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CEO's message |
Members matter most
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The GCSAA staff has adopted a mantra of customer service that is best summed up as "members matter most." This focus -- which is really how the staff has always done business -- was articulated last year prior to the Atlanta conference and show and has been ingrained in the staff as an operating principle.
The essence of this philosophy is that GCSAA members are the center of our universe, the reason why GCSAA exists and why we construct and maintain programs and services. We try to live up to that mantra every day, whether it involves a phone call with you or an e-mail from you, something at the GIS, or producing a webcast.
One way you can help us refine what matters most is to complete the Member Needs Assessment, which went out Nov. 15 to members with e-mail addresses in GCSAA's database. Those without e-mail were sent a postcard with instructions on how to take the survey online.
The assessment collects vital information on changes in your professional needs, which in turn gives us direction in creating new member programs.
GCSAA hasn't conducted such an assessment for several years, but it's clear that such surveys are essential for evaluating the association's performance over time. You can be assured that these needs assessments will occur more regularly.
The survey is being conducted by a third-party research company, and all responses go directly to that company for tabulation and reporting to the association. The assessment takes only about 15 minutes, and your responses are anonymous. It's possible you could see some of the programmatic results of the survey late next year, but certainly beginning in 2008.
I urge you to participate in the assessment and help us determine the future programs and services that will most help you in your professional career. No one knows what your needs are better than you, and no one is in a better position to give us that input.
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With next month's issue of GCM, you'll notice some changes. The GCM staff has been working on a redesign of the magazine for the last year, and you'll see the results of that project next month. The last redesign of the publication was rolled out in September of 2002 to extremely positive feedback from GCSAA members and our industry, as well as a Folio: Best Magazine Redesign award -- considered the "Oscar" of the magazine publishing industry.
However, the magazine business is competitive, and we can't rest on our laurels if we want to stay relevant and current. So besides a new look to the magazine, you'll also see enhancements to the editorial content, with new sections and new columns, including columns from GCM staff members.
One of the changes with the redesign will be an end to this monthly column. It's been my privilege over the past two years to address you each month, and I assure you I'm not going away. I regularly communicate with the board of directors, past presidents, chapter leaders, committee members and industry partners. This will continue, as will my talks to GCSAA members both here at headquarters and out on the road. And don't be surprised if I pop up occasionally here in the pages of GCM.
I've said in this column before that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The changes coming up in GCM are simply new ways for us to acknowledge that "members matter most."
RECENT issues
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November |
October 2006 |