Council of Scientific Society Presidents - Taking proactive leadership action: 3 simple steps

As the executive director or someone within the presidential succession in a CSSP-member scientific society, it's time to make a resolution to take action in three time frames, as described below. The benefits - to you, to your society and to the scientific enterprise - can be enormous, but only if you act.

You can start right now. Go directly to your electronic calendar or (for a remaining few of us) wall calendar and enter the event dates for "CSSP Semi-Annual Leadership Influence Meeting" for the first weekend in May and also the first weekend in December. Done! Wasn't that simple?

Your next step should be taken soon. Consult briefly with the two or three persons in your office who might arrange attendance for your society's representatives for the next two CSSP meetings. Alert potential attendees, reserve dates in busy schedules, start the trip approval process, plan a local pre-trip discussion of the objectives for the society's attendees at the CSSP meeting and otherwise facilitate the process. The wide-ranging intellectual and scientific ideas presented and the schedule-filled group of influential science personalities at the CSSP meetings cannot be duplicated by any other organization and justifies planning and action now to assure full participation and engagement by society attendees.

The third step must can be taken prior to and in Washington, D.C. When the time comes to cement travel schedules and pay for tickets, designated attendees should carefully examine travel options and prudently choose departure and arrival times to provide a half-day period on the day before or the afternoon following the CSSP meeting in order to influence personally the Washington DC officials or organizations most compatible to that society's aims and message. Two or three prearranged sessions within a four-hour period with the power elite in Washington DC by a respected society representative is NOT to be missed. Execute. Influence.

James F. Baur, PhD.
Past Chair, CSSP

and

Past President, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society