Home Stretch

When I started this series, my intent was to help the average member better understand what your Board of Directors does, and what CSI, as an organization, is doing. In the past two years, we have looked at a variety of subjects, including elections, Board of Directors meetings, dues, scheduling, directors' responsibilities, public relations, and other topics I thought would be of interest. And yet, as I begin the last year of my term as Institute Director, I see that I still have much to cover.

The basis of many of my coming columns will be the priorities set by the current Executive Committee:

• Emphasize strategic direction/create new strategic plan.
• Strengthen leadership/membership connection/engage membership.
• Establish process for marketplace assessment/data-driven due diligence for new initiatives.
• Strengthen certification programs/assess viability of CAD/Data Technician certification.
• Promote CDT curriculum as an internal training program for corporations/government.
• Prioritize and complete on-going initiatives.
• Create strategic alliance with International Facility Managers Association (IFMA).
• Explore need/develop plan for a new leadership/membership convocation/conference.
• Governance and governing documents reform initiative.

I hope to say at least something about all of these, but there are a few that deserve special attention. The first of these is especially important, as the strategic plan is - or should be - the guide for everything the Board does.

The current plan appears to have been developed in 1998-1999, and has continued with little change since then. I doubt many would argue that we don't need a plan for where we're going, but I'm certain there are different opinions of what that plan should be. What should CSI be doing? Should it be focused entirely on specifiers and specifications? Should we try to expand our membership to include more of the construction industry? Is CSI the same organization it was fifty years ago?

Do you know what our strategic plan is? Although some members have read the plan and expressed opinions about it, I suspect most of our members will answer "No" to this question. Well, being September, it's back to school time, your first homework assignment is to find our official strategic plan (go to the Institute website, click on "Membership", then "CSI Strategic Plan"), read it, and be prepared to discuss it. How well have we followed our strategic plan? Where have we succeeded, and where have we failed? What parts of it have succeeded? Which should be changed?

Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA
Institute Director, North Central Region, CSI