GLTPA Director's Notes - Feb. 2012

By: Henry Schienebeck

Greetings,

Are you an ACE? What is an ACE anyway? ACE is an acronym for three words as leadership speaker Wayne McNamara puts it.

The “A” in ACE stands for Adaptable. Adaptable means adjustable, flexible, variable, and versatile. Being adaptable also means that a person can be a master of change, is teachable, creative and service minded. The individual (or organization) who will succeed and flourish are masters of change.

The “C” in ACE stands for committed. Committed is to pledge or assign to some particular course or use. Author Tom Robins said, “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when the circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results”. Commitment also unlocks the doors of imagination which allows vision and gives the right tools for thoughts to become reality.

The “E” in ACE stands for enthusiastic. Enthusiastic means earnest, eager, wholehearted, zealous and passionate. Being enthusiastic or having enthusiasm is the inspiration that makes us “Wake up and Live.” It puts the twinkle in our eyes, the spring in our steps, the spring in our hearts, and gives us confidence in ourselves and our fellow man.

Starting with “Adaptable”’ some businesses and entrepreneurs have always been masters of change which is why those who like to keep things status quo have usually found themselves struggling or out of business altogether. There are many great examples of businesses that have looked to the future, kept up with future trends and, are not only surviving, but thriving in today’s business world. Adaptable also means that a person has to be teachable. Albert Einstein said doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Being teachable means many things. First it means taking responsibility for results achieved to a point in time. Teachable also means learning from ones mistakes by analyzing results, comparing them to the desired results and seeking information which will help achieve the desired result. In other words, getting different results from information that has produced fruit on the tree so to speak.

Being “Committed” is almost an icon for forestry professionals. Lord knows the pay is not always attractive, yet anyone in forestry seems to never leave. Forestry professionals are always committed to production results; however, speaking from personal experience, I am not sure they are always committed to their financial results. What that means is often we learn how to produce a product such as pulpwood; we then produce the product and let the financial results dictate our lifestyle. According to some wealthy folks like Robert Kiosaki we should first decide what we want, learn how to do whatever it is from some who has the results and do the work they did to get the results. Makes sense doesn’t it? In other words we could decide what results we want from the business, make a business plan that includes how much production is needed, and do the work to get the results. Keep in mind it is often necessary make midstream adjustments to stay on track. It is also important to stay in touch with a variety of people who have the results we may be looking for.

Be “Enthusiastic”; would you agree this is where we could use some adjustment? To be perfectly honest, it’s a rare occasion to have a conversation with someone who is totally enthused and fired up to “wake up and live with a twinkle in the eyes and spring in the step” no matter what the circumstance. Speaking for myself I have never had a paying job I didn’t like. There’s been a need for attitude adjustment from time to time, but I couldn’t imagine struggling to get up in the morning knowing I was going to do a job that I hated!! Being enthusiastic is typically driven by vision. If there is no goal or vision it is most likely our get-up-and-go has gotten up and left, leaving us wandering aimlessly lost in a mundane situation with no trackable or measureable results. According to Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, this is where it becomes essential for a good organization, working toward great, to have a well-diversified forward thinking board of directors such as those of FISTA/GLTPA. The enthusiasm at the board meetings is colorful to say the least!!

“People often tell me that motivation doesn’t last, and I tell them that bathing doesn’t either. That’s why I recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar

The 2012 spring member meeting will be held April 16th followed on the 17th by the Spring Board meeting at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris Michigan near Escanaba. The slate of speakers is near completion and we will be doing a member mailing around the second week of March with full details about the event. The Island Resort has a new conference center and does a wonderful job of hosting the spring celebration so we would encourage you to mark your calendars for this special event.

We are very excited to be partnering with the Roddis Foundation to present Dr. Michael Coffman for this year’s keynote speaker. Dr. Coffman has a BS in Forestry, an MS in Biology, and a PH.D. in Forest Science. He is a respected scientist and ecologist and has been involved in ecosystem research for over twenty years in academia and the forest industry. He has also taught courses and conducted research in forest ecology and forest community dynamics for ten years at Michigan Technological University.

We had the privilege to talk with Dr. Coffman on a conference call recently and we are very excited about the information he will presenting to all of you. He will be explaining where many of the land issues we are facing are coming from and tying them into local regulations. He will also be telling us what actions need to be taken to correct the course we are on. In 2010 he published his book, Rescuing a Broken America; Why America is Deeply Divided and How We Can Heal it Constitutionally. If you care at all about your business and how to preserve your way of life for your children and grandchildren you cannot miss this talk and discussion!!!

As I write this message in mid-January the legislature is in full swing. Senate Bill 322 Relating to overweight permits was offered by Senators Galloway, Holperin, and Jauch; cosponsored by Representatives Maursau, Petrowski, Spanbauer, Tauchen, Clark, Bewely, Bernier, T. Larson, Endsley and Rivard. The bill is intended to clarify issues resulting from our misunderstanding of the phrase “connecting highways” in Act 222 which is the year round 98,000 pound six axle permit. The bill has gone through the hearing process and expected to be voted out of committee within the next two weeks for legislative action in early February. If all goes well it should be in place for the spring thaw.

Until Next Month,

Henry

Henry Schienebeck is the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA), which is headquartered in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and represents over 1000 timber industry professionals in Wisconsin and Michigan. He is also the Editor for the Great Lakes TPA magazine. Henry’s understanding of industry issues comes from 37 years in the forest products industry as an owner/operator of a trucking business and a logging operation. For more information please contact Henry at 715-282-5828 or henry@newnorth.net.