LAMA Lines

LAMA President’s Corner

President's Message - February 2008

New Strategic Plan for LAMA

How would you describe the current reality of LAMA? If you could change one thing about LAMA, what would it be? Throughout the first part of 2008, LAMA Members will have the first time opportunity to take an active role in the development of our new Five-Year Strategic Plan. The lengthy multiple stage process will allow us plenty of time to not only develop the plan but to also integrate the plan into the workings of LAMA, unlike our prior plans which were developed solely by the Board under time restraints. Regina Correa-Murphy and Fred Douglas will be leading the development of the new plan, along with referencing our prior strategic plans which can be found in the LAMA Leadership Manual posted on the website.

At the Portland LAMA/ATA Annual Meeting, attendees will be taking the first step by working on identifying the goals for the new plan. Using open-ended questions to encourage our members to challenge existing perceptions and practices, such as, what can we do to help make our relationship with the lab animal community better to move the organization forward or is there something that you think we should start or stop doing? In addition, open-ended questions will allow for critical discussion on how our organization is run, through asking questions like what sort of information exchange and membership services would you like LAMA to provide you on a frequent basis?

We often find ourselves working in corporate cultures that discourage questions, especially those that challenge existing assumptions and policies. We can become better leaders by asking effective open-ended questions to accomplish our goals, be more empowered, reduce resistance to change, and create a culture willing to try new ideas. Over the next five years, how prepared is the membership to handle the complex problems that confront LAMA? What are your beliefs about how the volunteer leaders ought to conduct the management of LAMA? How can the board hold the contracted staff accountable for membership services?

Following the Portland Meeting, the proposed goals will be disseminated to the overall membership for a period of feedback gathering and soliciting what LAMA can do for you. In terms of what resources are you looking for LAMA to provide the membership and how can LAMA contribute to your professional success? How could we communicate leadership decisions more effectively?

Using the feedback received, a finalized Strategic Plan will be reviewed by the LAMA Board of Directors during the Fall Board Meeting that will be held in conjunction with the Indianapolis AALAS Meeting. The finalized Strategic Plan will be publicized to the membership and timeline measures will be put into place for us to keep our focus on the plan’s goals. Our common LAMA values and perceptions should emerge from this overall process.

Please consider taking an active and critical role in the LAMA Strategic Planning Process. After all, LAMA’s 23 years of existence is due to your membership and support.

Kim
Kimberly.Edgar@Dartmouth.edu

References:
Marquardt, Michael. Leading with Questions. How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask. Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint. 2005.

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