Friday, June 22, 2007
President’s Message – Spring 2007 Contact Newsletter
People have asked me outright what my agenda is and where I would like to lead the organization.
What is an association? It’s a group of people who voluntarily come together to solve common problems, meet common needs and accomplish common goals.
I believe the four obligations of leadership of this organization are:
1. To ensure that the leadership team has access to a common stream of information from members and stakeholders that allows it to understand their views of the world.
2. To provide a coherent stream of information back to members and stakeholders that allows them to understand not just what decisions have been made, but why.
3. To bridge the gap between members’/stakeholders’ views of the world and the views held by those who seek to earn the right to lead them.
4. To understand that in the voluntary nature of associations, people choose to engage because they perceive that it is in their own self-interest to do so.
I believe that the keys to sustaining success are to have a reputation for value by providing a portfolio of good stuff; creating an enjoyable culture – based on trust and communication; and a nimble infrastructure – that allows us to quickly seize opportunities to create value.
I want to continue to support the association’s journey to be, and maintain it as, an “intelligent association”. An intelligent association is about sustaining knowledge and using it well – to ensure that value is being received.
What does that look like? Let me try to explain.
An intelligent association defines what will constitute value. The CSSE leadership team works hard to reach consensus on what will constitute success for our organization. This clear direction continuously directs the leadership team’s judgment as it makes decisions on the allocation of resources. I believe there has to be an emphasis on having a written plan that reflects the definition of measurable success and is truly strategic. The success measures and strategic direction needs to drive the activities of all staff and volunteer work groups, as well as the organization’s annual operational strategies.
An intelligent association uses the strategic intent to develop strategy. The board wants to ensure that the strategic direction and its intent is a living reality and is regularly updated and implemented by the CSSE. We have been reviewing the direction at each of the board meetings. The strategic direction acts as a clarifying guide as the organization constantly reviews and updates its current portfolio of programs, products and services, including what new programs, products and services need to be developed and implemented in order for the organization to remain relevant, as well as what current programs, products, and services need to be updated or eliminated in order for the portfolio to be the highest quality.
We are working to ensure effective and efficient processes to connect the strategic direction with the organization’s annual operational plan. The strategic direction drives and directs the annual budget. Within an intelligent organization, the infrastructure needs to be reviewed at least annually to ensure that it is well linked to and effectively supports the ongoing implementation of the strategic direction.
This type of organization uses effective procedures and processes to formatively evaluate the strategic direction, implementation and achievement of outcomes.
Implementing, Monitoring and Adjusting strategy is another component of an intelligent association. The leadership team engages in continuous strategic dialogue to ensure that what is promised and defined in the strategic direction is successfully delivered. It is important that we have a process in place to evaluate the plan’s progress and success and to hold the leadership team accountable. Continued successful implementation of the strategic direction and demonstration of the value that it brings to members and other key stakeholders are significant forces in creating and retaining a positive organizational image and reputation in the marketplace.
An intelligent association earns a reputation for relevance. The leadership team must clearly understand what the membership both wants and needs. These needs and wants are effectively identified through continuous external and internal scanning and marketing research. The knowledge developed from the research and scanning assist the leadership team in developing and sustaining a powerful value proposition that is viewed as high quality, relevant and indispensable. The value proposition is delivered through a successfully implemented value discipline and organizational behavior at all levels. Enterprise, group and individual behavior supports the strategic direction. The organization must be positioned to earn a brand reputation for excellence, strong character and relevance. The success of this creates opportunities to sustain relevancy because members and other key stakeholders are then motivated to participate in variety of forums for knowledge exchange.
An intelligent association sustains knowledge and uses it well. The leadership team must work to maintain its will to continually utilize a knowledge-based governance strategy including focusing on the organization’s key strategic challenges and opportunities, monitoring performance and achieving desired outcomes, adjusting strategy and policy as changes in the environment, new opportunities or challenges and maintaining the necessary planning and policy tools of intelligent governance.
