Alabama Power Chapter IAAP Newsletter
Volume 9, Issue 7 January 2, 2013 Editor: Antoinette Woodard, CAP-OM
Alabama Power Chapter IAAP Newsletter
Inside this issue: President’s Message
2, 3
Congratulations to? Reminders
4
Birthdays
5
Hole Under Door Lock
6, 7
Procrastination
8
Associate Member Spotlight
9
Happy New Year!!
Mark your calendars:
∗ January 17 - Inverness 40 Lakeside—Bonnie Powell “Whale Done: The Power of Positive Relationships” ∗ February 21 - APY Event ∗ March 13 - Annual Seminar—Kathy Neyman “Strengths Philosophy, Personal Accountability and Leadership” ∗ April 18—Nominations and Elections ∗ April 24—Admin Day Luncheon ∗ May 16 meeting —Avery Great Results ∗ June 20—Officer Installation
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE! WOW! It’s 2013 already? Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that we were making plans for our upcoming year, looking for speakers, planning our community projects and fundraising activities and learning exactly what we are supposed to do! Time flies when you’re having fun and even though it’s been REALLY hard work, I think I can honestly say it’s been fun! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you at the meetings and hope that by the end of my term as your president, I’ll be able to put faces with names! We are so blessed to be able to meet together once a month. Membership in IAAP is not a right, it is a privilege. While many of us have the total support of our managers, unfortunately, some of us do not. Why? What is the perception among the managers that would cause them to be hesitant in supporting such a fantastic professional organization that offers opportunities to learn new skills, hone the old ones, get new ideas and bring an awareness of our profession and our company to everyone we meet? Perhaps we need to focus more on the benefits and cost savings for our manager and our company, rather than “what’s in it for ME”. Does your manager know what the return on investment is when the company pays your annual membership dues? Does he/she know that you are gaining valuable training when you come to meetings? Or that we offer FREE computer training classes taught by experts that would normally cost $200 or more if you attended at an outside training facility? How about the benefits of participating in our community service projects? The recognition that we bring to our company and the benefit to the community is surely a good thing. It’s time to step up and refocus on the reason we belong to IAAP – focus on the “P” – PROFESSIONAL. Professional A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, engineers, lawyers, architects and commissioned military officers. Wikipedia Although Administrative Professionals are not listed in this definition, I think we definitely fall into this category.
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE! (continued) For many of us, we are coming up on our end of year “review” or “evaluation”. This is that wonderful time of the year when we sit down with our managers and review our year, discuss our accomplishments and our shortcomings and put together goals for the upcoming year. It may also be the time when we bring up our participation in IAAP and “plead our case” to continue our membership. In this time of cost containment, many managers are looking to cut their budget and one of the first things to be considered might be paying for our membership in IAAP. Let’s make sure our managers know what they’re paying for when we ask them to pay our dues and registration fees for seminars, EFAM and other educational opportunities. Give them their money’s worth – they want more bang for their buck and a return on their investment. Don’t just be a member in name only. Come to the meetings, participate in the activities, share the valuable information you learned with your manager when you return from a meeting or special event. Put what you learned into action when you get back to the office. It’s a win-win situation. If we do these things, I think it will increase our manager’s awareness of how important our membership is to them and to our company and may be easier to gain the support we need from them. Wishing you all a very blessed holiday season – Merry Christmas and HAPPY New Year! Wanda Kincaid, CAP-OM President, Alabama Power Chapter IAAP
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
CONGRATULATIONS Susan Camille Mitchell, an SCS member of our Chapter, and who is Executive Secretary to Karl R. Moor, SVP & Chief Environmental Counsel and D. Wayne Moore, VP & Operations Compliance Officer, graduated on December 15, 2012 from Samford University with her Master of Science in Environmental Management (M.S.E.M.) The master of science in environmental management [M.S.E.M.] is a 36-credit, non-thesis program conducted by the Department of Biology. It directs working professionals through a collection of courses to prepare them for the decision-making processes of the ever-increasing demands of environmental regulatory compliance Way to go Susan! We are so proud of you! —————————————————————————————————————-
REMINDERS!!! December 31 was the last day in the 70/70 retention campaign – Now, membership fees are back to normal. Starting in January 2013, IAAP is reinstating the membership card for new and renewing members. February 15, 2013 — Registration deadline for certification exams March 15–16, 2013 — IAAP Futures Conference March 17–20, 2013 — Technology Education Conference (TEC13) April 21–27, 2013 — Administrative Professionals Week May 4, 2013 — CAP and OM exams July 27–31, 2013 — EFAM 2013 * * Registration is now open for EFAM 2013 July 27-31 at the Marriott Anaheim in Anaheim, California You can download the Recertification Application and the Recertification Spreadsheet at the IAAP website. Recertification packets can be submitted to IAAP headquarters by either mail or email to [email protected], but must be received by the last day of the month to avoid a late fee.
