The Road Not Taken: Career Transition from Information Professional to Intelligence Analyst.

Two roads diverged in the woods, and I –I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Individuals with information backgrounds are

increasingly active participants in the competitive

intelligence field. They are key suppliers of competitive

information and provide strong support to the intelligence

process, often as part of the intelligence team. However,

information professionals seldom move into an intelligence

analyst’s position. Why?

Do people who have made that transition successfully have

similar competencies? Were there specific environmental

characteristics that assisted in their career change? Our

goal is to provide markers that help individuals chart an

effective path from information professional to intelligence

analyst.

Changes and Choice

10/21/2022 1

People trained for information careers such as

librarians, online searchers, and information consultants,

are finding that their chosen profession is changing. We see

articles titled “Blow Up the Library” (Prusak 1993), “The

Information Highway: Will Librarians Be Left by the Side of

the Road?” (Bender, 1995), and “The Cybrarian’s Manifesto”

(Bauwens, 19xx). Many information professionals are at a

crossroads in their careers. They know they can no longer

just access and collect information: they must add value to

information through delivery or content, systems or

knowledge, or they will be left by the side of the road.

Considering a career change in mid-life can be

difficult enough even when the path is well worn. Career

paths beyond the walls of a library are not clearly defined

for professionals. Many know that they must move, but they

don’t know exactly where to go and how to get there. Robert

Kennedy said “... just because we cannot clearly see the end

of the road is no reason for not setting out on the

journey.” (Bender, 1995, p. xx) Our professional careers

10/21/2022 2

are a big part of life’s journey. If more of us could see a

little more clearly, would we choose the road less taken – a

career transition from an information professional to an

intelligence analyst?

Two Roads: Systems or Knowledge

There are two new basic career paths facing information

professionals: through systems or through knowledge. Both

paths offer career opportunities to information

professionals looking for further advancement beyond

traditional librarianship.

Information professionals have identified and made

career transitions through systems, as ‘cybrarians’ or

managers of competitive information systems. Computer

systems for organizing collections and online searching have

been a part of modern librarianship for decades. Now there

is the World Wide Web and the mother systems, the Internet.

Career paths centering around computer systems and the

Internet are more clearly defined. Systems are much like

10/21/2022 3

libraries. They store, allow access to, and retrieve

information. In the intelligence profession, computer

systems are a primary tool for organizing, analyzing,

creating, and presenting intelligence.

Figure 1: Career Paths here

Information professionals have had a valued connection

with competitive intelligence from its inception.

Intelligence professionals early on understood the

importance of accessing published information, and they

sought out the services of information professionals. Many

of SCIP’s information professionals continue to operate as

traditional information providers from an information center

or library that supports intelligence. Some information

professionals have moved into positions that make them part

of the intelligence team, either within external consulting

firms or as part of internal departments that provide

intelligence to the organization. Working more closely with

intelligence providers as a contributing partner gives

10/21/2022 4

information professionals the opportunity to become more

involved with the content of their research, to contribute

to the creation of knowledge, to become valued information

professionals (Chitwood, 1992). This helps an information

professional prepare for the transition to intelligence

analyst.

But the career path less taken is through knowledge, or

the intellectual content of information, generated by

intelligence analysts. Either career path can lead to

positions in intelligence. However, our goal is to help

information professionals see a little further down this

road, the career path to intelligence analyst.

Two Words: Information and Intelligence

Before we can go further, we have to distinguish the

differing meanings of information and intelligence and the

diverse definitions that information professionals and

intelligence professionals usually assign to these terms.

In addition, intelligence professionals, coming from a wide

10/21/2022 5

variety of disciplines, also have individualized definitions

for these words. Using dictionary definitions further

blurs the distinction between information and intelligence.

