president’s page
By Karolyn Rubin, IFCCE
New Year’s Resolutions
It’s time to reflect on 2009 and recharge for 2010
This time of year, most of us get caught up in conversations about our New Year’s resolutions. Here are some of the most
familiar ones I’ve heard over the years: increase
goodwill toward others; join a health club and drop
10 pounds; clean the clutter from closets and the
garage; donate time to a charitable organization;
spend less and save more; and quit smoking,
drinking and/or chocolate (OK, maybe not
chocolate). A resolution is
nothing more than a public or
private commitment to execute
an idea. Unfortunately,
sometimes resolutions are as
fleeting as the moment they
were conceived.
If we are lucky, these
resolutions will last longer than
the day is long and take us
through each of the 12 months
thereafter. However, it’s not
about luck; it’s about taking that
fleeting thought and
establishing the necessary
foundation to make it
permanent and executable. In
order for the idea to solidify and become a strategy,
clear and defined goals need to be established and
agreed upon in writing.
ACA International’s strategic plan does just that.
About every three years, the association goes
through a thorough planning process to develop the
plan. This process will once again take place in 2010.
It’s an exciting opportunity to look at the plan from
years past, reflect on what we’ve done and reassess
what makes sense regarding where we need to go in
the future. It sets the foundation for action and a
commitment to our membership. The plan is our
road map for ACA’s future.
With the new year also comes a time to reflect on
what we’ve done, regroup on where we’ve been and
refresh on where we’re going.
If 2010 is a continuum of 2009, I’m certain we
can find descriptive words to capture the essence of
the 12 months ahead of us. Some of the descriptors
that come to mind are change, resistance, growth,
depression, challenge and uncertainty, just to name
a few.
As business leaders within our communities, we
have been faced with elements of rapid change
beyond our wildest dreams. This is perhaps as a
result of the never-ending onset of technology
(better, faster, now), competition (who can do what
and when), economic environment (before, during,
after a downturned economy) and a national
crisis/war (that has no immediate window of
ending). We are ankle deep into the millennium
where the action of status quo has become as
extinct as the prehistoric age. Any residue of status
quo lingering around or within us as leaders will
result in immediate failure or disaster. In order to
embrace rapid change, we need to move forward
and trust those who lead the way. We need to
move forward and keep up with the challenge of
the pace set before us. Those still in status quo
mode will quickly be run over.
Even if it was humanly possible to increase the
hours within a 24-hour day, the same challenges
we face wouldn’t lessen—there would just be that
much more of them.
We are in business to provide for our families
and the families of those we employ, to stimulate
economic growth and stability and, if opportune
enough, to carry our businesses on for generations
to follow. We are all here on this earth to leave a
mark, whether it’s through traditions set within our
families, breakthrough innovations for personal or
professional use, or just to be remembered as a
person who existed.
Here are some things to think about in the new
year.
Reflection: What We’ve Done
• The past is the past and the future is for all to
see. Mistakes create windows of opportunity
for lessons yet to be taught, understood and
embraced.
• Only make decisions when thoroughly
informed and without emotion. Facts will
never lead you astray.
• Nothing is so critical in life that an extra
moment of time cannot be afforded to reflect
January 2010 Collector I 11