Volume 9, Issue 7
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS Name
Day of Month
Renae Dismuke
1
Vicki D. Herring, CAP Tammy Reece Christie Smith, CAP-OM Janet Medlock Latonya King Juette Smith Cassie Lord Carolyn Parkin, CAP-OM Viki Pate Patti Raymond Nisha Brown Heather Land
2 2 2 8 12 16 19 21 22 24 25 31
January 2, 2013
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
Hole Under Door Lock Wednesday, I approached my truck from the passenger side to place my computer bag (aka my man purse) in the front passenger seat. As I reached to open the door I noticed there was a hole right under my door handle. My first thought was, "someone has shot my truck !" I began to think about it and inspect it a little closer and the "light" slowly began to come on. I phoned my friend who owns a body shop and asked if he had any vehicles with damage to the doors that looked like a bullet hole. "Yes, I see it all the time. Thieves have a punch and place it right under the door handle, knock a hole through, reach in and unlock it, just as if they have a key. No alarms, broken glass, or anything." I then placed a call to my insurance agent and explained it to him. I was puzzled that they left my GPS and all other belongings. Here is where it gets scary ! "Oh no”, he said, “they want the break-in to be so subtle that you don't even realize it. They look at your GPS to see where "home" is. Or check your address from Insurance and Registration in your glove box. Now, they know what you drive, go to your home, and if your vehicle isn't there they assume you aren't and break into your home." He said they will even leave a purse or wallet and only take one or two credit cards. By the time you realize there has been a theft, they may have already had a couple of days or more to use them. (I didn't realize my situation for two full days!) They even give you the courtesy of re-locking your doors for you.
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
Hole Under Door Lock (continued) Periodically, walk around your car, especially after you park in a shopping center or other large parking area. Report thefts immediately....your bank w/missing check numbers, your credit card agencies, police, and insurance companies, etc. Below is picture of what the hole looks like. Article submitted by: Tiffany Escott (this did not happen to HER, it was someone else)
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
PROCRASTINATION………………………………………...HOW TO OVERCOME IT I was one of the lucky few that worked during the days between Christmas and New Year’s 2013, so I decided I would try to reduce some of the clutter around my desk. During the process, I ran across an article (Vitality 2003, 21) entitled “Keys to Overcoming Procrastination” by Dr. William Knaus, a psychologist and author of The Procrastination Workbook. And then I remembered why I kept the article. I am really bad about procrastinating. And I definitely need a refresher on how to overcome this habit of mine. Did you know that procrastination is a habit pattern used to “avoid tension”? Wow, and I just thought I procrastinated due to the lack of interest or enthusiasm in a project. The article discussed the different kinds of habit patterns/diversions: mental diversions (too tired, can’t concentrate), action diversions (going to the vending machine, calling someone on the phone), and emotional diversions (the project is not inspiring or motivating). Dr. Knaus went on to suggest an interesting plan to overcome these patterns that I would like to share with everyone. Five-Minute system—Commit to five minutes on a project. Once five minutes is up, decide whether you’ll commit another five minutes. Continue this until you’ve completed the project, run out of time or have a good reason to stop. In this process you will be making forward-moving decisions that have helped work through the frustrations that were causing the delays in the first place. Plan in Reverse—When you set a goal, have a clear, direct and purposeful plan. Visualize the outcome first, then work backwards from that point. Where do you want to end up? What do you do just before that, and before that? You will be creating a plan, all the while reminding yourself the plan is a series of small parts. Building Frustration Tolerance—Did you know that if you persistently tackle challenges until you complete them, you build frustration tolerance? Fewer things will burden your mind by building frustration tolerance. By building tolerance, you can organize and direct your activities for a productive result, maintaining control of your frustrations. A quote by Dr. Knaus from his workbook, The Procrastination Workbook, “It’s better to recognize that doing reasonable things, in a reasonable way, within a reasonable time, gets things done – and you end up doing rather than stewing (21).” Hope this provides a little assistance to my fellow procrastinators out there like me! Liz McGill, CAP
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
Alabama Power Chapter IAAP Newsletter
Inside this issue: President’s Message
2, 3
Congratulations to? Reminders
4
Birthdays
5
Hole Under Door Lock
6, 7
Procrastination
8
Associate Member Spotlight
9
Happy New Year!!
