5 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org From the PLSO Office Ronnie Jacko ronnie@llmpubs.com | 503-445-2234 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, explained it as “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” I think it’s safe to say that we are at a crossroads. The dominoes have been falling and we need to decide how we are going to grow from the experience. I say this with love because I know that land surveyors aren’t keen on change. In all fairness, land surveying practices have been around since 1400 BC when the Egyptians used measuring ropes to accurately divide land into plots. A big exciting change happened in 120 BC when the Greeks invented the first surveying tool, the diopter, which was used to measure and map the positions of the stars. Then someone else came along in the 16th century and asked “what if” before adapting it to specific land surveying needs and renamed it theodolite. (Bill Gates wasn’t around to suggest 2.0.) In the 18th century, a series of tweaks and additions were made to the theodolite, but for the most part, the basic principles of land surveying stayed the same for thousands of years. With the invention of computers came satellites, GIS, laser scanners, and more, making the world faster and on demand. Through all that time, empires rose and fell, the United States was created (by part-time land surveyors, mind you) and our own country kept changing —an Act of Congress to explore the coasts and an Industrial Revolution later, land surveying became a full-time career, and you’ve all pretty much been insanely busy ever since, despite the occasional recession. Who has time for personal change with all that happening? The world continues to get faster and busier. We have no control over it. Companies that are the most adaptive to change are going to get ahead and the ones that resist will be left behind. Whether that means technology, employee retention, or succession planning. PLSO is in the middle of this process as well. We need to fill our Board ChairElect for next year, soon. I often wonder if the Board should be reorganized in a way that you don’t have to be a past Chapter President to serve in this role. Would we get more interest in leadership? Does the current overall structure of the Board need to change? What leadership programs can we provide to help develop associate members into involved corporate members? (Past Chair Jeremy Sherer has been working on this question —look out for the Emerging Leaders program soon. Feel free to email him for more information.) If any of our members have some thoughts on these questions, please feel free to contact me at execdirector@plso.org. Because we are a member-led organization, the Board collectively captains the ship. I am but a steward, just like the ones that came before me. It’s the members that remain constant and change. A bit like a revolving door, of course. Help me help you, and become a leader. “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” —Henry Ford
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTY1NDIzOQ==