Hi Presidents,

One year is not a long time.  Your time as president will fly by and you

will not have time to accomplish as much as you would like.  Choose that

which you want to achieve and accomplish, focus the bulk of your effort

on it, and rely on your incredibly professional staff to carry out the

day to day affairs of the Association.  Do not attempt to micro-manage,

that is what the AE. gets paid to do.  Always remember that there is a

"body politic" and that many people will attempt to influence you,

intentionally and unintentionally.  Be on guard for personal agendas.

Utilize the Officers, staff, and committee's (Chairs and Vice Chairs)

time and expertise to accomplish your agenda for the Association for the

year.
Stick to the Strategic Plan. Associations have perpetual existence and

the strategic plan is the road map to achieving the mission and vision of

your association.

Goals and Goal Setting

I always find that the week right after Christmas and before New Years is

a great time to put together my plan for the next 12 months. Since I am

off the road until next year, I am starting to think about the planning

process a little ahead of schedule. Next week John, Mike and I will lay

out our goals and objectives for InternetCrusade. We will also

individually lay out our goals for ourselves and our families.

Over the years I have learned that if I want to increase the chances of

achieving my goals, I must make sure they are:

1. In writing - The process of writing down a goal helps to "embed" it in

your thinking, which will result in actions which will move you toward

your goal. I have many years of experience with this and I am sure you do

as well if you think about it. I have compared my annual goals to my

yearly accomplishments on many occasions and the results are

amazing...what I say (and write) that I will do, I usually do. If you are

committed to your goals, write them down and give copies of them to those

who are close to you. One of the reasons New Years Resolutions are not

successful is that since we are usually not committed to them. We don't

usually tell anyone what our resolutions are because then there would be

an expectation that we accomplish them. I will finish this piece with a

quote on commitment.

2. Measurable - If a goal is not measurable, it will probably not be

achieved. I want to make $100,000 this year is much more powerful than I

want to make a lot of money this year.

3. Valued - Valuing a goal will help you prioritize. If a goal is

important to your overall health, happiness, and well being (or that of

your loved ones or your association), you will give that goal a high

priority.

4. Prioritized - We all have more to do than we have time to do, so

having goals prioritized will help us accomplish those things which are

most important to us, our families, and our organizations.

Achieving goals is much easier when you are committed to the goals. Have

you ever noticed that when you are really committed to something, things

work to help you. I am of the firm opinion that to achieve your goals,

you must be WILLING to do what it takes. You may not actually have to do

what it takes (sometimes things just happen in your favor) but you must

be WILLING to do what it takes. That intense willingness is commitment

and it can work like magic in your behalf.

The following is the best quote I have ever come across on the subject of

commitment.

>>
Until one is committed
There is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, Always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative and creation There is one elementary

truth, The ignorance of which kills countless ideas And splendid plans:
That the moment one commits oneself,
Then providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
That would otherwise never have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
 
Raising in one's favor all manner
Of unforeseen incidents and meetings
And material assistance
Which no man could have dreamt
Would have come his way.
I have learned a deep respect
For one of Goethe's couplets:
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can - begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

W.N. Murray
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, 1951
<<

Saul