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27.05.2008
IUCAB EXCOM VICE PRESIDENT EXIT SPEECH - BY GEORGE J. HAYWARD
by Mr. George J. HAYWARD:
At the IUCAB Annual Delegates Meeting held in Berlin in the year 2001, Mr. George. J. Hayward became the first elected IUCAB Vice President from the United States of America. After having fulfilled his office for seven years, Mr. Hayward had announced that he would not be available for a further term of office after the 55th IUCAB Annual Delegates Meeting, which, again, was to be held in Berlin. With an exit speech as passionate as his election speech in 2001, Mr. Hayward said farewell to the Delegates of the National Member Associations of IUCAB on 23 May 2008. The text of Mr. Hayward’s exit speech follows hereunder.
IUCAB EXCOM VICE PRESIDENT EXIT SPEACH - by Mr. George J. Hayward
I offer a parable:
“A scorpion asks a turtle for a ride across the lake. The turtle laughs and tells the scorpion he is crazy. ‘If I give you a ride, you will sting me’, he says. The scorpion replies, ‘why would I do that? If I sting you in the middle of the lake, we will both die’.
The turtle agrees to give the scorpion a lift. Halfway across the lake, the scorpion stings the turtle. As both are drowning, the turtle asks the scorpion why he stung him. ‘It is what I do’, the scorpion said.”
And, THIS is what we do. THIS is what I do. I am a Commercial Agent. I am a REP! THIS is what we do! This, what I do!
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About 2,538 days ago, (seven years - less 13 days) 8 June 2001, you honored me as the first non-European and first North American elected as Vice President IUCAB, here in Berlin, in this very CDH Meeting room. I remember that day well.
Here, I pledged to you, one of my missions would be to bring a Global, unified and later localized, educational program.
Additionally - a Global awareness and high profile, worldwide "Brand" of IUCAB.
I mentioned - IUCAB can cause change, and that it is important for us of IUCAB, to do so.
Throughout our efforts we also must promote interDEPENDENCE, not independence, with all our selling channel partners - for mutual survival.
I believe, during these last 7 years, through targeted activity, on both of my promised missions - some progress has been made. But, the journey must continue.
During my so-called "passionate speech" in Barcelona, May 2006, I made a final plea to stir additional activity among the Delegates & Secretaries in what I referred to as, "Global Specific Profession Education" - because that is what it really is and the only one available in the world! “GLOBAL - SPECIFIC - PROFESSION – EDUCATION”. CPMR - Certified Professional Manufacturers' Representatives. Think about it.
The "BRAND" IUCAB was introduced and exposed worldwide in many ways within a limited budget:
IUCAB business cards, IUCAB stationary, the IUCAB web site upgraded.
International tradeshow exposure at Hannover Messe and A+A Messe – Düsseldorf, Germany. NAM (National Association of Manufacturers) – Manufacturing EXPO – Chicago, Illinois, USA.
IUCAB press releases, a new IUCAB brochure was developed by our Secretary-General, Jaap van Till. An IUCAB banner, a IUCAB lapel pin, even a IUCAB flag was made.
Member nations were asked to include the IUCAB logo and "link" on their web site home page.
Austria’s Walter Krammer's, "Gala Event" in Vienna, the IUCAB 50th Anniversary, IUCAB Anniversary stickers, IUCAB web site banner, 50th IUCAB Jubilee book by CDH & Mr. Wolfgang Hinderer, were all provided to get the "BRAND" IUCAB better exposed, known and recognized.
A separate IUCAB booklet to assist others in forming a Rep association in order to eventually, become IUCAB member was published and made available, electronically -The IUCAB, "Guidelines to Establish a National Commercial Agents' Association".
Also, the IUCAB "Strategic Business Plan" was developed, approved and utilized.
Even IUCAB membership in MRERF (Manufacturers' Representative Educational Research Foundation) as a sponsoring member association exposed the "Brand" IUCAB further into North America.
Certainly, Paul Wakeling's MAA "agentsnews" continual IUCAB high profile of events is well received in the UK and beyond.
From Italy, Simonetta's contagious enthusiasm stimulates IUCAB EXcom to progress forward.
Finally, a terrific IUCAB Power Point Presentation, by Jan Bjornum of Sweden was composed and shared with all member associations to further extend and share the "Brand" IUCAB, Globally!
IUCAB member web site "Standardization" was determined to be an important issue and strongly suggested translation to English in order to communicate, Globally, outside their member nations and to become more user friendly. Eventually, possibly, a "Pooled" IUCAB data base may be added for unified, Global access to members - members, for a fee.
Strength in numbers is a key leverage - if used properly to generate interest, spur activity & produce results, but "make no mistake", it is WE who must make it happen - ourselves. As Joe Miller of MANA said in Long Beach, June 2000, during the Delegates Meeting, "If we don't, who will?"………………
What I say here today will not be remembered as it is not as important as to what is achieved, after today. Someone, come forward, to ‘Champion’ these issues in my absence. Someone, with the capacity to effect change. I have become “infected”……”Infected” with IUCAB, it’s mission and it’s people – you! May you too, become “infected”. Make it contagious. IUCAB has greatly ‘affected’ our lives, both, my wife Mo, and myself – forever!
May I leave you a couple takeaways from this meeting? . . .
During the US Presidential primaries, this spring, the most common word each Democrat hopeful obviously used was: CHANGE ! “I will Change this!”-” I can Change that!” . . .
Change: Change can be good. Change in association life too, can be good. But, the number 1 new attitude change must be – “We have always done that way!” Strike that. Delete that! “We have always done it that way.” Is out – forever! Think about it.
Ethics: “Ethics is the choice to do the right thing, even if no one is listening or watching.” Think about that.
May you share in these and my other thoughts . . . as this, is the end . . . BUT, only just the end – the end of the beginning!
But, . . . Remember my parable? . . . THIS is what I do! I am a Rep! . . . Ich bin ein Rep!
THANK YOU ALL for this wonderful experience . . . you have no idea . . . (what this has meant to me, Mo and to our family.)