The leadership team’s governance processes for work and decision-making earn the trust of members so that they view the functioning of governance as credible and legitimate. Governance needs to be seen as credible so the process by which decisions are made is one based on rationality rather than political power and the reasonable use of information gathered from a variety of sources. The governance process is viewed as legitimate because volunteers believe that the views of all important voices were part of the conversation that led to the judgment.
We need to work to sustain a reputation for credibility and legitimacy because we utilize knowledge-based decision making. We have dialogue before deliberation and the integration of strategic thinking in all elements of its governance. Our leadership team needs to continue to sustain this strategic thinking and focus by periodically re-examining and reaching consensus on what will constitute value and success and reaffirming strategic direction.
My agenda is to see to what extent our organization possesses the components of an intelligent association and that we think with some foresight.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
A couple of words about NAOSH Week: May 6 – 12, 2007
As I traveled across our nation that week, I saw NAOSH Week newspaper articles, posters, activities and news coverage. We are making a difference in raising the profile of Occupational Health and Safety within our country. It is great to see so many organizations, government officials, industry sectors and individuals involved in activities that promote health and safety in the workplace and within our communities. The CSSE’s representation at events and activities across the border in the US is another way we show our support and commitment to the greater global aspects of health and safety.
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) hosted a national launch event in Washington, D.C. at the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Headquarters on May 7th. Participants included ASSE, CSSE, OSHA Officials and Staff, OSHA Alliance Program Partners and 30 families whose children had participated in the ASSE’s Safety on the Job Poster Contest. The families traveled to Washington from 13 different states and paid their own way to the event. In total there were approx. 150 people at the morning launch event. Greetings on behalf of CSSE were given by our Secretary, Andrew Cooper. Our cooperative participation on both sides of the border through our relationship with the ASSE is an important one.
Later in the day, a second NAOSH Week event was held at the Capitol Building, the centre of the US Government. This reception focused on transportation safety and included the official awards ceremony for the poster contest winners. Andrew Cooper brought greetings from Canada to this gathering as well, which included the CSSE’s NAOSH Week experiences and activities. Andrew has been a wonderful supporter of NAOSH Week and has been very pleased to carry on all the hard work that Art Nordholm has lead with the NAOSH Week committee over the last few years.
It is wonderful to see our CSSE joint initiatives spread across our country and across country borders. Our success within this initiative emphasizes the importance of our organization and of everyone within it, as we move this profession and its agenda of working to keep people healthy and safe, forward.
Item for comment: The ASSE went one step further this year during NAOSH Week and supported a Safety Professional’s Day on the Wednesday of NAOSH Week. What do you think? Should we do that here in Canada as well?
CSSE Secretary, Andrew Cooper and US Assistant Secretary of Labor (OSHA), Edwin G. Foulke Jr. celebrate with the winners of the ASSE’s Safety-on-the-Job Poster Contest.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
NAOSH Week Launch
Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Welcome to my Blog!
The CSSE President's role is an exciting one that I get to share so little of with all the society's members. So, following in Lisa Fowlie's (IOSH President) footsteps, I too have decided to start a blog, to share some of the many aspects and adventures that I and the other Executive have within our roles on the Board. I hope that this blog will help you understand what the President and other Board Members do. As well, I would like to share some of the great experiences we’ve had as the Board Executive. It will be a forum for me to provide details about the meetings I attend, the places I go, some of the things that I am involved in, issues or concerns that are brought forth and introduce my audience to some of the great people that I meet. I will also be commenting on the other Board Members' activities and some of the great things that they have been working on.
I am also excited about giving you the opportunity to provide me with feedback, which can easily be done by clicking on the word "comment" underneath each post or feel free to email me directly if you prefer your comments remain offline. Please review the blogging guidelines at right before you begin and keep the comments relevant.
I would like to ask that my audience be patient with me... this is my first time blogging and it may take me awhile to get the hang of it. I will do my best to post fresh articles and pictures and to respond to your comments as quickly as possible - but please do remember that I have a day job!