I hope that by the time you read this you have managed to clear out your inbox!
The famous inbox is the worst part about going on leave, you get back and there are literally 100s of mails to respond to, what a mood killer! On my first day back I felt like closing my PC and going home after two hours. Only problem is that the problem would be back the next day.
I would encourage you to think about your goals for 2009, personally and professionally, and then take the time to write them down, put them in an envelope and file it in a safe place. A good idea is to make your goals SMART:
* S = Specific.
* M = Measureable.
* A = Achievable.
* R = Relevant.
* T = Timed.
Once a quarter take out the envelope and see how close you are to achieving what you set out to do. Make the necessary adjustments to ensure you reach them.
At the beginning of my time as president this is what I did. I set, together with my fellow councilors, three SMART goals that we had to achieve during 2008. Have we achieved them? You be the judge, here are the three goals:
1. More assistance from council to the branches.
2. Better communication with the branches and more interaction between us.
3. ECSA re-alignment to ensure more value for our members.
We see the results as follows:
1. Council granted all the branches a financial incentive at the beginning of the year. This was to assist the branches in getting value add speakers to their meetings. This was a successful initiative which saw increased attendance at the branch meetings. Apart from this the Cape Town Branch was revived and is now a fully operational branch. Zambia also launched new sub branches.
2. A secretarial workshop was held where all the branch secretaries were made aware of their duties and responsibilities. The communication between council and branches has improved tremendously. Branches are now more aligned with council’s mission and vision. I personally also attended at least one meeting at each branch, apart from Zambia where Bill and Johan were representative.
3. Our ECSA re-alignment has also started to produce value. We can now accredit courses and seminars where ECSA members qualify for CPD points. We are also assisting ECSA with job interviews of overseas applicants.
I feel proud that council achieved what we set out to do for 2008. I look forward to achieving our goals for 2009 and hope that you will achieve yours, YOU CAN DO IT!
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