Where is Your Compass Taking You?
International Special Librarians Day (ISLD)2000 is upon us, and this month's column begins with a primer for the uninitiated. ISLD is held annually on the Thursday of National Library Week in the United States. The event provides an opportunity for information professionals to promote their services and accomplishments within their organizations and to external publics. ISLD was created in 1991 by the Special Libraries Association. The first celebration was so successful that the Board of Directors approved making it an annual event. SLA International Headquarters provides assistance in the celebration by distributing promotional kits to SLA members. These kits are produced through the generous support of Factiva, a Dow Jones/Reuters Company; and The Freedom Forum.
In the spirit of ISLD 2000 (which takes place on April 13), I wanted to find a way to invoke this year's theme in my monthly diatribe on communications. Since the theme this year is "Navigating the World's Knowledge," my mind immediately jumped to the notion of using a compass in navigating uncharted terrain. Which begs a question for you: Where is your compass taking you? Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the question, "Do you have a compass?" The short answer is that, yes, we all have a compass--some us of just don't know it!
Yourcompass serves as a guide for understanding where you are, and where you need to go. Everyone wants to plan better to anticipate change or to achieve a set of goals. The problem often is that we either don't use, or we stop checking, our compasses. We all have one; we just don't keep it in where we can consistently refer to it! This leads me back to my original question: Where is your compass taking you?
The first thing you need to learn about any compass that leads you are the directions: North, South, East and West. Figuratively speaking, our lives can take many turns. If we are to forge ahead, however, we must rely on the constants that can lead us. In literal terms, the most important direction is North, because it is the consistent reference that allows us to reach our destination. In our professional lives, we often develop built-in tendencies that become standards for guiding us in times of confusion or uncertainty. This is both a blessing and a curse, as our tendencies may get us off the mark but aren't always the best course of action. So first, ask yourself what directions your compass possesses. This will allow you to confirm their validity or make changes if necessary.
Second, you can't always expect to reach your destination without difficulty. In fact, you must expect to get a little off course. How much you get off course depends very often on the things around you. So, while we can develop our compass to guide us, we must always understand that external forces will always be there, pushing and pulling us away from our intended course. Probably the first assumption we should make before starting on a new endeavor is to accept the fact that our journey will likely not unfold as we would expect, and our final destination may not what we envision. Once again, good advice for pioneering. If you have a good compass that you are committed to using, and you understand that outside influences and imperfections will occur, you are better prepared for your journey.
While your compass is an excellent guide, always depend on experience to better prepare you and serve as an aide on your journey. In hiking, experience comes in the form a maps. They are used in tandem with a compass to pinpoint location and determine appropriate routes. In our professional lives, we are surrounded by experience -in the form of other colleagues, our managers, our professional peers. Learning through the experiences of others can prevent us from becoming lost or encountering pitfalls that are easily avoidable. SLA can serve as a map for your professional life, and since you pay dues for your membership, I'd encourage you to take advantage!
Only you can determine the nature and scope of your compass. However, experience can also serve as a useful guide in building your compass, too. Take time to determine your personal criteria for your compass, and allow others to help you in the process. Once you've finished, put your compass criteria in writing and keep it where you can always see it. Refer to it repeatedly for a month or so regularly, until it becomes a habit. Your career will benefit from it!
For more information, contact John Crosby .
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