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Ernest E. Nolan's Attitude Email
Ernest E. Nolan's Attitude Email
Message from the President
Last year at this time, I was "chomping at the bit" to get started. In fact, if you remember, I sent out my first "electronic" message from the President on January 1, 1998. Well, I am once again eagerly awaiting the stroke of midnight, but for a different reason. I am anxious for my year to end, and for life to get back to "normal". The number of hours, the pressure, and the burdens of being President of this Association is truly something you truly cannot imagine until you experience it. Good luck Larry. I will do anything I can to help make this a successful year, but I do intend to spend a significant amount of time "getting a life" and enjoying myself just a little.
I feel that I have accomplished a lot of good things for AITP in my many years of service and in my year as President. I believe we are moving in the right direction as an Association but we still have many challenges before us. Yes, we "trimmed" the sails and made some adjustments, but what is needed is far more significant. I believe that I have discovered the secret in the process of serving AITP over the years. I have been continuously involved at the national since 1984 when I attend my first Annual Conference as a newly appointed International Director in 1984. The one thing that keeps us from exploding on the scene and keeping pace with our industry is attitude! I hope this message causes a great deal of debate, and perhaps opens some eyes, and that no one is offended.
I have long been a supporter of our students and thoroughly believe that they are our future. Our incoming President, Larry Schmitz is also a proponent of students and their strategic importance to our Association. However, here is where the rub comes in. Today's students have never wanted for anything, everything has always been provided for them! Yes, some of them have had to work for what they have, but they grew up with the "you can do it", you can be anything your want", "you can have anything you want" attitude. Nothing has ever been placed "off limits" for them until they get involved with AITP at the professional level! One of the first things many students encounter in AITP is the "we can't" attitude!
I realize that most of you do not believe that you are negative. What follows is a list of things that measure attitude. The left column represents "negative, can't do attitudes" and the right column represents "positive can do attitudes". Take a few moments to read it. I realize that not all of these ideas will apply directly to you and/or AITP, but there is something here for everyone. Count the number of times your arguments for or against and idea starts from which column. This will help you evaluate your attitudes.
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Negative Attitudes We don't have the resources There's not enough time We already tried it There's no way it'll work It's a waste of time It's a waste of money We'll cannibalize our own sales We don't have the expertise We've never don it before It's too complicated We can't compete Our vendors won't go for it It's good enough We don't have enough money We're understaffed We don't have enough room It will never fly We don't have the equipment It's not going to be any better It can't be done No one communicates Isn't it time to go home? I don't have any idea Let somebody else deal with it We're always changing direction It's too radical a change It takes too long for approval Our customers won't buy it Our company is the wrong size It doesn't fit us It's contrary to policy It's not my job We can't |
Positive Attitudes Necessity is the Mother of Invention We'll re-evaluate some priorities We learned from the experience We can make it work Think of the possibilities The investment will be worth it We'll do it before they do Let's network with those who do We have the opportunity to be first Let's look at it from a different angle We'll get a jump on the competition Let's show them the opportunities There is always room for improvement! Maybe there's something we can cut We're a lean, mean machine! Temporary space may be an option We'll never know until we try Maybe we can sub it out We'll try it one more time It'll be a challenge Let's open the channels Days go so quickly around here! I'll come up with some alternatives I'm ready to learn something new We're in touch with our customers Let's take a chance We'll walk it through the system We'll do better at educating them We're perfect for this project We should look at it Anything's possible I'll be glad to take the responsibility We can! |
Which side of the ledger did you come out on? Unfortunately, my experience tells me that AITP comes out on the negative side. This applies to the entire Association from the Association Board, Headquarters Staff, Region Officers, SIG Leaders, and Chapter Leaders! I dare to say that well over 90% writings this year came directly from the right (positive) column, and that well over 90% of my time was spend defending my ideas which were attacked from the left (negative) column!
Your Association Board has worked very hard this year and have spent a lot of time working on new ideas and programs to "revitalize" AITP. Some of our proposals such as the "marketing plan" have received a lot of hype. Some truly wonderful ideas have been generated through this process. However, unless we as an Association make a shift from the left column to the right column, we are destined for failure.
Back to students and our future. Students are truly excited about Information Technology and are energized by the rapid changes in our industry. How think about the number of AITP members you know that are only not excited about all of the changes taking place in Information Technology but are truly frightened by it! Bring these two diabolically opposed groups together, and what do you have; Not the formula for success that we all have envisioned. However, the key to changing this is attitude!
Bring students and most other prospective members into a Chapter that operates from the left (negative) column, and they will want nothing to do with our Association. Bring students and most other prospective members into a Chapter that operates from the right (positive) column, and they will want to be involved with our Association.
Anytime something new came up, the thing I heard most often this year was, "if we try something like that, it will be the beginning of the end". Well folks, I am sorry to say that the beginning of the end started about 1984 when our industry changed significantly and we as an Association refused to recognize it and refused to change with it.
I am not suggesting even for a minute that we should try every new idea that comes up, and certainly not without a thorough discussion and analysis of the merits of the idea itself. What I am saying is that we should approach the idea from the right (positive) column and "imagine the possibilities", "explore ways to make it work to our advantage", etc. instead of "striking it down as a bad idea from the beginning".
I hope no one takes this message in a negative sense because that would be the last thing I would want to be associated with. However, I am simply calling it like I see it. Yes it is late in the game, and in my view, the cup is still half full, but unless we as an Association change our attitude and make a shift to the right (positive) column, the cup will soon be empty! Working together, we CAN make it happen.
Ernest E. Nolan, CDP
1998 Association President