In them, information is :

· the communication or reception of knowledge or

intelligence (Websters)

· something told; knowledge (Oxford)

· knowledge communicated or received concerning a

particular fact or circumstance; news (Random

House)

These definitions include the major ingredients of

intelligence – information, knowledge, communication – but

further muddle the differentiation that competitive

intelligence professionals usually make between information

and intelligence. Individual SCIP members also have various

definitions of “information” and “intelligence” depending

on their professional backgrounds:

· Information is the foundation for intelligence

· Information is the beginning point for the

creation of intelligence.

10/21/2022 6

· Information is an end-product or deliverable.

Many intelligence writers subscribe to the following

equation:

INFORMATION +

KNOWLEDGE +

COMMUNICATION =

INTELLIGENCE

Research Background

In a recent SCIP survey ( Prescott, xxxx), 25% of

SCIP’s membership identified themselves as information

professionals. This is the fastest growing segment of our

professional group. Two factors could be contributing to

this growth: information providers’ search for an expanded

career and the increasing importance attached to information

as the basis for intelligence. To help serve this

membership segment, SCIP sponsored this research on career

10/21/2022 7

transitions from information providers to intelligence

analysts.

Interest in this topic was also fueled by Chitwood’s

recent career expansion from information professional to

intelligence analyst. The lack of a large peer group or

template for this change led to several questions: Why do

few information professionals move into positions as

intelligence analysts? What factors facilitate this change?

Are there external or internal roadblocks that hinder this

transition?

A background search for articles discussing the

information provider to intelligence analyst career

transition yielded few hits (see bibliography). This lack

of career literature extended to both intelligence and

information publications.

Once started, the focus of our research quickly

centered on a series of questions:

· What are the requirements for a successful career as

an intelligence analyst?

10/21/2022 8

· Are there skills, traits, and training that

information professionals have or could obtain?

· Why do few information professionals choose to pursue

careers as intelligence analysts?

· Is there a “natural de-selection” inherent in

required skills or personality traits?

· Is there a lack of training, mentoring, and

encouragement by corporate or CI management for this

career change?

Methodology

This is not a classic research paper. We approached the

issues involved in making an effective career transition

from information professional to intelligence analyst as an

intelligence project. As in any such project, we had to

weigh the efforts and returns of specific efforts,

understand the knowledge and expertise of our information

and intelligence sources, allocate project resources, and

provide a deliverable within a specific time frame.

10/21/2022 9

We first defined the basic issues and reviewed the

published information base to leverage existing knowledge.

Utilizing both personal contacts and the knowledge of key

intelligence experts, we identified and interviewed both

individuals who had made the transition from information

provider to intelligence analyst, and individuals who have

hired or developed such individuals. Once those sources

created a pattern of information, we stopped gathering

information and started analyzing it.

Author’s experiences

We also factored in our own perspectives and

experiences in making career transitions out of the strict

information provider role. Both of us, previously educated

as librarians, have spent a total of 24 years in

intelligence. Individually we selected different paths

through the intelligence profession: one systems, one

knowledge.

10/21/2022 10

Hohhof and Chitwood met and managed the Research group

of Motorola’s Competitive Intelligence Department. Each of

us worked under two management structures that embraced

differing information focuses. Hohhof led the development

of a competitive information system (the systems route).

Chitwood developed a team of information research analysts

(VIP’s – Valued Information Professionals) and later moved

into a competitive analyst position in another company (the

knowledge route).

[lera - I’ve moved the bio information into the “About

the Author” section at the end of the paper]

Literature Review

.........

10/21/2022 11

Characteristics of a Successful Intelligence Analyst

During the interviews, we quickly discovered

that we could not limit the discussions purely to the

competencies and characteristics of information

professionals; we had to expand the interview topics to

include identifying the key characteristics of a successful

intelligence analyst. Table 1, Characteristics of a

Successful Intelligence Analyst, summarizes the observations

and opinions of both the individuals interviewed and the

intelligence literature. These characteristics were then

compared to the information provider competencies.

