Women in Information Management WIIM

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege to report to some really awesome people, many who have been women. Not only did I receive "nuggets of knowledge" about the industry, I learned some valuable lessons on how to deal with aging, discrimination of various kinds and how to deal with people who don't recognize your worth. I try my best to mentor those who show potential and those who need uplifting.  When I find myself saying "the force is strong in this one", my spidey sense reacts.   My question to you today is, if you had the same experience as I, how do you plan to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders in our industry or if you didn't how can you change the cycle?

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Maria Richardson
Records Manager
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
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Great topic!

I have definitely worked for some phenomenal people over the years, as well as some not so phenomenal.  Both have taught me valuable lessons in life - on how to advance in my career, as well as the type of manager / person that I DON'T want to be.  I try to follow the example of the good leaders that I have had, and seek constantly to build my team - Whether it's sending them to seminars, encouraging them to take part in in house training, or spending one on one time explaining the why behind what we are doing, not just assigning the tasks - The smallest things matter.  I also make a point to bring in bagels ./ donuts once in a while, celebrate birthdays, have team lunches / outings - I seek to give my team autonomy in their work while also providing guidance and seeking to help them build themselves.

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Susan Gleason CIP, CRM, IGP
Manager, Information Governance
Shipman & Goodwin LLP
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2020 08:48
From: Maria Richardson
Subject: Mentoring

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege to report to some really awesome people, many who have been women. Not only did I receive "nuggets of knowledge" about the industry, I learned some valuable lessons on how to deal with aging, discrimination of various kinds and how to deal with people who don't recognize your worth. I try my best to mentor those who show potential and those who need uplifting.  When I find myself saying "the force is strong in this one", my spidey sense reacts.   My question to you today is, if you had the same experience as I, how do you plan to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders in our industry or if you didn't how can you change the cycle?

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Maria Richardson
Records Manager
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
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I like the "spidey sense" - I might borrow that phrase. :)  I get a lot of satisfaction out of identifying those with more potential and helping build them up.  I had one colleague from a different team that I saw would go far in her career.  I happened to be working on a cross-functional project that had a lot of visibility and though she was quite junior I gave her the opportunity.  She not only rose to the occasion, she exceeded my expectations and impressed the C-level.  I provided guidance and she just spread her wings and soared.  She ended up receiving a significant promotion during the next evaluation cycle and I was so excited for her.  I strongly believe it is incumbent upon all of us to help build up the next generation of leaders by finding opportunities for others and empowering them.

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Jessica Marlette, CIP
Information Governance Counsel
White & Case LLP
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2020 08:48
From: Maria Richardson
Subject: Mentoring

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege to report to some really awesome people, many who have been women. Not only did I receive "nuggets of knowledge" about the industry, I learned some valuable lessons on how to deal with aging, discrimination of various kinds and how to deal with people who don't recognize your worth. I try my best to mentor those who show potential and those who need uplifting.  When I find myself saying "the force is strong in this one", my spidey sense reacts.   My question to you today is, if you had the same experience as I, how do you plan to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders in our industry or if you didn't how can you change the cycle?

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Maria Richardson
Records Manager
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
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Mentoring is such a key to our personal growth. I lead virtual study groups and mentor one-to-one in records and information governance. These experiences have so many benefits, but I listed a few of my own personal favorites:

• Mentoring forces me to stay current in your profession
• Mentoring provides me with a built-in "shoulder to cry on"
• Mentoring provides challenges to my own narrow perspective - I mentor RIG professionals across many industries, functional areas and levels of experience. They always see things differently than I do. I am adding to my own knowledge while expanding someone else's
• Mentoring ensures that the person I invest in will be a better version of myself - Not only do they learn from my experiences without having to suffer the growing pains, but they will also bring all of themselves into the relationship

Last, but not least, during the pandemic where I am physically separated from my colleagues, mentoring creates a bond that encourages me. 

Thank you for your willingness to mentor and support the next generation of RIG professionals.




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Deborah Robbins
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-20-2020 15:02
From: Jessica Marlette
Subject: Mentoring

I like the "spidey sense" - I might borrow that phrase. :)  I get a lot of satisfaction out of identifying those with more potential and helping build them up.  I had one colleague from a different team that I saw would go far in her career.  I happened to be working on a cross-functional project that had a lot of visibility and though she was quite junior I gave her the opportunity.  She not only rose to the occasion, she exceeded my expectations and impressed the C-level.  I provided guidance and she just spread her wings and soared.  She ended up receiving a significant promotion during the next evaluation cycle and I was so excited for her.  I strongly believe it is incumbent upon all of us to help build up the next generation of leaders by finding opportunities for others and empowering them.

