Leadership
AAPG Needs to Adapt to Change
At this point in the year, the outgoing president of AAPG should have said all he/she intended to say. So, it may make sense to reiterate some of what I have said in the past.
I believe it is important for AAPG to take a long-term view of its future. We have the potential to make great strides as an organization in the next 25 years. This is not only in the number of members, but in the manner in which we serve those members. Our membership will become more international in nature and at some point, we will begin to get younger as young professionals continue to enter our ranks. As this happens, the needs of our membership and the manner in which we connect with them will change.
I wish I were able to tell you what those changes will be and what the HoD needs to do to position AAPG so we can adapt to the impending changes and take full advantage of them. Unfortunately, it has become obvious to me that my experiences as a young professional 40 years ago have little or no relevance to the young professionals of today. When I started in this industry, the employee was expected to adapt to the needs of the company. Today, the companies are changing their policies to adapt to the needs of their employees. In a similar manner, we will need to adapt to the changing expectations and requirements of our membership.
My final thought is that the old adage that we have always done things this way and there is no need to change may not be the best long-term course of action.