The AIIM Executive Leadership Council brings together top thinkers, high performance practitioners and leaders in information management. The Executive Leadership Council will generate a series of white papers  for broad distribution to the global AIIM community.

Background materials on the first meeting of the European Executive Leadership Council can be found here.  Agenda for the US event on June 6-7 HERE.

The content and information management industry sits at an inflection point, as Social, Mobile and Cloud computing combine to create a new paradigm for how organizations view enterprise IT.

AIIM created this shared space for dynamic conversations to determine the role of the content and information management industry in this new era of business. The AIIM Executive Leadership Council has two goals:

1. Articulate the impact that these new technologies will have on the workplace
2. Define specific use cases for how the technologies can transform organizations and ways of work.

The Council is moderated by Thornton May.  Thornton May is Futurist, Executive Director and Dean of the IT Leadership Academy. His extensive experience researching and consulting on the role and behaviors of Boards of Directors and "C" level executives in creating value with information technology has won him an unquestioned place on the short list of serious thinkers on this topic. May combines a scholar's patience for empirical research, a stand-up comic's capacity for pattern recognition and a second-to-none gift for storytelling to the information technology management problems facing executives.

Senior execs from supplier companies in Europe and North America welcome to join the group. Contact me at johnmancini at aiim.org for details.  The schedule is as follows:

Inside the Mind of the Information User:  The consumerization of IT

London, May 24 - 25 for the European Council -- Completed -- see pictures below...
Chicago, June 6 - 7 for the American Council -- Agenda for US event is HERE -- You should be there!

Understanding Big Data and its Impact on Buyer Behavior

London, Sept 6 - 7 for the European Council
Dallas, Nov 29 - 30 for the American Council

2012-05-ELC-UK

Do you have my #OccupyIT e-Book yet? Why not? It's Free HERE.

Get on the advance list for my new ebook -- #OccupyIT: A Technology Manifesto.

Date: Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 10:00 AM PDT

Moving from Records to Engagement to Insight — I'm going to discuss the factors that are driving organizations to think more strategically about the intersection between content, social, and process. Join us for this webcast to hear how content management and Enterprise IT are being changed by social technologies and how those technologies are being used to drive innovation and transform processes.

REGISTER HERE: http://bitly.com/K86sNb

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The webcast will also be archived by end of day Friday - here's the link - http://bitly.com/Jk1KxR

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JM:  Martyn, you rejoined the AIIM Board last year.  What drove you to commit to a "second term?"

MC:  The Information Management industry is unique in its ability to reinvent itself, which means new opportunities from a personal and professional standpoint. My first term on the board was a significant learning experience for me, as well as a chance to give back to the industry that has given me a wide range of great career opportunities for more than 20 years.

JM:  As you think about Kofax's employees and customers and partners, how can AIIM be of greatest assistance?

MC:  I am absolutely “captured” by the CIP program. I think it is really what the industry needs to get to the next level of relevance and growth. I want everyone at Kofax and all our partners and customers to embrace it. It should give everyone the chance to contribute even more fully to the market as well as fuel our company’s growth.

JM:  You just became the second AIIM Board member to pass the Certified Information Professional exam.  Tell me a little bit out the experience.

MC:  I believe Michael Croal (from Cornerstone Advisors) from beat me to be first. I have been in the industry for 20+ years so I assumed I could get a substantial way down the certification process  without significant study time. It turned out I could, but the certification test highlighted for me that I need to continue striving to keep current and broaden my personal knowledge base via AIIM and other best practice sources.

JM:  How important do you think information professionals will be to Kofax in the year's ahead?

MC:  Information professionals are becoming essential, it’s just a matter of time.

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Help revolutionize your organization's processes.  Become aCertified Information Professional.  Get a free white paper that explains why.

Test your skills.  Take our Certified Information Professional assessment.

At the time, this seemed like a cool idea for a Mother's Day gift, and maybe one that would begin a bit of a tradition.

 Well, 27 of these little photo montages and 2 more kids and one daughter-in-law later, I'm still at it. 

[Editor's note:  One might ask why am I still at it 27 years later, and why this fabulous idea has not yet been turned over to one of my kids.  THAT is a very good question.]

