News Detail

Without Challenge, There is No Change

6/1/2014

Not very long ago, I decided to undergo a personal change—a lifestyle change. So, as a result, I began working with a personal trainer and told her about my desired goals and outcomes. And with that, she started a program to set me off in a new direction.

Without a doubt, it was extremely difficult. I had to change my old habits and adopt new ones. All the things that I had been comfortable doing for years now required modification, and sometimes I had to abandon old habits altogether. At one session, I spoke to my trainer about how hard this was and the difficulty I had dropping my old ways and taking new directions. And then she told me, “Without challenge, there is no change.” Since hearing that statement, those words have resonated with me and I’ve been thinking about how this may apply to the Institute’s new objectives.

And now as we approach a very challenging time in the progress of the Institute, that saying seems even more appropriate for all of us to keep in mind. There are so many new challenges in front of the Institute and many will be difficult. But in the end, these challenges will point ACI in new directions to achieve new objectives and goals.

Certainly, most everyone should be aware by now that ACI 318-14 will soon be published and that this version represents a new direction in the history of the Code. The entire committee and support staff definitely faced many challenges over the past several years while developing this newly reformatted document. The new format will allow users to find information in a more streamlined fashion, so those challenges will return the investment many times over in the future.

At the Spring Convention in Reno, NV, our Board Committees actively discussed new ideas to achieve the objectives of our strategic plan. As a result of those discussions, over 400 ideas and proposals were brought forward to address the desired outcomes of the plan.

At the same convention, the Board approved a new initiative to seek out and hire an individual to direct ACI’s global activities. This individual will identify and direct our approach to meeting the needs of concrete professionals wherever they may reside and work. This will require ACI to take a more active approach to producing products and services for the global concrete community. This challenge is one that has been developing for many years. But meeting the challenge is expected to enhance the quality and sustainability of concrete construction worldwide.

Related to this same initiative, the Task Group on Communications produced a report that included numerous recommendations relating to ideas and ways to address the production of products and services for our global partners. It discusses potential recommendations for new types of products, distribution channels, and ways to communicate with concrete professionals around the world.

So many of these ideas are innovative and fresh, and represent new ways for the Institute to reach the concrete professional who is seeking knowledge and the latest technical information. All of these ideas will bring some challenges, and most will entail significant new and different approaches for ACI to meet our stated goals and objectives.

These changes will necessitate that we rethink the ways we have operated in the past. But to meet our goals and objectives, we should keep in mind that mantra: “Without challenge, there is no change.”

William E. Rushing Jr.