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Possibilities for the Future of AITP
Possibilities for the Future of AITP
Hello Everyone,
This is the continuation of a series of emails I am sending as a prelude to our national meeting.
AITP's Future is looking very Bright
As I was writing these emails, it gave me an opportunity to really reflect on the state of AITP in general. For those of us old enough to remember, our Association was once of true powerhouses (back in the IBM mainframe centric days). We had a huge national membership, and we were a strong voice in IT matters.
Are those days gone for good?
Frankly, my answer has been "yes" for the past few years. But this year, I have been detecting an important "shift" in attitude among many IT professionals.
I'm hearing things like:
"I just don't have time to attend all these special interest meetings - I'd like to find one group and stick with it."
"I'm looking for a group which will allow me to make the truly important IT contacts in my city."
"Our environment is very complex with many hardware platforms and operating systems. I'm looking for an organization which will help with these type issues."
Wait just a minute there -- That's us! That's AITP!
Thanks to some of our senior members who have kept those charters alive in many cities - we have survived! And now the pendulum is finally swinging back our direction. As an national IT organization, no one is better positioned to serve these IT professionals who are now faced with huge multi-vendor, multi-technology IT shops. No one is better positioned to provide "neutral ground" for IT vendors to meet and support the IT community. No one is better positioned to host and sponsor the top speakers in information technology. No one is better positioned to take on the job of building this new nationwide IT community.
Look at our strengths:
- We have a national organization
- We have active charters in a significant number of cities
- We have a national publication
- We have talented and experienced leaders
- We have over 40 years of history
- We have the infrastructure in place to regrow to a new powerhouse Association.
But do we really have the will to accept this challenge?
I have some good news and some bad news...
First the bad news, our national officers are not going to make this change happen for us (sorry ABoD). This is a decision that each director - each of you at the local chapter level - has to make. Only you can build the IT community for your city. Only you understand your area's unique culture and the optimal approach. Only you can put your energy and talent to work for your local situation.
Can the ABoD make a difference? Yes - but that is another email series for another day. My point through this series has been to hopefully show you that your destiny as a chapter is fully in your control. You can start making positive steps to improve your local situation tomorrow.
The good news?
By each of us working hard for our own chapters in our own cities, and by then sharing our experiences through our new communication technology (such as listservs, email, chats, homepages, etc.), we can fill that increasing void out there for a powerful, nationwide IT community. AITP has a fantastic opportunity laid out before it. We have the people, technology, and experience to make it happen.
I hope that by sharing some of the tools, techniques, approaches, and attitudes we are employing here in Austin, this will somehow assist you in your chapter's rebirth, or in your chapter's continuation of excellence. I sincerely believe that many of these ideas will work for you - give a few a try and let me know how things turn out.
Now I've got to go reread Steve Adair's "call to arms" email and get back to work for Austin.
We still have a long way to go...
End of the Series.
Please send me your thoughts - webadmin@itmweb.com
