Heather Wilson
AIAO Executive Vice President/CEO
A Call for Member Leadership!
The last couple of years have been…something for all of us. I don’t even want to put any sort of descriptor on it because not only would I fail to capture it fully in words but also because there is no one way this time in our lives has been experienced. Every time I want to sink into the way I feel about this moment, this time, how difficult something feels; I am reminded of how, in a moment, things can change for someone and become far more dire than any disconnection I feel. I have much to be grateful for, and I think more than a few of us may feel that way. These reminders are opportunities for me to resettle my mindset into a more grateful space; the disruption does me good.
There are two definitions for disruption: a disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process; and/ or: radical change to an existing industry or market due to technological innovation. We often experience disruption when we have new leadership; when we move to a new location or if we experience some other radical shift. There can often be a lot to gain in the space created around a disruption. Google the term “Positive Disruption” and you’ll find all sorts of resources (probably helpful to people in the design industry) that extol the virtues of positive disruptors – voices in your organization that highlight areas of concern, need and opportunity for improvement.
I’d like to think that here in AIAO, we have some positive disruptors, and they are often found in leadership. That’s not an accident. Often, AIA leaders start as positive disruptors. It’s how we developed the YAF (Young Architects’ Forum) and EP (Emerging Professionals) programming you know today. It’s how AIA started discussing issues of climate change, sustainability, equity, and justice in the built environment. It’s why you’ve developed a Social Justice Action Plan. We are always seeking new voices for leadership that can highlight our spaces to grow as an organization.
AIA is over 170 years old and we hope the Institute will be able to continue to support professionals as you create an better built world. AIA is, however, a volunteer organization, and it is not only member-focused, it is member-led. I hope that as you read our T@3 newsletter you pay special attention to the calls for leadership (we are also currently asking for nominations to our Board of Directors and AIA National is seeking submissions for the Strategic Council and nominees for the National Associates’ Committee) and tune in to programming we have scheduled around leadership development like the upcoming Thursday Roundtable with Evelyn Lee, FAIA and Je’Nen Chastain, AIA, producers of the podcast “Practice Disrupted.” It’s going to be a great conversation you won’t want to miss.