Getting an edge with certification.

• Author: Wiler, Vicki
• Position: IN FOCUS: A Message from the Editor - Editorial

Increasingly, organizations are seeing the value of information governance. This is a positive trend for organizations, of course, and equally so for information professionals. A true information governance program can be implemented and run only with the support of those who have strong foundations, not only in records and information management, but also in the critical areas of information technology, information security, legal compliance, e-discovery, and privacy.

While your academic degrees and workplace experience can indicate competence in these areas, professional certifications indicate a mastery that can provide an edge when you are competing for more strategic information governance positions. Determining which certifications are the best for you, though, can be difficult.

For this issue, Jeff Whited interviewed several information professionals to find out which certifications are the most relevant for them and why. His article, "Selecting from the Alphabet Soup of Information Certifications," will help you make a more informed decision on which certifications you might pursue.

If you are in, or aspire to, a leadership position, don't miss "Close the Door on What You Think You Know About Leadership." Cy Wakeman, a noted business management consultant, keynote speaker, and author, dispels several pieces of conventional wisdom, including that you must have an open-door policy and that you just have to suffer with problem employees. Taking the unconventional advice based on her book Reality-Based Leadership will enable you to do what the book's subtitle suggests: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace & Turn Excuses Into Results.

Perhaps you are considering information governance consulting as a career option. In our Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles[R] (the Principles) Series article, "A Consultant's View: The Principles as Diagnostic Tools," author Julie Gable, CRM, CDIA, FAI, tells how...