 Over the years, the process to create these works of art has changed.  The "Happy Mother's Day" changed to "We Love Mom" as the gang grew.

It used to be difficult to find mats and frames that suited my purpose.  Something must have changed in the matting and framing space over the past 25 years, because this is now a piece of cake (usually at Target).  

I used to take actual photos, and get actual film developed. To be on the safe side, I usually took at least 10 of each "we" and each "love" and each "mom" in order to make sure that at least one good one of each came out.  All of the outakes exist in some box somewhere. I had to get started about a week or so in advance in order to save time to get the pictures developed.

A byproduct of all our technological progress - as well as the dispersion of kids to multiple geographies - is that creating this annual project gets later and later each year (It's Mother's Day again? It's in early May this year?).  Well, this year took the cake, but in the process it also highlighted for me a great example of what it means to be a process revolutionary in the age of Social, Local, and Mobile (SoLoMo) technologies.

And my award as this year's Mother's Day Process Revolutionary - for really understanding how to adapt processes to the SoLoMo era - goes to Walgreen's (Founded in 1901).  That's not a misprint.

This year, Mother's Day was at Duke University, where that little guy in the photo at the beginning of this article (Joey, now "Joe") was getting his MBA from the Fuqua School.  Again, one would think with this going on, I would have prepared my Mother's Day montage months and months ago.  Ha ha ha ha ha.  My goodness, you do not know me very well.

 [In my defense for all that follows, my wife DID say to all of us, "Don't worry about Mother's Day this year.  It will be present enough just for all of us to be together."]

In my defense, I did have a frame. 

I also had a photo from MBA boy and his wife in my email.

And that was it.

So Saturday, I got to work, put my iPad into use, and sneaked outside during brunch first with #2 son Will for the "love" photo shoot.  Got it.  Then I grabbed Erin (the "Mom" role) and dragged her out on the porch during a break in the action.

Confident that I had been extremely sneaky in order to preserve the "surprise," I put the project on standby until after the graduation ceremony (and turns out after a party afterwards).

Fast forward to 12:15 a.m., back at the hotel.  Technically Mother's Day. 

And as I lay in bed with my iPhone, I pondered a fundamental question of digital and analog technologies: How exactly am I going to get these daggone photos out of my iPhone and printed in order to stick them in the frame?

And then I fell asleep.

I woke up before everyone else at 7:48.

My first thought was, "There must be a Walmart or a Target around here somewhere," and hid out in the bathroom, armed with my iPhone, in order to find the answer.  I used the store locator on each web site to find a few nearby stores, but there was no way to determine once I got there whether there would be a way to print from the iPhone and whether there was any way to get it done in an hour.

Then I heard a voice whispering, "Google the Problem, Grasshopper."

At first I resisted, and then the voice again, "Google the Problem, Grasshopper."

I entered "one hour photo" in my search bar and the first Walgreens SoLoMo smart move paid off.

Walgreens Win Number One - someone made the decision to purchase the right Adwords and had the right SEO strategy to get Walgreen's at the top of the heap for my search. 

And then Walgreens Win Number Two - someone noted that there was an available app, right in the ad, and provided a link to it.  This was starting to get promising.

App downloaded and opened.  And Walgreens Win Number Three - a specific and exactly clear statement of the value proposition of the app - "Print pictures right from your phone and pick them up in about an hour." Ha Ha! Life was getting better!

And then the next screen, Walgreens Win Number Four.  Not some clunky web interface in 2 point font to transfer the photos, but upload options integrated into my normal IPhone albums.  Sweet.

Walgreens Win Number Five.  After uploading, a process flow to allow me to select the size of photo.  This was important to me because I had a frame with 5x7 holes.  If everything defaulted to 4x6, I was done for.  Check, 5x7.

Then Walgreens Win Number Six.  I should have perhaps thought of this before I started this process, but where was the nearest Walgreen's? Were they open on a Sunday? How would I get there? The app popped in, "Find Nearest Walgreen's?" I checked yes, it gave me 4 options, I chose the one 2.47 miles away, was told that my pictures would be ready at 9:18 am (in less than 30 minutes), and the app provided a map. 

