effectively for people that s/he had no connection with.

And I think that is the real point for us all to address -- that we
find the person who is not being included and welcome them into the
community of records management. And this may go back to a point made
earlier about Board members taking the time to talk to members. Perhaps
we can get Member Services to provide Board members with a list of new
members from time to time -- I think a personal introduction would
certainly make people feel more at home. And in local chapters, I'd
encourage people to do the same. Find that new member, that guest, and
welcome them. And hey, if you're new, elbow your way into a crowd and
remind people that they were once new to this as well.

So, while this is a sample of one, this was one member who took the
time to explain why s/he didn't vote and why ARMA wasn't meeting
expectations. I told him/her to find me at the next Conference. (I'm
not very hard to find in any crowd.) Peter, post the Frappr URL, my
picture is in there too.

Patrick Cunningham, CRM

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