[some people felt strongly that these skills can be leaned but not taught]

Curiosity

The universal characteristic of a successful

intelligence analyst is intellectual curiosity. They all

have the drive to find a solution to a problem and will

search for insight, information, and alternatives from any

source available, both people and print. In some cases this

means going beyond the easy answer to find the right answer.

One individual described this as the ability to enjoy “the

10/21/2022 12

thrill of the chase.” The analyst’s curiosity extends

beyond their areas of expertise to encompass all aspects of

the issues at hand. They are constantly eager to learn and

find out new things, and have the basic intelligence to do

so effectively.

Chaos, uncertainty, ambiguity, and risk

To be effective, an intelligence analyst must be

personally comfortable dealing with an environment that

contains chaos, uncertainty, ambiguity, and risk. Since much

of an analysts work is in gray areas, they must have a high

tolerance for ambiguity. They must be able to develop

analysis from an imperfect knowledge base and make

predictions without certainty of success. They are

unruffled with assignments that may never come to final

closure and they can quickly think on their feet. Willing

to draw conclusions and test them in the real world.

Comfortable in making intuitive leaps in analysis.

10/21/2022 13

Pattern, intuitive thinking

An intelligence analyst is a pattern thinker, someone

who can recognize novel patterns, establish linkages, and

develop meaningful and relevant implications from disparate

facts. They are also intuitive thinkers, inferring missing

pieces of information or facts and putting them in the

context of a solution that is relevant to the intelligence

client. Using their analytical skills, they sift through

information and concentrate on the pieces that provide the

answer to the problem. Can quickly identify what information

is missing and what data is not relevant to the problem at

hand. Can compartmentalize pieces of seemingly unrelated

information.

Intelligence analysts are comfortable in coming to a

conclusion when complete evidence is lacking or their are

working from an imperfect base of knowledge. Ability to fill

in between the lines. To accomplish this, they must be both

objective and flexible, looking at all information without

bias. They are able to let go of initial assumptions,

changing them to reflect the reality of the analysis.

10/21/2022 14

Flexibility to change mental model to reflect reality.

Skill in testing assumptions and no hesitancy in proving

them wrong.

Diplomatic, confident, tolerates criticism.

Intelligence analysts are able to present and defend

findings that often differ with their organization’s

conventional wisdom. They can confidently communicate both

positive and negative results and do not hesitate to prove

the assumptions of their clients, peers or superiors wrong.

As a result, intelligence results often come under strong

criticism, and the effective intelligence analyst must be

able to tolerate criticism of their work.

However, to ensure that their findings have a fair

hearing, the intelligence analysts have to present them

using strong diplomatic skills. Key to this is following

the ‘no surprises’ rule – changes have to be communicated to

the affected parties as they are identified, not held until

the final report. Quickly notify intelligence client when

projects goes off track or comes up with no answer.

10/21/2022 15

Many of the interviewees strongly differentiated

between self-confidence and arrogance. The successful

analyst is able to project confidence without become

inflexible or dogmatic. They are comfortable in

acknowledging what they don’t know. Their interpersonal

skills should also allow them to comfortably deal with

clients who direct the intelligence process.

Self directed, focused on problem solving

Analytical problems often consist of stand alone,

complex issues. The intelligence analyst has to be self-

directed, tightly managing their own time and keeping their

activities focused on solving problems. They have to be

persistent in asking questions, identify what information is

missing, and determine what information is not relevant to

the problem at hand. Knows reliability of information

sources, can recognize when information is not available at

any cost. All information has to be evaluated through the

established reliability of their individual sources.

10/21/2022 16

Intelligence analysts often function as project

managers of ad hoc analytical teams . They must be able to

schedule, plan, and deliver analytical results within the

given time and budget constraints. Set and adhere to project

goals.

Logical, quantitative skills

A good analyst has to have comprehensive logical and

quantitative skills. They have to create various points of

view for discussion and analysis. They are also comfortable

using both financial and marketing tools and techniques.