Mark your calendars:
∗ January 17 - Inverness 40 Lakeside—Bonnie Powell “Whale Done: The Power of Positive Relationships” ∗ February 21 - APY Event ∗ March 13 - Annual Seminar—Kathy Neyman “Strengths Philosophy, Personal Accountability and Leadership” ∗ April 18—Nominations and Elections ∗ April 24—Admin Day Luncheon ∗ May 16 meeting —Avery Great Results ∗ June 20—Officer Installation
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE! WOW! It’s 2013 already? Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that we were making plans for our upcoming year, looking for speakers, planning our community projects and fundraising activities and learning exactly what we are supposed to do! Time flies when you’re having fun and even though it’s been REALLY hard work, I think I can honestly say it’s been fun! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you at the meetings and hope that by the end of my term as your president, I’ll be able to put faces with names! We are so blessed to be able to meet together once a month. Membership in IAAP is not a right, it is a privilege. While many of us have the total support of our managers, unfortunately, some of us do not. Why? What is the perception among the managers that would cause them to be hesitant in supporting such a fantastic professional organization that offers opportunities to learn new skills, hone the old ones, get new ideas and bring an awareness of our profession and our company to everyone we meet? Perhaps we need to focus more on the benefits and cost savings for our manager and our company, rather than “what’s in it for ME”. Does your manager know what the return on investment is when the company pays your annual membership dues? Does he/she know that you are gaining valuable training when you come to meetings? Or that we offer FREE computer training classes taught by experts that would normally cost $200 or more if you attended at an outside training facility? How about the benefits of participating in our community service projects? The recognition that we bring to our company and the benefit to the community is surely a good thing. It’s time to step up and refocus on the reason we belong to IAAP – focus on the “P” – PROFESSIONAL. Professional A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, engineers, lawyers, architects and commissioned military officers. Wikipedia Although Administrative Professionals are not listed in this definition, I think we definitely fall into this category.
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE! (continued) For many of us, we are coming up on our end of year “review” or “evaluation”. This is that wonderful time of the year when we sit down with our managers and review our year, discuss our accomplishments and our shortcomings and put together goals for the upcoming year. It may also be the time when we bring up our participation in IAAP and “plead our case” to continue our membership. In this time of cost containment, many managers are looking to cut their budget and one of the first things to be considered might be paying for our membership in IAAP. Let’s make sure our managers know what they’re paying for when we ask them to pay our dues and registration fees for seminars, EFAM and other educational opportunities. Give them their money’s worth – they want more bang for their buck and a return on their investment. Don’t just be a member in name only. Come to the meetings, participate in the activities, share the valuable information you learned with your manager when you return from a meeting or special event. Put what you learned into action when you get back to the office. It’s a win-win situation. If we do these things, I think it will increase our manager’s awareness of how important our membership is to them and to our company and may be easier to gain the support we need from them. Wishing you all a very blessed holiday season – Merry Christmas and HAPPY New Year! Wanda Kincaid, CAP-OM President, Alabama Power Chapter IAAP
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
CONGRATULATIONS Susan Camille Mitchell, an SCS member of our Chapter, and who is Executive Secretary to Karl R. Moor, SVP & Chief Environmental Counsel and D. Wayne Moore, VP & Operations Compliance Officer, graduated on December 15, 2012 from Samford University with her Master of Science in Environmental Management (M.S.E.M.) The master of science in environmental management [M.S.E.M.] is a 36-credit, non-thesis program conducted by the Department of Biology. It directs working professionals through a collection of courses to prepare them for the decision-making processes of the ever-increasing demands of environmental regulatory compliance Way to go Susan! We are so proud of you! —————————————————————————————————————-
REMINDERS!!! December 31 was the last day in the 70/70 retention campaign – Now, membership fees are back to normal. Starting in January 2013, IAAP is reinstating the membership card for new and renewing members. February 15, 2013 — Registration deadline for certification exams March 15–16, 2013 — IAAP Futures Conference March 17–20, 2013 — Technology Education Conference (TEC13) April 21–27, 2013 — Administrative Professionals Week May 4, 2013 — CAP and OM exams July 27–31, 2013 — EFAM 2013 * * Registration is now open for EFAM 2013 July 27-31 at the Marriott Anaheim in Anaheim, California You can download the Recertification Application and the Recertification Spreadsheet at the IAAP website. Recertification packets can be submitted to IAAP headquarters by either mail or email to [email protected], but must be received by the last day of the month to avoid a late fee.
