--- title: What You Value Drives How You Work as an Information Professional description: Align stakeholders by starting with values, not tech. Help teams make faster, better decisions with clear, user-first information strategies. image: https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/The%20image%20features%20a%20modern%20office%20space%20bright%20and%20open%20with%20large%20windows%20that%20let%20in%20natural%20light%20In%20the%20foreground%20a%20diverse%20group%20of%20professionalstwo%20women%20and%20one%20manare%20engaged%20in%20a%20brainstorming%20session%20around%20a%20sleek%20glass%20table%20One%20woman%20w.jpeg --- [Skip to main content](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/what-you-value-drives-how-you-work-as-an-information-professional#main) [![Jason Logo](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo50x200-1.png?width=200&height=50&name=logo50x200-1.png) ![logo50x200-1](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/logo50x200-1.png?width=200&height=50&name=logo50x200-1.png) ![logo50x200-1](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/logo50x200-1.png?width=200&height=50&name=logo50x200-1.png) ![logo50x200-1](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/logo50x200-1.png?width=200&height=50&name=logo50x200-1.png)](https://jasonwdcassidy.com) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Search - [Recent Posts](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog) [Recent Posts](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog) Search # What You Value Drives How You Work as an Information Professional ![Jason W. D. Cassidy](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Headshots/jason-casual-outdoors.jpg?width=50&height=50&name=jason-casual-outdoors.jpg) by [Jason W. D. Cassidy](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/author/jason-w-d-cassidy) May 22, 2025 Trying to get stakeholders excited about an information management project can feel impossible at times. They don’t care about tech jargon. They don’t understand the payoff off secure clean data. They don’t want to guess why this matters. And that’s on us. If we want buy-in for funding, adoption, and actual engagement, then we need to get clear about the story we’re telling and the values that drive it. Not the technology. Not the taxonomy. The values. Because when your values are aligned, everything else (governance, adoption, impact, etc.) gets easier. --- [*Like what you see? Want to see more? I invite you to chat with my team at Shinydocs.*](https://shinydocs.com/request-meeting) --- ## "Don't Waste People's Time" We're trying to tell a story and must keep that in mind. I keep coming back to [Linus' 10 rules for making great videos](https://youtu.be/mouSkcAltqM?si=IPvjdv4QDq7wN5qx). It’s not just about making good videos for YouTube; it’s about capturing attention for the story you're trying to tell. And if you want your project to land with leadership, users, or cross-functional teams, these rules apply just as much to an information strategy presentation as they do to YouTube. Here are some of my favorites from the list: - Don’t waste the viewer’s time - Layout the learning up front - Plan the payoff When you’re pitching a new system or trying to drive change, the story needs to be clear. The value needs to be obvious. And the point needs to hit before attention fades. ## Start with Your Value Statement ##### Good - Likely to be successful... *The information goal is to help people make accurate decisions and take action faster and with high confidence* ##### Bad - Unlikely to be funded... *Our users can't be trusted so we need a secure clean archive that is labelled and under IT control so we don't get in trouble.* That mindset leads to systems that hide data, slow people down, and push IT’s needs ahead of the business. And it almost always ends in lost trust, low adoption, and negative impact. ## Aligning on Empowerment Could we align on something better? Like this: *"Our job is to ensure people have access to accurate, timely, verifiable information, without wasting time hunting for it."* That doesn’t mean we throw out governance or security. But, it does mean we start with them in mind but prioritize knowing what you have and finding what you need. Start with the business need: - How do people find what they need? - How fast can they make a good decision? - How confident can they be that it’s the right data? ## The Bottom Line on Leading with Values If you want buy-in, lead with values that align with the goals of your users and your business.   [![Book a Chat with Shinydocs](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Call%20to%20Action%20Banners/Book%20a%20Chat%20with%20Shinydocs.png?width=2000&height=600&name=Book%20a%20Chat%20with%20Shinydocs.png)](https://shinydocs.com/request-meeting)   **Tags:** [Learning](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/tag/learning) ![Jason W. D. Cassidy](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Headshots/jason-casual-outdoors.jpg?width=50&height=50&name=jason-casual-outdoors.jpg) Post by [Jason W. D. Cassidy](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/author/jason-w-d-cassidy) May 22, 2025 CEO at Shinydocs Corporation | Document and File Analysis Software | Privacy | AI | Cybersecurity | All your Documents, Files, and Records | Digital Transformation for Legal, Government, and Business [Follow me on my website](https://shinydocs.com) [Follow me on Facebook](https://facebook.com/jasonwdcassidy) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/jcassidy/) [Follow me on Twitter](https://x.com/JasonWDCassidy) ### Related Articles ##### [![How to Succeed at The 3 Content Use Cases Where Most of us Are Failing](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/A%20modern%20hightech%20illustration%20of%20three%20glowing%20digital%20pillars%20emerging%20from%20a%20clean%20white%20surface%20surrounded%20by%20subtle%20data%20particles%20and%20soft%20ambie.png?width=520&height=294&name=A%20modern%20hightech%20illustration%20of%20three%20glowing%20digital%20pillars%20emerging%20from%20a%20clean%20white%20surface%20surrounded%20by%20subtle%20data%20particles%20and%20soft%20ambie.png) Learning • Nov 25, 2025 How to Succeed at The 3 Content Use Cases Where Most of us Are Failing 1 min read](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/how-to-succeed-at-the-3-content-use-cases-where-most-of-us-are-failing) ##### [![What Principles Guide Your Cyber Security and Governance Controls?](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/A%20modern%20minimalistic%20illustration%20of%20five%20interconnected%20pillars%20representing%20security%20principles%20Clean%20lines%20muted%20corporate%20colors%20abstract%20shapes-1.png?width=520&height=294&name=A%20modern%20minimalistic%20illustration%20of%20five%20interconnected%20pillars%20representing%20security%20principles%20Clean%20lines%20muted%20corporate%20colors%20abstract%20shapes-1.png) Learning • Nov 18, 2025 What Principles Guide Your Cyber Security and Governance Controls? 2 min read](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/what-principles-guide-your-cyber-security-and-governance-controls) ##### [![Can you use Controls to Measure the Success of Governance and Cyber Security?](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog/Can%20you%20use%20Controls%20to%20Measure%20the%20Success%20of%20Governance%20and%20Cyber%20Security.png?width=520&height=294&name=Can%20you%20use%20Controls%20to%20Measure%20the%20Success%20of%20Governance%20and%20Cyber%20Security.png) Learning • Nov 11, 2025 Can you use Controls to Measure the Success of Governance and Cyber Security? 2 min read](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/what-tools-measure-the-success-of-governance-and-cyber-security) ### Comments ###### Categories - [Podcast](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/tag/podcast) - [EI](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/tag/ei) - [Learning](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/tag/learning) - [Success Stories](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/tag/success-stories) - [Local Government](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/tag/local-government) ###### Recent Posts - [How to Succeed at The 3 Content Use Cases Where Most of us Are Failing](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/how-to-succeed-at-the-3-content-use-cases-where-most-of-us-are-failing) - [What Principles Guide Your Cyber Security and Governance Controls?](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/what-principles-guide-your-cyber-security-and-governance-controls) - [Can you use Controls to Measure the Success of Governance and Cyber Security?](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/what-tools-measure-the-success-of-governance-and-cyber-security) - [Are You Really Covered? Why Most Organizations Only Have Cybersecurity for Some of Their Content](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/are-you-really-covered-why-most-organizations-only-have-cybersecurity-for-30-of-their-content) - [Cyber Security and Governance:  How to be the Hero saving Money, Time, and Reputational Risk](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/blog/cyber-security-and-governance-how-to-be-the-hero-saving-money-time-and-reputational-risk) ![JasonWDCassidyLogo220x50](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/JasonWDCassidyLogo220x50.png?width=220&height=50&name=JasonWDCassidyLogo220x50.png) Caffeine, Curiosity, Creativity ©2026 Jason W. D. Cassidy All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](https://jasonwdcassidy.com/privacy-policy) - - - - - ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jason W. D. 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