Most recently, I spotted an art deco statute that was being used as an outside doorstop for more than 30 years. To my surprise, it was a 1920s original bearing the signature of Mr. Arthur von Frankenberg, one of New York’s well-known artists and sculptors who owned Frankart, Inc. “The Lady,” as I have named her, has been restored and made relevant again. She holds my peppermint treats.

Unlike an old antique that may be pushed into a corner of a barn and forgotten, I have the power to keep myself relevant. The legal space is changing at lightning speed. With cyber and data security continuing to be a threat, law firms migrating to the cloud and information governancealong with eDiscovery remain hot topics.

My current role as Konica Minolta’s national legal solutions manager entails following trends in the legal vertical to ensure we stay relevant for our customers and remain an industry leader and trusted advisor.

Over the past few years, I have obtained project management professional certification (PMP®) to understand project management methodologies and the PMI agile certified practitioner (PMI-ACP®) to understand agile business intelligence so that Konica Minolta’s legal vertical can move quickly as the market changes while keeping pace with customer demands. For example,
key offerings for the legal vertical are computer forensics, eDiscovery and managed review services.   As such, I have obtained the certified eDiscovery specialist certification (CEDS®) to maintain my relevance and joined the Association of Certified eDiscovery Specialists (ACEDS) to network with my peers and to keep abreast of the ever changing eDiscovery landscape.

Lastly, I am almost at the finish line for my master’s degree in law and governance with a concentration in legal technology, compliance and regulations.

My colleagues are completing similar work in their fields. Joe Cisna, who manages Konica Minolta’shealthcare vertical, recently completed his master’s in healthcare administration. He is also a certified HIPAA Professional.  Stephanie Keer has a doctorate in education. She manages our education vertical and keeps on the academic pulse as a professor at New York University.

By reading industry specific  journals, attending  vertical webinars and visiting with customers at healthcare, legal and educational conferences, the vertical managers  can stay agile and move with the rapidly changing industry to ensure that Konica Minolta’s vertical portfolio remain  relevant.

The company also encourages all of us to stay relevant through Harvard ManageMentor®  premier on-demand learning and performance support resource. We also have Konica Minolta’s Mentorship Program and Edge Leadership classes and support. And, last year, the Step Forward Program was created to inspire women in professional excellence through speakers and leaders who have shared insights and wisdom. That is why Forbes recently named us one of 2016’s Best Large Employers.

We also want you to stay relevant in your industry. You can read our blogs for timely insights from our leaders and subject matter experts. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel for vertical updates, information and tips from industry experts or customer testimonials.

Our customers are the catalysts that drive us to keep moving forward. Konica Minolta provides the tools for all of us to stay relevant in an ever-changing landscape. Because of our customers, we push ourselves. How are you staying relevant in your industry? Or, are you going to be left behind?