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Jessica Marlette, CIP
Information Governance Counsel
White & Case LLP

Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2020 08:48
From: Maria Richardson
Subject: Mentoring

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege to report to some really awesome people, many who have been women. Not only did I receive "nuggets of knowledge" about the industry, I learned some valuable lessons on how to deal with aging, discrimination of various kinds and how to deal with people who don't recognize your worth. I try my best to mentor those who show potential and those who need uplifting.  When I find myself saying "the force is strong in this one", my spidey sense reacts.   My question to you today is, if you had the same experience as I, how do you plan to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders in our industry or if you didn't how can you change the cycle?

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Maria Richardson
Records Manager
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
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We keep mentioning mentoring for the next generation.  Do we mean leaders in the making or are we referring to age?  I think generation could mean any age of people in the work force who, as Maria mentioned, need uplifting of some kind, whether that is in the form of increasing knowledge, developing opportunities for promotion, how to interview, or how to address bias or discrimination.  The next generation is really the next level of leaders, not an age reference, I would like to think.  Many people in their 40s, 50s or 60s who have worked in their careers for a number of years or have started a new career would benefit from mentoring which could be from someone younger than they are.  Age does not mean that one's time for seeking promotion and knowledge has been passed.

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Lorelei Chernyshov, CIP, IGP
Merrick Bank
Assistant Vice President, Information Governance
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2020 08:48
From: Maria Richardson
Subject: Mentoring

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege to report to some really awesome people, many who have been women. Not only did I receive "nuggets of knowledge" about the industry, I learned some valuable lessons on how to deal with aging, discrimination of various kinds and how to deal with people who don't recognize your worth. I try my best to mentor those who show potential and those who need uplifting.  When I find myself saying "the force is strong in this one", my spidey sense reacts.   My question to you today is, if you had the same experience as I, how do you plan to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders in our industry or if you didn't how can you change the cycle?

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Maria Richardson
Records Manager
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
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Original Message:
Sent: 8/24/2020 12:29:00 PM
From: Lorelei Chernyshov
Subject: RE: Mentoring

We keep mentioning mentoring for the next generation.  Do we mean leaders in the making or are we referring to age?  I think generation could mean any age of people in the work force who, as Maria mentioned, need uplifting of some kind, whether that is in the form of increasing knowledge, developing opportunities for promotion, how to interview, or how to address bias or discrimination.  The next generation is really the next level of leaders, not an age reference, I would like to think.  Many people in their 40s, 50s or 60s who have worked in their careers for a number of years or have started a new career would benefit from mentoring which could be from someone younger than they are.  Age does not mean that one's time for seeking promotion and knowledge has been passed.

------------------------------
Lorelei Chernyshov, CIP, IGP
Merrick Bank
Assistant Vice President, Information Governance
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2020 08:48
From: Maria Richardson
Subject: Mentoring

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege to report to some really awesome people, many who have been women. Not only did I receive "nuggets of knowledge" about the industry, I learned some valuable lessons on how to deal with aging, discrimination of various kinds and how to deal with people who don't recognize your worth. I try my best to mentor those who show potential and those who need uplifting.  When I find myself saying "the force is strong in this one", my spidey sense reacts.   My question to you today is, if you had the same experience as I, how do you plan to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders in our industry or if you didn't how can you change the cycle?

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Maria Richardson
Records Manager
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
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In my experience mentoring has gone 2 ways; one way has a more experienced mentor who has skills or knowledge that I would like to acquire and I'm in an active listening and learning role. The other way is more collaborative and relationship building, where we can learn from each other and one of us has a better position to influence.  When I'm the "mentor" in the equation I make sure that listening and confidence building is at the top of my priorities because I've found that is what a lot of people (including myself) are looking for at times.

I think the best thing we can do for the next wave of professionals is to be open to sharing our knowledge and experiences while listening and learning.  Often I feel like I learn more than I was expecting to!

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Meaghan Maga
Mosaic
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2020 08:48
From: Maria Richardson
Subject: Mentoring

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege to report to some really awesome people, many who have been women. Not only did I receive "nuggets of knowledge" about the industry, I learned some valuable lessons on how to deal with aging, discrimination of various kinds and how to deal with people who don't recognize your worth. I try my best to mentor those who show potential and those who need uplifting.  When I find myself saying "the force is strong in this one", my spidey sense reacts.   My question to you today is, if you had the same experience as I, how do you plan to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders in our industry or if you didn't how can you change the cycle?

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Maria Richardson
Records Manager
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
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