Volume 9, Issue 7
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS Name
Day of Month
Renae Dismuke
1
Vicki D. Herring, CAP Tammy Reece Christie Smith, CAP-OM Janet Medlock Latonya King Juette Smith Cassie Lord Carolyn Parkin, CAP-OM Viki Pate Patti Raymond Nisha Brown Heather Land
2 2 2 8 12 16 19 21 22 24 25 31
January 2, 2013
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
Hole Under Door Lock Wednesday, I approached my truck from the passenger side to place my computer bag (aka my man purse) in the front passenger seat. As I reached to open the door I noticed there was a hole right under my door handle. My first thought was, "someone has shot my truck !" I began to think about it and inspect it a little closer and the "light" slowly began to come on. I phoned my friend who owns a body shop and asked if he had any vehicles with damage to the doors that looked like a bullet hole. "Yes, I see it all the time. Thieves have a punch and place it right under the door handle, knock a hole through, reach in and unlock it, just as if they have a key. No alarms, broken glass, or anything." I then placed a call to my insurance agent and explained it to him. I was puzzled that they left my GPS and all other belongings. Here is where it gets scary ! "Oh no”, he said, “they want the break-in to be so subtle that you don't even realize it. They look at your GPS to see where "home" is. Or check your address from Insurance and Registration in your glove box. Now, they know what you drive, go to your home, and if your vehicle isn't there they assume you aren't and break into your home." He said they will even leave a purse or wallet and only take one or two credit cards. By the time you realize there has been a theft, they may have already had a couple of days or more to use them. (I didn't realize my situation for two full days!) They even give you the courtesy of re-locking your doors for you.
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
Hole Under Door Lock (continued) Periodically, walk around your car, especially after you park in a shopping center or other large parking area. Report thefts immediately....your bank w/missing check numbers, your credit card agencies, police, and insurance companies, etc. Below is picture of what the hole looks like. Article submitted by: Tiffany Escott (this did not happen to HER, it was someone else)
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
PROCRASTINATION………………………………………...HOW TO OVERCOME IT I was one of the lucky few that worked during the days between Christmas and New Year’s 2013, so I decided I would try to reduce some of the clutter around my desk. During the process, I ran across an article (Vitality 2003, 21) entitled “Keys to Overcoming Procrastination” by Dr. William Knaus, a psychologist and author of The Procrastination Workbook. And then I remembered why I kept the article. I am really bad about procrastinating. And I definitely need a refresher on how to overcome this habit of mine. Did you know that procrastination is a habit pattern used to “avoid tension”? Wow, and I just thought I procrastinated due to the lack of interest or enthusiasm in a project. The article discussed the different kinds of habit patterns/diversions: mental diversions (too tired, can’t concentrate), action diversions (going to the vending machine, calling someone on the phone), and emotional diversions (the project is not inspiring or motivating). Dr. Knaus went on to suggest an interesting plan to overcome these patterns that I would like to share with everyone. Five-Minute system—Commit to five minutes on a project. Once five minutes is up, decide whether you’ll commit another five minutes. Continue this until you’ve completed the project, run out of time or have a good reason to stop. In this process you will be making forward-moving decisions that have helped work through the frustrations that were causing the delays in the first place. Plan in Reverse—When you set a goal, have a clear, direct and purposeful plan. Visualize the outcome first, then work backwards from that point. Where do you want to end up? What do you do just before that, and before that? You will be creating a plan, all the while reminding yourself the plan is a series of small parts. Building Frustration Tolerance—Did you know that if you persistently tackle challenges until you complete them, you build frustration tolerance? Fewer things will burden your mind by building frustration tolerance. By building tolerance, you can organize and direct your activities for a productive result, maintaining control of your frustrations. A quote by Dr. Knaus from his workbook, The Procrastination Workbook, “It’s better to recognize that doing reasonable things, in a reasonable way, within a reasonable time, gets things done – and you end up doing rather than stewing (21).” Hope this provides a little assistance to my fellow procrastinators out there like me! Liz McGill, CAP
Volume 9, Issue 7
January 2, 2013
