Elizabeth Allan, ABC, CAE she may leave IABC, but she'll never be forgotten by IABC.Elizabeth Allan Elizabeth Allan may be:
in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , CAE (1) (Computer-Aided Engineering) Software that analyzes designs which have been created in the computer or that have been created elsewhere and entered into the computer. , tendered her resignation effective January 15 after 22 years with IABC IABC International Association of Business Communicators IABC Indo-Americans for Better Community , five of them as president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . This interview was conducted in early December, shortly after she notified the executive board and staff of her decision. How did you first become involved with IABC? I was working about 25 years ago as the newly hired communication manager for a major corporation in Toronto; a dewy-eyed English major The English Major (alternatively English concentration, B.A. in English) is a term for an undergraduate university degree in the United States and a few other countries which focuses on the study of literature in the English language (the term may also be used to describe a student charged with starting an employee publication, in two languages. The designer I used diplomatically suggested that I might find IABC a helpful organization to join. I'd also just read an article about IABC in a major Canadian publication written by Kay Staib, who unfortunately is no longer with us but was a key IABC leader and mentor for many people. So I thought I'd take myself along to a Toronto chapter meeting and see what there was to learn, because, heaven knows, I needed to learn. Toronto chapter leaders, including Gary Schlee, ABC, Roger Feather, ABC, and others, warmly welcomed me. I remember that first meeting so well. Before I knew it, not only was I getting the help I needed to do my job better but I was also asked to serve on a committee. I wound up running the "Rookie Series" and attending. It was a great way to meet the city's veteran communicators as I asked them to lead sessions. They taught me well, because I ultimately became communication manager working in the full spectrum of employee communication, investor relations Investor relations The process by which the corporation communicates with its investors. , media relations, and consumer relations. As a volunteer leader, I met John Bailey John Bailey may refer to one of the following people:
In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. the next challenge in my career, I wrote John about job opportunities in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden and at IABC headquarters. He asked me to send my resume. I flew down for a job interview and two months later moved to San Francisco to work for IABC as director of chapter and district relations. I thought I'd stay for a couple of years, but my positions, the organization, and the challenges continued to change and engage me. What's never ceased to amaze me is that my first experience so long ago at an IABC chapter remains consistent in every IABC chapter I've visited around the world. There is the same welcome and the same spirit of sharing knowledge for everone's success. That's very special. What changes in the communication profession in general have you observed since you first became involved in IABC? More of just about everything: More speed. More media. More complexity. Faster rate of change. Higher expectations. Blurring with other fields. More people able to use new technology to "communicate," More connection required with other fields and managers. More stress. More challenge. More opportunity. How has IABC evolved in providing members with information and services to respond to these changes? The organization's focus has always been on creating community and content to help communicators succeed and help their organizations and clients succeed. There has been an evolution, however, both in the nature of the content and in how it is offered. Offering content and community through electronic media is probably the most noticeable change over the years. Content itself has shifted in several ways--evolving from tactical to strategic, from derivative to original, from past to future. Some examples: The programming at international conference now is mid- to senior-level and focused on strategic issues. Knowledge manuals are now original material commissioned from authors rather than compilations of work samples. With the IABC Research Foundation, IABC generated its first environmental scan to help members anticipate and prepare themselves and their organizations for the future. And, of course, IABC offers far more programming in response to the new media. In addition, the organization has become even more global, expanding the community available to members. And TalkingBusinessNow.com has tremendous potential to help communicators integrate their work with other management functions to generate even more profound results for their organizations. I think IABC's new brand definition really sums up the evolution that has occurred: "IABC is an international network of professionals who are committed to improving the effectiveness of organizations through communication that is strategic, interactive, integrated and a management