Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/293496
12 Oil Prophets PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE Cast of Characters I Won't is a tramp, I Can't is a quitter, I Don't Know is lazy, I Wish I Could is a wisher, I Might is waking up, I Will Try is on his feet, I Can is on his way, I Will is at work, I Did is now the boss. Earl Cassel There's a lot of wisdom; along with a lot of humility, in this poem. When I first read it I immediately thought of people whom I had met over the years, and I associated them with one of the "people" that the poem describes. I would bet each of you did the same thing. The truth is, I have been in each of the categories at some point during my 52 years and candidly, I am still in each of the categories today with regard to certain issues/events. The characteristics described are not unique to any individual. I have found people in each of the categories in both my personal and professional life. In groups like your family, your church and certainly your association, we have people in each of the stages on any given day. Sometimes we describe this a little differently and cite the 80/20 rule where 80% of the work gets done by 20% of the people. But at the end of the day we all know those people in our lives who fit in each of the categories and we treat them accordingly. It would be great if we were all in the "I Did" category on each and every issue of life. But it doesn't seem to work that way. Those things we enjoy and are passionate about, or things we think will get us closer to what we enjoy or are passionate about, tend to move us closer to "Can, Will and Did" than those things we don't enjoy. That's just human nature. Thankfully, there is nothing that says you are destined to stay in a single category throughout your entire life. My plea to you concerns your level of involvement when it comes to association related events and activities. Many of you are in the "I Can, I Will or I Did" categories and I sincerely thank you for all you have done and continue to do. Your efforts make the association successful for everyone, even those in the "I Won't, I Can't or I Don't Know" categories. For those of you who find yourself in any category from "I Won't" through "I Might," I would encourage you to at least move to "I Will Try." While it's true your association needs your input and support, the truth of the matter is that those members who are consistently in the "I Can, I Will and I Did" categories get much more return on their association investment than those who just send in their dues every year and do nothing else. When we look back over the history of the association, there is no better example of those who spent their entire association life in the "I Did" category than the members we induct into the Petroleum & Convenience Marketing Hall of Fame. Established last year, the Hall of Fame recognizes those members who formed the backbone of the association and helped us realize some of our most significant achievements. The 2014 Class of Inductees will be honored at this summer's convention in Sandestin. I encourage you to plan on attending and helping us recognize and thank these deserving individuals and/or their families for their years of support of our association and our industry. J. Bart Fletcher, CAE P&CMA President Moving Closer to Can, Will and Did J. Bart Fletcher, CAE P&CMA President