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April/May 2006 Issue
It's about the right people
by Darrell Anderson
As I write this editorial, we’ve just completed our NSR annual meeting. It was reassuring to see the quality of leadership we have been blessed with in this organization. We had plenty of good news to report at the meeting, as the department managers all gave enthusiastic and professional reports on the successes enjoyed in each of the segments this past year.
We operated in the black, and all departments reported increased revenue streams. And, of course, we always take pride in the Long-Range Strategic Plan that was adopted seven years ago, with the input of many NSR members. It has been a very successful document that has given us a “road map” to use as we’ve charted our way through some rough waters at times.
However, as I prepared my annual report to be shared with the membership, I couldn’t help but reflect back to a quote I saw recently from General Colin Powell, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was giving his insight into factors affecting successful leadership, and he summarized by saying, “Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”
Wow – that pretty well sums it up. The best laid plans of man really are not effective without the “right people” to carry out the assignments. That is so true here at NSR. It applies to our membership, our boards of directors and our staff.
We are blessed, as are most species of pedigreed livestock, with some of the finest folks of high integrity in the world. For the most part, they understand the values of raising a family in the country and the role that a pedigreed livestock project can play in the development of young lives.
Our breeders believe in the value of the “next generation” – both in terms of stock and young people. If you’re a member of NSR, you are a part of a very special family of livestock enthusiasts and you should count your blessings.
Regarding the leadership of the directors on our partner boards, I couldn’t be prouder of them. It was their commitment and forward thinking that created the NSR over 12 years ago. Whether you realize it or not, that feat alone is the envy of many cattle associations and other specie groups. They all want to emulate the effort, but most find too many roadblocks when they attempt to accomplish it within their own organization.
Our breed board of directors and NSR Executive Committee members are excellent examples of board members that truly put their own personal gain behind them and make decisions based on the best interests of the organization as a whole. Trust me – that’s hard to find in some associations!
Now let me brag on what I truly believe is the best group of employees ever assembled at the National Swine Registry. If General Powell is accurate, and I truly believe he is, then the success of NSR is greatly impacted by our ability to “attract the best people.”
Many times someone will comment to me regarding how difficult and challenging my job as CEO must be. Well, let me share a secret with you. It’s really very easy, because I have been blessed with an incredible bunch of folks that are passionate about their jobs and want to serve the membership more than anything else.
Their commitment and professionalism amazes me at times, and it is reflected in the quality of the service – whether it be the fast turn-around time and friendly service from the pedigree department; the high quality and effective results generated by an ad from the communications staff; the muscle quality data collected by the commercial services division; a successful show and sale hosted by the shows/services division; or a young person whose life has been changed by the NJSA.
So, I want to recognize the people that make my life easy and hopefully enrich your lives with the services provided from our office. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the following staff members for making themselves available to fulfill our goal of “attracting the right people” to this organization.
I could write paragraphs about each of them, but space doesn’t permit, so here’s a special thanks to Robin, Lisa, Rhonda, Jessica, Julie, Carrie, Mike, Rick, Jennifer, Katey, Christy, Megan, Dan, Elaine, Sam, Ralph, Kade and Linda. Because of your talent and dedication, NSR has been able to “accomplish great deeds.”
