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Individual influence
By Barbara Gibson, ABC | July 23rd, 2008
I love it when things that other people do (completely independently of me) align with something I believe in. I’ve been talking about our responsibility, both as an association and as individuals, to influence our profession and the world. And up pops a member who took it upon herself to do just that, and made a difference.
Lana Collins, ABC, a member of the Newfoundland & Labrador chapter in Canada, was surfing a government employment website, and noticed that under the “communication” category there were options to indicate membership in or accreditation by other organizations, but IABC and the ABC were not mentioned. So Lana contacted the responsible Canadian government agency to point out the oversight and get IABC added. A small action, that has had a positive impact for IABC, raising our visibility with the Canadian government as well as with job-seekers, and elevating the importance of the ABC accreditation.
It’s the kind of small opportunity for influencing that we each come across regularly. And it’s easy to say, “IABC should do something about that,” and continue on our way, or even be critical of the fact that “they” haven’t done anything before now. But as a long-time member and volunteer, Lana knows that “they” is really “we,” so she took the initiative. Great going, Lana! That proves at least two of the I’s in one fell swoop.