They often have specialized professional or business

analysis skills that can be applied to the intelligence

issues. These skills can be acquired through professional

training in research or operations or through the formal

masters education in a specialty such chemistry,

pharmaceuticals, or physics. Many successful analysts have

both a subject masters and an MBA. Focuses on data reduction

rather than information expansion.

10/21/2022 17

Understanding the business issues

To effectively develop action recommendations, the

intelligence analyst has to have a comprehensive

understanding of their organization’s industry and the

specific business issues the company faces. This helps

develop an understanding of both the scope of the

intelligence problems and their answers, the business

context of the question. This is best obtained from first

hand experience rather than secondary analysis or writing.

Intelligence recommendations also have to be presented

from the point of view and in the language of the

intelligence consumer. To do this effectively, the analyst

has to know enough about the business processes to phrase

the value of the intelligence results in business terms.

They must also understand their organization’s individual

structure and management and cultural dynamics.

Strong, effective communicator and interviewer

Strong and effective interviewing skills allow the

analyst to be comfortable and flexible in obtaining

10/21/2022 18

information from unknown individuals, both in person and

over the phone. Most information professionals need to

develop ‘cold-call’ interviewing skills to create an

environment where individuals you have had no prior business

relationship with are convinced to provide you with

information.

Once the information has been acquired and analyzed,

the intelligence analyst has to write and present their

findings concisely and convincingly to internal clients.

Conclusions have to be presented as action recommendations,

not just summaries, getting to the heart of the business

problem. Provides a simple answer, abstract and distill the

essence of the issue.

Analysts are able to finely customize presentations to

their BI clients so that the medium does not obscure the

message. Using both the written report and verbal

presentations, they can succinctly and coherently present

their position.

10/21/2022 19

People oriented.

Lastly, successful intelligence analysts has to be

people oriented. They have the social skills to interact

confidently with all their intelligence clients, both peers

and superiors, individually and in groups. Analysts also

have to be comfortable in talking to company-internal and

external individuals, and strongly rely on their input.

Over time, they maintain a positive, ongoing relationship

with both their intelligence customers, sources, and peers.

Work well in groups and teams.

10/21/2022 20

Competencies and Characteristics of Information

Professionals

[transition, lead-in: here we take the analysis trends and talk about it in the

framework of IP competencies and characteristics]

Curiosity

The single most important analytical trait that is also

recognized as a common trait found in information

professionals is curiosity. Webster’s defines curiosity as

‘inquisitive interest.’ People drawn to libraries and the

information profession are usually caught up in this

inquisitive interest. However, beyond this simple curiosity

is a deeper, more complex one, an ‘interest leading to

[intellectual or analytical] inquiry.’ Curiosity can bee

seen as a compelling continuum. On one end is the desire to

find, to locate, or to discover. On the other end is the

desire to solve, to know, and to understand. Information

professionals tend to group around the ‘finding’ end and

intelligence analysts are around the ‘understanding’ end of

this curiosity continuum.

10/21/2022 21

Persistence, tenacity

Intelligence analysts require the persistence to....

Information professionals often love the search so much they

don’t know when to stop. They will amass information from

one printed source after another, looking for the answer

from a broad variety of secondary resources.

Communication skills: listening

Active or intense listening is used by most information

professionals when interviewing clients in information

requests situations. Here, the concentration tends to be

focused on ‘key words’ that will lead to ‘reference

sources’. Information professionals are also familiar with

the careful listening needed to hear what the client’s real

needs are, which are often not clearly stated. Intelligence

extends this listening beyond the client information

requirements to understanding the underlying problem that

needs to be solved or decision that has to be made. For

example, there can be multiple reasons why a manager wants

10/21/2022 22

‘some financial analysis of XYZ company’: is it a customer

visit, a potential acquisition or low cost competitor?

Active listening for this depth of understanding of the

problem must be augmented by a comcommitant communication

skill in asking questions, or interviewing.

