“Launching our careers, our organization and our profession to new heights”
Woodrow Wilson said, “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” Fast change was one part of the innovative IAAO U40 Leadership Lab motto and we are embracing change now as we step into the future of new professionals under Launch Pad.
Launch Pad is now the first step for career advancement, future engagement, networking, and organizational onboarding. This shift in focus is not just a renaming, but a comprehensive approach to leave no person behind, no member disengaged.
Launch Pad Goals
RPM (Recruit, Promote, Mentor) summarizes our goals. These are verbs, not ideas, and they require action. But, action without a plan is never a good idea. Here’s the plan:
Recruit
Assessing has a reputation as an “accidental profession.” Our goal is to cultivate an industry culture where recruitment is taking place at the high school and college levels. Launch Pad will be tasked with creating a road map that can be used all over the world to showcase our industry at job fairs and universities and provide local governments with internship plans to entice new talent. It will leverage new leaders in our profession to continue extolling the tangible and intangible benefits of a career in public service.
Promote!
We will encourage our Launch Pad members to become more active members in the IAAO. Launch Pad will be a starting point to educate members about the IAAO mission and the benefits of membership. Launch Pad will promote individual education, IAAO Professional Designations, and the Emerging Leaders’ Summit. It will provide opportunities to teach, to engage with peers on projects, and to network. In time, members will be encouraged to grow and volunteer to serve in various capacities: on task forces, in committees, and, ultimately, on the Board of Directors! This is a great way to begin one’s journey to a rewarding and active membership in IAAO by engaging with peers who have common interests and are in similar stages professionally, even if their ages are different.
Mentor
Launch Pad will provide an opportunity for organic mentorship to occur at the peer-to-peer level. In a more structured environment, Launch Pad will refer our members to the newly formed IAAO mentorship program “Value In Exchange.” New professionals will have a place to get their foot in the door through the IAAO Launch Pad while taking an active role in our organization and launching their careers to new heights.
Launch Pad will Recruit, Promote, and Mentor a visionary path to the future where it can be self-sustaining and serve as the launching point for each new group without the constraints of age. The goal is to continuously engage new members and promote current members to move forward to greater endeavors for the organization so that Launch Pad does not fizzle out.
Launch Pad will determine a process to keep a record of the IAAO members who are a part of our group in order to intentionally provide opportunities to interact and engage in activities throughout the year. This will foster a sense of belonging and encourage members to take advantage of our strongest asset in the IAAO – the people.
Launch Pad webinar
Launch Pad is hosting a webinar on Feb. 26 at noon Central on Seeing the Soul, Not the Disability. For more information see the event page.
Register for webinar