Chairman's Chatter: Preparing for Success
I remember something my father-in-law told me several years ago; something that has stuck with me over the years and is still directly applicable to day-to-day business activities:
“90 percent of the effort is preparation”
We both loved to paint and as a painter preparation is essential – and as I ventured into my career, I realized this is also true to be successful in business. You need to prepare for success! So what is ISPE doing to prepare for success now and into the future? There are several things we are doing, and in the spirit of transparency, here are a few that I want to share with you:
1. Organizational Restructuring
We’ve all been impacted in some way or other by restructuring within our respective companies. The objective in most cases is to realign the focus toward emerging opportunities and support of new strategies. In an effort to be better prepared for the future and to support existing strategic initiatives, ISPE has initiated a restructuring effort. A team of ISPE Staff and Board leaders has been assembled and will be led by our CEO and President, John Bournas. The Restructuring Committee Core Team consists of the following members:
• John Bournas -ISPE CEO and President (Team Leader) • Mark Hernick --ISPE CFO and VP Administration • Tom Hartman – Board Director/Co-Chair of Business Development Committee • Joanne Barrick – Board Director/Chair Operations Review Committee • Tim Howard – Board Vice Chair
The objective of the Restructuring Committee is to assess the ability of the existing structure to support current and future strategic initiatives. As an organization we need to:
• Be prepared for surges in demand • Effectively manage resource constraints • Support our volunteers in converting knowledge into marketable content • Provide growth opportunities for our existing staff.
These are just an example of a small sub-set of our restructuring opportunities, and I look forward to other recommendations from the Committee.
2. China Affiliate
For a couple years now, our China colleagues have been seeking opportunities to become more self-sufficient and facilitate greater opportunities for ISPE growth in China. Several of us met in China last spring and agreed to take a more focused look at this potential opportunity. At that time, I asked Board Director, Jim Breen and CEO and President of Commissioning Agents, Inc., Bob Chew, to engage with our China Colleagues and propose a path forward. As part of our “Strengthening the Core” objective, I am happy to announce that ISPE CEO and President John Bournas and the ISPE International Board of Directors support the recommendation to establish an ISPE China Affiliate. Thank you Jim and Bob! The next steps in this process are being discussed at this time.
3. Chapters and Training
ISPE will be collaborating closely with the ISPE Boston Area Chapter on upcoming Training Events at the ISPE Training Institute. Stay tuned for the opportunity to hit a double – ISPE Training and the National Baseball League’s Spring Training in Tampa, Florida. Chapter members will be able to participate in a 2 – 3-day training course at the ISPE Training Institute, then attend a NBL Spring Training game. We look forward to further developing this offering to other interested Chapters and would welcome your ideas on specific training modules of interest to your local members. Join your colleagues to network, learn and take advantage of the beautiful weather in Florida by watching a great American tradition -- baseball. See you there!
Thank you members, volunteers, and staff for your continued support of ISPE!