Communication skills; interviewing

Information professionals learn in reference courses

how to ask non-invasive but pertinent questions to narrow a

search to match a requester’s implied information needs,

which are often quite different from the original stated

question. Information professionals usually are quite adept

at asking the ‘who, what, when, where, why and how’ series.

However their persistence in clarifying upper-management

requests often stops short, either because the request is

received second hand or because of implied or explicit

requester resistance to exposing the information’s use.

Information providers hesitate to pursue asking how the

information is going to be used, or a more direct “are you

sure this is what you want?”

10/21/2022 23

Interviewing by information professionals focuses on

specific questions with specific answers, not a more diffuse

description of a problem that needs a solution. Information

that answers a question is just that – information. The end

product of the activity is clearly defined information,

finding answers to posed questions. There is often an

established path or roadmap to identify information sources

and usually the appropriateness and completeness of the

information is measurable by the client upon delivery.

Generally there is low risk and low uncertainty on how the

information will be received by the person who asked for it.

Information that is used as a building block toward

finding a solution is the beginning of intelligence

analysis. Knowing how to interview to understand a decision

maker’s key issues or problem solving needs is a crucial

step in intelligence. Accomplishing this usually requires

information providers to refine their interviewing skills.

Interviewing people to discover intelligence is another

undeveloped skill for most information providers.

Interviewing people who have asked you to help them, to give

10/21/2022 24

something to them, is much different than interviewing

people to solicit information, to get something from them.

Much of intelligence gathering requires people skills that

put individuals at ease and open to sharing what they know,

often without immediate personal gain. Information

providers are frequently uncomfortable when interviewing

human resources, particularly over the phone. Even when

operating within the bounds of legal and ethical guidelines,

they are troubled by the appearance of being manipulative.

Feeling comfortable with and being effective at interviewing

‘humint’ sources is an essential skills for being successful

in intelligence. This skill sometimes comes naturally; for

most it must be learned.

Writing

Information professionals have writing skills. Most of

them gained the ability to prepare written summaries of

research or to synthesize resources or subjects researched

through their training and professional experience. Many

come from a liberal arts background where researching and

10/21/2022 25

writing were well-honed skills, even before they became

information professionals. But, as one interviewee put it,

they are “content sifters, not knowledge creators.”

In general, information professionals are hesitant or

unpracticed in using their own understanding of the

information to generate insight, express a viewpoint, or

make an analytical judgment. They have to develop their

analytical and synthesizing thinking skills before they can

express them, in either written form or oral presentations.

Learning to write in short, succinct, focused, and

convincing style can be taught. Learning how to analyze,

how to test and trust one’s own insight or discoveries, and

how to be comfortable in the risk inherent in expressing a

judgment are skills not as easily acquired.

Risking an analytical opinion.

Rich information resources skills

Serving the client vs being on the team

Organization vs chaos: linear vs random

10/21/2022 26

The first lessons an information professional learns is

how to organize information, usually in the form of

classification systems or subject keywords. Information

centers are organized collections.

Discovering knowledge or uncovering intelligence is not

necessarily logical, linear or incremental. The discover

process is often random. Serendipity, a word used to

describe the discovery process used by information

professionals, often applies. The end result of an

intelligence project usually provides a logical pattern and

orderly description. But the process for getting to that

pattern is not always direct, orderly, logical, or clear.

Being comfortable with chaos, seeing the patterns that

the information indicates without forcing pieces to fit into

a preconceived framework is an essential skill for an

intelligence analyst. They are comfortable with both fuzzy

thinking and logical, linear thinking. In intelligence you

often don’t have many of the pieces of the puzzle, but when

enough pieces come together to reveal a fuzzy picture of the

forest, they must then be able to shift into a focused,

10/21/2022 27

detailed, and ‘scientific’ look at the trees using analytic

techniques to understand just what kind of a forest this is

and how it cam to be.

Numbers, financial analysis and business knowledge.

10/21/2022 28

Transition Facilitators

[here we talk about what information professionals

specifically can do to make the transition into intelligence

analysts]

Develop intelligence mentor and company culture mentor.