I clicked "Finish" and the app surprised me with Walgreens Win Number 7 - it required only the information that was needed at this stage of the process.  No lengthy set of questions. No credit card. No "how did you find us?" No "set up your communications preferences." Just first name, last name, phone, and email.  Bang. Zoom. Done.

I carefully opened the bathroom door.  Ahhh....everyone still asleep.

I grabbed my keys and headed to Walgreen's.

This is the point at which many processes run into trouble - the crossover between all the digital, no people stuff and actual analog, people side stuff.  Walgreens Win Number Eight.  Waiting for me when I got to the store was Kyle Gray, waiting to hand me the pictures.  I even had a few minutes to pick up a card and a cool red wrapping bag on the way out the door.

I ran out to the car, put the pictures in the frame, put the frame in the bag and headed back to the hotel, where folks were just getting up.  And ready for Mother's Day breakfast. The finished product is below.

They reason I go through this is that none of this is particularly challenging or impressive from a technology perspective.  What was impressive was how it was packaged and how it was delivered.

Becoming a Process Revolutionary and tapping the full value of Social, Mobile, and Local technologies means: 1) thinking through what each of these clusters of technology means for your customer; 2) thinking through how they can be applied to solving a particular business problem; and 3) taking the time to design an elegant solution.  Not an acceptable solution, but an elegant one.

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Help revolutionize your organization's processes.  Become a Certified Information Professional.  Get a free white paper that explains why.

Test your skills.  Take our Certified Information Professional assessment.

A key data point in the report is their contention that the demand for information professionals will increase by 50% year over year through 2015.  OK, let me repeat that, the demand for information professionals will increase by 50% year over year through 2015.

We couldn't agree more.  Last year, you may recall, we built the body of knowledge that these information professionals need and created a standardized 100 question proctored test of competency.  The Certified Information Professional, or CIP. A brand new concept for a brand new profession.

A lot has been going on in our Certified Information Professional program since we launched earlier this year.

I published a white paper -- A Career Path for the Digital Economy -- making the case for the need for Information Professionals.  

We released, inspired by Khan Academy, a set of 110+ FREE 3-5 minute videos to help organizations increase their information management effectiveness.

We created a practice exam for those who want to see where their information gaps lie and whether they are ready for the exam.  The practice exam provides a roadmap to the videos and helps individuals figure out where to prioritize their preparation time.  It even gives you a score!  Check it out and see how smart you REALLY are.

We've added our first 2 training partners -- Strait & Associates and the Holly Group -- for those who would like to schedule training for your staffs.

The ball is rolling. The train is leaving the station. The horse is out of the barn. [Insert your own favorite cliche.]

The point is, it's time to get moving.  Let us know how we can help.

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Download my white paper today if you want more information.  Take the CIP practice exam and find out how much you really know.

Registration is free by clicking HERE. Check it out.

I violated one of my long-standing rules in professional keynote speaking by NOT asking him whether there would be any other speakers, and if so, in what order would we speak.

Well, it turns out there was another speaker, and he spoke first.  There were a few characteristics about the speaker I wish I had known beforehand.

1. This guy was a REALLY good speaker.  OK, I do a lot of speaking, so I thought we're even.
2. This guy knew what he wanted to do with his life since he was 4 years old.  [Uh-oh.  I still haven't figured that out completely.]
3. What he wanted to do was to be a jet pilot with the Thunderbirds in the Air Force. [Double my concern.]
4. Enroute to his dream, he had a life threatening illness that he had to overcome. [I'm toast.]
5. He concluded his presentation with a video of him flying; you could see the wings of two other jets about 8 inches above his head.

"And our next speaker, John Mancini, will talk about non-profit careers."  [Oh, crap.]

Short circuit to the end, it went OK, although I never did confess that at 4 years old I wanted to be a garbage man -- or maybe it is now called a recyling engineer. In thinking about this presentation, though, I did come across a post I did 2 years ago.  I thought in this graduation season I would run it again.

And to all you new graduates, good luck.

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8 Things You Need to Know Now That You Are Out in the Real World Looking for a Job