IAAO U40 changing to IAAO Launch Pad for career advancement, networking, and onboarding
“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.
Responding to changing times requires a status check. We did this by asking a few questions. Where
are we? Where do we want to be? What is working? What can we improve
on? During the IAAO Annual Conference in Boston, we held a focus group
with passionate emerging professionals-the results of which are
innovative and inspiring! We landed on the idea that our most
important function will be to launch careers, our profession, and our
organization to new heights. Prepare for take-off as we share our vision
for IAAO Launch Pad, with a kickoff at noon Central on March 22!
Look forward to an interactive and productive networking hub and come
ready to build relationships and plot the trajectory of the IAAO Launch
Pad and the future leaders of IAAO!
Launch
Pad will now be 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.
The
Launch Pad Focus group identified three key objectives that will ensure
the future growth of our profession and the individual careers of our
members which will in turn foster growth and sustainability in the
future of the International Association of Assessing Officers.
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 the reputation as the “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 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 IAAO Launch Pad, while taking an active role in our organization
and launching their career 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.