80/20 Rule
Have you heard about the 80/20 rule? It states that 20% of a factor equals 80% of the result. For example, 20% of the work force in the United States excels at 80% of the work. Think about your workplace for a minute. While everyone there participates in doing his or her job, there are a few obvious people who just make things happen. These employees represent the 20% piece of this model, and as a result they are the ones, which are typically more successful. The remaining 80% show up for work, and do their jobs, but they don’t do anything more than what is required of them which is fine, but many often wonder why they are not getting ahead.
I suppose we could use the same rule for pilots too. Perhaps 20% of the pilot’s we know are excellent fliers in that they seem to have the stick skills to make flying look easy and seem able to handle every situation that comes their way.
This theory also makes me wonder about the make up of volunteer organizations. I would have to say that we could apply it to the CPA, EAA, AOPA and others. In each there is a core of people who insure the success of the organization.
And so it is, I think, with the California Pilots Association. We are made up of group of aviation-oriented people who seem to fit into the 80/20 rule. 20% of our membership participates, helping make CPA successful, insuring that the rest of us will have a place to land, and fly to, in a state, which clearly does not understand the value of aviation. The rest of us are okay with just sending in our dues and hoping that our airports stay open. After all, we pay money to CPA, AOPA, and local pilot organizations for just this purpose right? Wrong.
At the national level, that might be an effective strategy. Huge organizations like AOPA have the resources, which permit the use of their funds to bring attention to specific problems. They do an admirable job too. However, as I have said before, AOPA can’t do everything, therefore we need statewide and local check and balance aviation organizations to insure that airport problems are identified and resolved before they become airport threatening. CPA has been doing this very job for years, and doing it well.
Where am I going with all of this? CPA holds its annual elections at the Annual Members Meeting typically in October, and it is doing so again this year. The meeting is being held at Harris Ranch COALINGA, CA (3O8). There are a few positions, which require filling too, so why not join the 20% and help insure the future success of CPA? Don’t have the time you say? Who will do it, if not you?
I received this from someone in another volunteer aviation oriented organization. I don?t know who the author is, but I thought it might be appropriate to publish it as a reminder to all of us that it takes a group effort to remain successful. Just some food for thought as they say.
Rules For Organizational Failure
- 1. Don’t go to meetings.
- 2. If you go, be late.
- 3. If it is bad weather, don’t even think of going
- 4. When you do attend a meeting, find fault with the president and other officers.
- 5. Never accept an office – it is much easier to sit back and criticize.
- 6. If you should be appointed on a committee, don?t go to the meetings. If you are not appointed, get peeved about it.
- 7. When your opinion is asked, reply you have nothing to say, and then after the meeting tell everyone how things should be done.
- 8. Do nothing more than is absolutely necessary. But when others do the lion’s share, tell everyone how a clique runs the organization.
- 9. Don’t worry about paying your dues; wait until you receive two or three notices; that will keep the organization from running out of anything to do and getting lazy.
- 10. Don’t bother getting new members. Let the ones who do all the other work do that too…..
Blue Skies………….Ed
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Sept October 2003 Cal Pilots Newsletter
