President’s Message

By Greg Hyland, CPM
greg.hyland@YumaAz.gov

As I write my final “President’s” article for CPM Connection, I’m torn in my emotions. I’m not sure if I’m happy, sad, depressed, or just feel ehh. But, since this is my last opportunity I have to share my thoughts and feelings with you as your President, I’m going to use my Presidential prerogative and do just that.

For the past four years, I’ve had my entire focus on the Academy and our future. Trust me when I say, it’s been like being in a whirlwind. It’s hard to believe I’ll soon be moving into the Past President’s (has been) chair. I don’t know where the time has gone, but it’s gone somewhere. We’ve had some great times and some not so great times. But by and large, most of them have been good.

Those of you that know me have heard me talk about family. We are a family, one BIG family, but a family. And with any family, not all of us always get along with each other. We have those we love, those we like, those we don’t really care for and those we’d like to keep locked up in the closet. But, that’s our family.

I already mentioned how I didn’t know where the time had gone. This really hit home the other day. I recently had the misfortune to have to purchase a new desktop PC. As I was moving files, I came across some photographs taken just as I was finishing my first year as the Member-at-Large for Conferences and Communications in late 2005.

The photograph above shows my daughters Ashley and Chelsea in the fall of 2005 during one of our annual visits to the “Mouse House” in California. Compare it to the photograph on the right of Ashley as Sarah Palin this Halloween and you’ll know why I feel like I’ve entered a time warp. I now know that it’s time to listen to what I’ve been telling others, slow down, enjoy your time and take time for family. As my good friend and co-worker Kay Eldridge continues to tell me, “Don’t be so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” Easy words to say, but for those of us in public service, they’re not so easy to live by.

It is also time for me to refocus my energies back to the City of Yuma. Those who have come to know me know that I live, eat, and breathe Yuma. For the past couple of years, I’ve only been doing that about 50% of the time. With the current economic conditions, and although Yuma’s economy is still strong, it’s probably time to get back to work at my real job and keep the world’s attention focused on our community out here in the Southwest.

So why am I telling you all this, you ask? In the House of Delegates meeting at the Columbus conference, Past President Dennis Magee discussed an interesting concept in regard to the future of the Academy. What if we were to stop thinking of ourselves first as members of individual Societies and began to regard ourselves as members of the American Academy of Certified Public Managers® first? Kind of like considering ourselves an American as opposed to being a Texan or a Yuman--or something like a member of the American Academy of Certified Public Managers®, Florida Chapter.

What does this mean? Let me try to explain this issue that I care deeply about. I’ll try to convey Dennis’ thoughts through my worn-out brain’s interpretation. I guess in concept it means that we need to think of ourselves as Academy members first and foremost with an allegiance to our home Societies.

To build on Dennis’ idea, I recommended that we form an Ad-Hoc committee of interested Past Academy Presidents and dedicated Society representatives to begin to look at how we can change the way we think about ourselves, the way we’re structured, and the way we do business. No one knows the trials, tribulations, heartache, pleasures and joy leading our great organization can bring than these individuals.

As we all know, we originally organized ourselves as a "bottom up" organization, instead of “top down.”  Actually, we’re a middle feeding both up and down type of organization. Our local Societies feed information up to the Academy and down to the Chapters (if they exist in particular states). Unfortunately, our system sometimes doesn’t seem to be working as well as it was designed or intended to do.

We’re an organization that has reached its 20th year. We’ve grown beyond the toddler years, through adolescence, and now we’re entering adulthood. Perhaps we aren’t the same organization we were in the 1980’s. Our membership base has changed; time and circumstances have changed; and perhaps we need to change a little bit too.

To form the committee, a challenge was sent to all Society and Past Academy Presidents to work on a task force to further explore Dennis’ ideas. Some folks tried to derail the process before it got started by offering their opinions about the final product before we’d even formed a committee. But, in the end, we had several dedicated members step forward and offer their talents to work on this important issue. Those academy members that stepped up are Dennis Magee, Tom Patterson, Ron Buchholz, Bill Herman, Larry Totten, Dennis Magee, Nancy DeWitt, Bobby Ann Clark, George Askew, Debbie Smith, Jeff Kramer, Keith Heaton, Jerry McCarthy, Charlene Cutting, Fred Levinson, David Osborne, Becky Bryant, and Deb Bourbeau.

Now, to the point, after a lot of soul searching, I’ve decided that as my year is winding down it wouldn’t be right for me to spearhead this project. I feel that this should be one of President Steve’s committees, and we have agreed that his Presidency will oversee this special team.

My thanks to those members who have volunteered. I’ll be right there working with you, as a member of the team, when we get rolling early next year.

So, as I wrap up my final President’s Message, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our Academy members for making this a very memorable year. I’d also like to thank those close friends that have been there when I needed them most: Ron, Bill, Larry, Jeff, Deb, Debbie, and Becky--I couldn’t have lived through it without you. We are the strong organization we are because of you.

The years ahead will be challenging. We will have to find new and more efficient ways of doing things. We will have to learn to change as the times change, adapt to our changing membership base. And we’ll do this and more because we ARE Certified Public Managers®--the best and the brightest public sector managers in the world.

All the best to my CPM family, always!

© Copyright 2008, American Association of Certified Public Managers®