There is an old adage that 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work. Often, though I wonder if the ratio in the Region isn’t more like 5 and 95. In my last missive, I detailed briefly that in order to save money the Board had decided to suspend publication of the Straightpipe for 2009.
However, that is only part of the story. What made that difficult decision much easier was that we had no one, other than the editor Eric Kreimelmeyer, who had come forward to sell paid advertising, and no one who had provided any photos or stories on the biggest program we have—club racing. A publication without content and no revenue isn’t much of a publication I think you would have to agree.
Now granted, selling advertising in this current economy is no small task, but the Region was, and still is, willing to offer a generous commission. Moreover, three of your Board members—Eric, Evanthe Salisbury and Ian Baker — are working to establish an online version of the Straightpipe which should be up and running in a month or so. However, again without content, even an online version is going to be a pretty hollow publication.
The Straightpipe, though, is just an example of what I see as a bigger problem. Namely, the expectation of many region members that all they have to do is show up, pay their entry fee, enjoy the event and their duty to the institution is fulfilled. What makes our events great is the hard work of a relatively small number of dedicated people.
Now I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking and in recognizing people for their contributions. At the risk of overwhelming you with aphorisms, “You get more bees with honey, than with vinegar.” Therefore I am going to make it a point of recognizing people who are not Region officials, but who go an extra mile in service to all of us. Here are two examples.
- Steve Miller: Recently, we purchased five new laptops for Registration, T&S and Tech. I am not an IT guy by any stretch of the imagination. Steve volunteered to set them up and work with these integral parts of our club racing activities to resolve any problems. This was after Steve also helped set up Registration’s new printer. When I thanked Steve, he gave me a sort of “Aw shucks” look and said that he felt he had not done enough for the Region. Wow!
- Mike Collins: Everyone knows Mike. And, I suspect, everyone has an opinion of Mike. But consider this. In working with Anne Callihan and Sheila Cockey on this year’s charity event it became clear that in order to stay within the event’s budget, we could not fund any kids activities this year. Anne and Sheila went to Mike to ask for help and his response was immediate and positive — I will take care of it.
Now I want to continue to recognize folks that go the extra mile, but I can’t be everywhere all the time. So, here is my simple challenge. If you see or know of someone going the extra mile send me an email and I will recognize them in a future blog. Even better, be one of those people yourself and offer to do something. Everyone loves to see their name in print, don’t they?
See you at the track.
James Noel