2008 January
January 2008 - A Note from APTi’s 2008 President, Jane Kise
It’s exciting to take the helm of APTi, an organization with an important mission. Simply stated, that mission is to promote the practical application and ethical use of psychological type. Those of us steeped in type know how useful, even vital, that knowledge is in every aspect of our lives, from career success to parenting to building relationships to finding meaning and purpose. We’ve seen it work for organizations, too, bringing increased productivity, better employee and leadership development, improved planning and problem-solving, to name just a few of the tangible benefits.
Fully implemented, type helps people make constructive use of differences, a capacity that goes far beyond the tolerance strived for in so many diversity training modules. An understanding of type drives people to seek and value diverse opinions. Therein lies the real mission of APTi—helping our members guide others in using this powerful theory to assist individuals and organizations toward valuing and benefiting from diversity so they can reach their full potential. Consider how APTi members are positioned to have a meaningful impact on a world desperately in need of a new way to think of diversity:
- Our members are citizens of 38 different countries, spanning the globe from Finland to South Africa, from Egypt to China.
- We’re employed by or consult into almost every industry imaginable: governments, health care systems, the military, educational institutions, spiritual communities, nonprofit organizations, career counselors, entertainment giants…the list goes on and on.
- Our membership—and appeal—spans all ages, ethnicities, geographic regions, political and religious affiliations. We model the constructive use of differences we hope to see!
Your board believes that in 2007 APTi stabilized in ways that enable us to proactively go forward now in supporting its members in this broader mission. Specific milestones include: bringing the Journal of Psychological Type back as a member benefit, running an outstanding international conference last July, improving our accounting and planning systems, and constructing a new, improved, soon-to-be-launched website with far greater resources for our members. In 2008, your board will be finalizing and enacting a new strategic plan with the intent of providing robust benefits to our members to help you carry out your personal missions. These include new educational opportunities, improved member networking systems, research support, and partnerships with other organizations in ways that multiply what we can do. You’ll receive full details of that plan after our February face-to-face board meeting. However, this is your organization. To serve you best, we need your input—let us know what you need to further your work with psychological type.
• Constructive Use of Differences is the theme for the 2009 international conference in Dallas (August 5-9, 2009). Contact Dario Nardi, our conference chair, at darionardi22@gmail.com with suggestions for what would make this event most valuable for you.
• Contact Gayle Veltman, editor of The Bulletin of Psychological Type at BPTeditor@cox.net. What topics would you like to see covered? Have you heard someone give a presentation that should be highlighted in the Bulletin? Are you in need of new workshop techniques or exercises? Let Gayle know.
• Contact Pat Ryan, our Director of Interest Areas, at typepatryan@hotmail.com with your member networking needs. When, why, and how would you like to interact with other members? We hope to improve our current interest areas, especially through new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) such as executive coaching, K-12 classroom applications, college/career counseling and so on.
• Are you interested in pursuing type-based research? Contact Katherine Hirsh, our Director of Communications, at hirshworks@gmail.com. Katherine coordinates Board support of research. What resources, ideas or contacts would further your research? Member surveys are even possible.
What else would you like your board to know to hear? Contact me at:
jane@edcoaching.com. Find the emails of all board members under the "About Us" menu.
Together, we can make APTi an international organization that makes a significant difference.
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