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Looking
Ahead
By Betty Braden
Many presidents of organizations use their final column to
write about what has been accomplished during their year as
a leader. While this is good and useful information, I have
chosen to invite you to take a look at what lies ahead for
you, your Bar association and NABE.
In order to position ourselves to look ahead, we need to
know what changes are taking place now and how these changes
may affect our future. One way to capture information about
changes is through environmental scanning. For those of you
whose Bars are engaged in environmental scanning, you know
it is an ongoing process. For those of you who are not familiar
with the process, environmental scanning is defined by ASAE
as the "systematic and continuous effort to search for
important cues about how the world is changing and how they
will affect an organization.- internal and external."
Here at the State Bar of Wisconsin, we are engaged in environmental
scanning that has revealed many important trends. For example,
-national demographic trends indicate that over the next
25 years, the American population will undergo significant
demographic changes. One impact on our members and our
Bars will be a rising demand by consumers for expert guidance
in probate, estate planning and elder law issues and our
subsequent ability to provide quality products and services
relevant to members’ practice in these areas;
-there is an increased reliance on and expectation that
online technology will meet most professional and personal
needs for information, research, training, education and
commerce. Most certainly our Bars will need to meet more
and more of our members’ needs with online services;
-economic pressures on law firms, attorneys, and members
are changing their ability to volunteer and are affecting
their purchase patterns. This information indicates that
we need to seize opportunities to create new products
and services aimed at these changing economic pressures,
such as offering career resources, adapting our volunteer
opportunities to meet members’ needs, and offering
more online legal information that addresses the needs
of pressured attorneys.
It’s no secret that change is affecting us all. NABE
is no exception. Your association is clearly embracing change
to respond to members needs and will continue to do so into
the future. You can look forward to:
- receiving Bar Executive, NABE’s newsletter,
online. Online publishing of Bar Executive will
significantly reduce printing and mailing costs and with
that savings allow us to enhance our website, nabenet.org.
;
- the creation of groups of members to address the critical
issues which change generates for us in our home Bars and
for NABE. Special teams such as Knowledge Management and
Leadership Development will work on our behalf with new
teams being created as they are needed;
- opportunities for you to share information and develop
knowledge through committees, forums and sections; and
- expanded leveraging of NABE financial and people resources
to enhance efficiency, responsiveness, and service to members
under the leadership of the Board of Directors.
But most importantly, you can look forward to the creation
of a blueprint for change that will ensure that NABE remains
relevant to you. In September, your Board of Directors will
conduct planning for the future of NABE. This planning will
be based upon our association’s strengths as identified
by Board members in April along with opportunities arising
out of those strengths.
The future of NABE is in great hands. You have elected committed,
enthusiastic leaders who will work hard to increase the value
of your association to you.
I do want to thank every member who has contributed time
and talent this year to benefit your NABE colleagues. Your
contribution is greatly valued by us all. I also extend my
appreciation to our Division for Bar Services staff for the
great support they continue to provide for NABE.
Since this is my last column as your president, I’d
like to leave you with Garrison Keillor’s daily sign
off from his NPR show, "The Writer’s Almanac."
Be well.
Do good work, and
Keep in touch.
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