I hired a landscaper
to do some work on my yard, whose main job was to cut down two small
trees in the front yard.
Concerned
about how the job was progressing, I called him at the end of the
day from work (it seems that all contractors now have cell phones
for easy access). When I asked about the trees, he said "Sure, I
cut down all four of 'em!"
And I'm
thinking, there are only four trees in my front yard — two that
were small, two that were very large — but when pressed on the
matter he insisted that he had cut down four trees!
After a
few choice words, I rushed home to gratefully find my two large
trees still standing and the two small trees gone. When I asked
him about the four trees, he smiled like he was talking to a child
and said, "Look h'yar, you can see that the maple had one trunk,
and the redbud had three trunks. That's four!"
Now I understood.
I also understood how I would be charged for the job.
Communication,
of course, is everything. Even though this workman had a cell phone,
he and I were still not communicating. I find this is often true
with Association work.
This year
we will be making a special effort to communicate opportunities
for members and goals for the Association.
One basic
opportunity for members is volunteerism. There are numerous committees
that cater to a variety of interests in the geosciences. Many of
these committees are looking for new members. It is good for the
Association to find new members with new ideas.
The Membership
Committee, for example, is expanding this year. This committee will
be looking for additional help to drive the Membership Enhancement
and Development Program, to be led again this year by past president
Dan Smith. The Membership Committee, chaired by Jeff Lund, also
will be charged with evaluating the interests of certain member
subsets. For example, we will be looking at the needs of our retired
members to see how AAPG can better serve our senior members.
If you
are interested in volunteering for any of AAPG's committees, please
review the committees of
AAPG and if there is a committee you would like to join, please
contact the committee chair.
If you
have questions and cannot reach the committee chair, please contact
me at 1-800-364-2274.
We always
need volunteers for AAPG's meetings. The fourth annual fall APPEX
Prospect and Property Exposition will be held Sept. 14-16 in
Houston. This show features prospects and properties from around
the world and is a great networking opportunity. We are expecting
over 2,000 participants, and many volunteers are needed to run the
show. You do not necessarily need to be located in Houston, so if
you are interested, please contact Michelle Mayfield Gentzen at 1-800-397-4141, ext. 2618 (1-918-560-2618).
AAPG also
continually looks for good submittals for the BULLETIN and special
publications. This is a great opportunity to share knowledge with
your peers, which is one of the basic missions of AAPG. All members
are encouraged to consider sharing his or her work and discoveries
in print. It is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your profession.
If you
are interested in providing a submittal — or just have a good idea
— please contact Geoscience Director Jack Thomas at 1-800-364-2274, ext. 649 (1-918-560-2649).
Jack also
is the person to contact if you are interested in developing a short
course or field trip for AAPG.
Please
note that these opportunities to volunteer are not just for the
benefit of AAPG. Once I started volunteering, I received much more
in return for my professional development.
Making
new contacts are key to successful careers — and working as a volunteer
over time can help build a great network.