For most interviewees, establishing mentoring

relationships is critical. In an ideal situation the

information professional has a mentor who helps guide the

development of intelligence skills and how to apply them.

This intelligence mentor helps identify both analytical

weaknesses and strengths, and work with you to build on

them. The company culture mentor helps decode the

complexities of the individual company’s culture. Some

interviewees strongly felt that the availability of an

internal mentor was key to analytical success, providing

criticism and encouragement.

Participate in intelligence peer process.

Having role models is the most effective way to break

out of old ways of thinking. The quickest way to develop

analytical skills is to use a peer process to critique your

work. Optimally, the information professional can work in

an intelligence group and learn first hand how intelligence

is produced. Lacking this, several interviewees were

successful in developing an external support network to

10/21/2022 29

review ideas and process development. Gain an understanding

of how analysts turn information to intelligence.

Learn about your business.

Understanding the business mindset and the business

environment helps focus the analytical effort on problem

solving. Often the best way to learn about the

organization’s business is to work closely with a sales or

product manager. Field interactions, when you go out into

your company’s world and learn what is important, how the

business works and interacts with the outside world.

Practice.

Hands on training, with appropriate feedback on the

applicability of the intelligence results, is often the best

way to develop analytical skills. It takes more than just

reading articles and going to intelligence meeting and

classes. In most cases, learning by doing quickly

establishes intelligence skills. Take risks.

Solicit client evaluations and recommendations; develop contacts to identify

changing management issues.

When you deliver intelligence products, close the

intelligence loop by asking questions about the

10/21/2022 30

applicability of the information and how they used it.

Create a people network to identify what the management

issues are and when they change. Seek evaluations and

recommendations from end users. Finely target deliverables

to clients. One interviewee recommended moving to the

client’s location.

Take risks and responsibility for own actions.

A defining characteristic of a successful intelligence

analyst is a high comfort level with risk taking. Volunteer

to take on a project leadership role; keep schedules and

deliver on what you promise. In reports, indicate both what

you found and didn’t find. Start thinking and presenting

yourself differently.

Define and limit set of intelligence clients.

Particularly in organizations not familiar with

intelligence, the best way to start producing intelligence

is to first learn who in your company are the major clients

for intelligence and focus on them. Start by identifying a

core group of individuals who are the most likely to both

use and appreciate information and intelligence reports.

The more you can specifically identify these individuals,

the higher chances you will be successful. Take the

initiative and create value-added packages for them. Learn

who to serve and how to say no.

10/21/2022 31

Work on both strategic and tactical intelligence.

Several interviewees emphasized developing a balance

between stratetic and tactical intelligence development.

Strengthen writing, presentation, and debate skills.

Although in general information providers have strong

written skills, most require additional training in verbal

presentation and interaction or debate skills. Develop

comfort in presenting in front of senior groups. Develop

logical arguing skills

Gain financial and business skills (MBA).

In various ways, each interviewee emphasized the need

to become numerically literate and have a good command of

the basic financial analytical skills. Identify what skills

you lack and upgrade them. Not all individuals made

obtaining an MBA a requirement for being a successful

analysts, but all agreed that it helps. The MBA develops

credibility and knowledge background, an understanding of

how the business works and how it interacts with the outside

world.

Add intelligence to regular reports.

Several information professionals who made the

transition to intelligence analyst recommended the “just do

10/21/2022 32

it” approach. In their organization, they took the

initiative and gradually added analysis to their regularly

provided information reports and offered increasingly

analytically-based services. Volunteer to work on or do

intelligence projects. DO the job you want rather than the

job you have. Progressively include intelligence in the

information reports, the “so what does it mean” comments.

See this as an opportunity rather than just more work

Work in an environment that encourages change and new skill development.

Many interviewees had the opinion that it was next to

impossible to evolve into an intelligence analyst unless the

organization encouraged its employees to develop new skills

and career tracks. Several had the experience that the only

way they could have made that transition was to quit their

present positions and move into an organization that allowed

this type of growth.

Have an organization that is receptive to intelligence and tolerates mistakes.

If an organization is not yet ready to accept the

processes and discipline of intelligence, it is impossible

to function as an effective intelligence analysts. The

corporate environment has to be able to support the expanded

pursuit of the questions into unbiased answers.

10/21/2022 33

Appendix A: General Interview Questions

· What characteristics identify a successful intelligence analyst or manager? (What would you look for in hiring such a person?)

· What does a good intelligence analyst do?

· What information provider skills contribute to becoming agood analyst? Which skills hinder?

· Are there any background skills that are required for a successful analytical role?

· Is there any specific training or subject expertise that is required before the transition can be made?

· What environmental factors help or hinder an information provider in becoming an analyst?

· What cultural factors have to exist?

· Is there a specific progression of responsibility or activities that lead to an analyst position?

· Have you hired or do you know of individuals who have made the transition from information professional to intelligence analyst or intelligence manager?

10/21/2022 34

Appendix B: Career History

Are there basic milestones that identify the transition froman information provider role into an intelligence provider?

· Is there a silver bullet that makes it work?· What risks are involved?

How did you make the transition to an intelligence role?· Abrupt shift or gradual evolution.· Same or different company.· Developing synthesis or summarization skills.

What specific skill sets make the transition successful? Such as:

· Problem solving abilities· Management knowledge or strategic thinking· Subject knowledge or presentational skills· People skills

What specific organizational situations helped?· Exposure to senior management.· Support from mentor.· Collegial or collaborative environment or teams.

Did any specific academic or professional courses help?· Communication· Intelligence · Management

Did you work in or for an existing intelligence group?

Background:

How many years have you been an information provider? an intelligence provider?

How many years have you been in corporate life? with this company? with other companies?

10/21/2022 35

Any particular life experiences that are relevant to intelligence work?

10/21/2022 36

Table 1: Characteristics of a Successful Intelligence Analyst

Curious

Comfortable with chaos, uncertainty, and risk.

Pattern thinker, intuitive thinker.

Objective and flexible.

Diplomatic, confident, tolerates criticism.

Self directed, focused on problem solving.

Evaluates reliability of sources.

Logical, quantitative skills.

Professional or business analysis skills.

Understands the business issues.

Understands the organizational structure and dynamics.

Strong, efficient communicator and interviewer.

People oriented.

10/21/2022 37

Table 2: Complementary Competencies of

Information Professionals

Curiosity.

Persistence; tenacity.

Essential communication skills -- listening,

interviewing, writing.

Information research skills and knowledge of

information sources.

Client/ customer-based service orientation.

Disciplined and detailed organizational

skills.

10/21/2022 38

Table 3: Problematic Characteristics of Information

Professionals

Loner rather than team player.

Uncomfortable with risk-taking, uncertainty and

ambiguity.

Hesitant to make leaps in judgment with incomplete

data.

Overextends collection/ organization of

information

-- doesn’t know when to stop.

Lack of financial analysis and business skills.

Lack of confidence and experience in dealing and

presenting to potentially

intimidating management levels.

Too much emphasis on service; less on providing

solutions and adding individual

assessments, viewpoints, and insights.

10/21/2022 39

Table 4: Transition Facilitators

Develop intelligence mentor and company culture mentor.

Participate in intelligence peer process.

Develop human contacts to identify management issues.

Learn about your business.

Practice.

Solicit client evaluations and recommendations.

Take risks.

Define and limit set of intelligence clients.

Work on both strategic and tactical intelligence.

Strengthen writing, presentation, and debate skills.

Gain financial and business skills (MBA).

Add intelligence to regular reports.

Take responsibility for own actions.

Work in an environment that encourages change and new

skill development.

Have an organization that is receptive to intelligence

and tolerates mistakes.

10/21/2022 40