function." In my view, that points the organization in the right direction. In looking back, what are some of the highs and lows you've experienced as an IABC leader? Far more highs than lows. Well, there was an international conference way back when in Dallas that featured the dancing armadillo armadillo (är'mədĭl`ō), New World armored mammal of the order Edentata, a group that also includes the sloth and the anteater, characterized by peglike teeth without roots or enamel. incident and running out of food at night out...but we won't go into that here. The best part of IABC is the people--visiting chapters and being inspired by the gift volunteers give of their time and talent to this organization. What do you consider the most important issues facing communicators--and IABC as an association--today? Given all the marketplace issues I mentioned--among them, speed, new media, complexity, thinking globally--there is a huge demand for the results communicators can produce. But I think that means communicators need to reinvent re·in·vent tr.v. re·in·vent·ed, re·in·vent·ing, re·in·vents 1. To make over completely: "She reinvented Indian cooking to fit a Western kitchen and a Western larder" themselves--perpetually. IABC must continue to help communicators reinvent themselves and reinvent itself as well. That began with the new brand definition and with TalkingBusinessNow.com and will continue, I'm sure. If you were starting your professional communication career today, what would you do differently-if anything? I really transferred from a communication career to an association management career, taking all my communication skill sets with me. I would say communicators now are far better prepared coming into the field than they were 20-plus years ago. Most have communication degrees; many have business degrees-a very powerful combination. How would you describe your style of leadership? I think it's crucial to adapt your leadership style to an organization's culture. IABC's culture is highly collaborative, inclusive and consensus-based. My leadership style has been a good fit for that culture. In association work, you must quickly generate rapport, relationship, and trust with a constantly changing set of volunteer leaders. I tried to be a catalyst for volunteers' spirit and commitment to the field and to the organization. And, with the inevitable tough times, I scraped together enough of a sense of humour Noun 1. sense of humour - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humor, humor, humour to remember to take the work, but not myself, seriously. Membership has grown considerably since you became president and CEO. To what do you attribute this success? The effort that IABC chapter leaders make to recruit and retain members always has had a tremendous effect on IABC's overall growth. We've tried to offer more support in that area over the years. This year, we added more aggressive member development campaigns from the international level that are beginning to pay off. A key factor in growth is value. I was pleased the organization enjoyed its highest member satisfaction level ever this past year. Generating value, of course, is a perpetual challenge. Ever-increasing customer expectations and a changing marketplace mean the job is never done. You've certainly contributed a great deal to IABC; what do you feel you've received from IABC? It's the people, absolutely. I've been so privileged to have met such wonderful people in so many countries. And to have worked with such a dedicated staff of professionals. IABC is an organization with great heart. In your letter to members, you say you plan to take some time off to travel and to "reinvent" yourself. Can you share with us some of your goals for the future? When I told Jack O'Dwyer [editor of Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter, a communication/PR trade publication] that I planned to reinvent myself, he said: "Really? Most people are quite happy with themselves as they are." Perhaps I've lived in California so long that terms like "reinvent" seem normal to me! But I used that term because I'm so convinced that communicators and IABC are in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of a "reinvention transition." In my own case, I've had a communication management career and an association management career, so I'm looking forward to generating my next career. First, I'll sleep for a few weeks, then travel with my husband for a while, and then I'll look at what's next. After spending nearly half my life with IABC, I'm excited about the possibilities. RELATED ARTICLE: One of the best parts of my experience as IABC chairman was the opportunity to work closely with Elizabeth. Her vision for the organization and her graciousness as a person really stood out We had a chance to get some things started in Europe, in particular, that hope will be part of her legacy with ABC. will miss the contact I've had with her during more than 20 years in IABC. DAVE A file sharing program from Thursby Software Systems, Inc., Arlington, TX (www.thursby.com) that allows a Macintosh to share files with a PC. Designed specifically for and needing installation only on the Mac, DAVE works with Microsoft's native SMB/CIFS file sharing protocols and uses SEIFERT, ABC, IABC CHAIRMAN 1999-2000 I remember Elizabeth first and foremost for her gracious and conciliatory con·cil·i·ate v. con·cil·i·at·ed, con·cil·i·at·ing, con·cil·i·ates v.tr. 1. To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease. 2. brand of professionalism, together with her superior communication skills, which have been enormous assets to our association. Diligent, hardworking, democratic, smart and focused are all attributes of Elizabeth. Years ago I realized just how fortunate we were when I compared notes with volunteers in other professional associations who did NOT have an Elizabeth Allan asking "What can we do to help you?" or providing thoughtful counsel on how to make things better. As a fellow Canadian, I have been very proud of Elizabeth's many, many contributions to our association and profession. CHRISTOPHER H. BUNTING bunting, common name for small, plump birds of the family Fringillidae (finch family). Among the American buntings are the indigo bunting, in which the summer plumage of the male reflects sunlight as a rich, metallic blue; the painted bunting, or nonpareil ( , ABC IABC CHAIRMAN 1985-1986 My strongest memory is before my year as IABC chairwoman; in fact it's 10 years old. It relates to the now defunct Multicultural Communicator's Committee (MCC (The Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, Austin, TX) The first high-tech research and development consortium in the U.S., created in 1982 by leading companies within the electronics industry. ). Elizabeth was the staff liaison for the MCC during the time I chaired that group. In her role, Elizabeth was very supportive and insightful regarding how we could make IABC a truly diverse association. We see the results now especially through sessions and speakers at the international conference and from the makeup of the executive board. In that regard, I feel that Elizabeth's legacy will live on. BRENDA C. SILER, IABC CHAIRWOMAN 1998-1999 One of Elizabeth's many leadership qualities that I have admired but may have taken for granted Adj. 1. taken for granted - evident without proof or argument; "an axiomatic truth"; "we hold these truths to be self-evident" axiomatic, self-evident obvious - easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind; "obvious errors" is her natural gift as a "communicator's communicator." If communication is the transfer of meanings and the building of relationships among people, Elizabeth, in both sending and receiving information, either one-on-one or with massive audiences, is a true role model for communication clarity, receptivity, style, grace, intelligence and efficiency. With Elizabeth, IABC has had a president and CEO who embodies the professional principles at the very heart of our association. DON BRUUN, ABC, IABC CHAIRMAN 1996-1997 I will always remember Elizabeth's passion for IABC, strong work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work , love of cranberry juice Noun 1. cranberry juice - the juice of cranberries (always diluted and sweetened) fruit crush, fruit juice - drink produced by squeezing or crushing fruit and the way she made me feel like a valued partner and adviser. Thank you, Elizabeth, for all your support during my year as ABC chairman and for your 22 years of dedicated service to IABC. JOHN FINNEY, IABC CHAIRMAN 1997-1998 New from California The Language War ROBIN TOLMACH LAKOFF "In a series of provocative, dazzlingly argued essays, Lakoff charts how the media's use of language shapes both public attitudes and social policies on current events....Witty and illuminating, Lakoff's analysis is an important addition to both linguistic and political studies." Publishers Weekly $24.95 hardcover The Copyeditor's Handbook A Guide for Book Publishing book publishing. The term publishing means, in the broadest sense, making something publicly known. Usually it refers to the issuing of printed materials, such as books, magazines, periodicals, and the like. and Corporate Communications Corporate communications is the process of facilitating information and knowledge exchanges with internal and key external groups and individuals that have a direct relationship with an enterprise. With Exercises and Answer Keys AMY A`my´ n. 1. A friend. EINSOHN "A basic text for beginning copyeditors and a good read for old pros, this handbook will also enlighten any editor contemplating freelance work freelance work free n → freiberufliche Arbeit f ." Margaret Mahan, former Managing Editor, University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including , and editor of The Chicago Manual of Style "This book warms the cockles cockles saponariaofficinalis. of the copyediting heart, It is thorough, useful, helpful, and smart. And it fills a huge vacuum. Constance Hale, author of Sin and Syntax $35.00 hardcover $19.95 paperback Creating the Corporate Soul The Rise of Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most and Corporate Imagery in American Big Business ROLAND MARCHAND NEW IN PAPERBACK "Thoroughly researched and beautifully illustrated... [Marchand's] conclusion is wall earned: big busness may not have found a soul but it found a reasonably I social facsimile of one." New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Book Review $29.95 paperback |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion