Content-Type: text/html >>Has anyone put together a list of characteristics or aptitudes that people should possess to be a good fit to do records work?<< Nolene, I have never put together a formal list of characteristics but can provide some that I think are very helpful. 1. Innovative - Willing to actively look for new and better ways to meet organizational and RM needs. 2. Curious - Wanting to know why the status quo is the status quo and what it would take to change it. 3. Perfectionist - Good enough never is in records management. 4. Willing to learn - Experimentation is a great thing, especially if you can use others to keep you out of the deep weeds. 5. A communicator - The ability to talk shop with everyone from accounting to zookeepers and have them believe that your completely understand their business needs and operational environment. 6. Visionary - Knowing where you want to go makes it a lot easier to know when you have arrived. 7. Patient - Change takes time, don't expect folks to change years of practice just because you say they should (or have to). 8. Independent - A lot of RM activates are done by the individual not be the team. 9. Intelligent - There is a lot to learn. Learn about how your organization uses records, then learn how others do it, then how the experts think everyone ought to do it, then about the technological tools that vendors say will automate it, then put together something that really works. 10. Team player - An organization is like a sandbox, play well with others and you get to play longer. In addition, every good RM practitioner has a memory like a whole herd of African elephants with names like What, Where, When, Why, How, CFR, HIIPA, SOX... Bill R Bill Roach, CRM Enterprise EDMS Coordinator State of North Dakota ITD/Records Management 701-328-3589 List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance