Creating
Our Own Future: The Value of Communication
Tommy Boone, PhD,
MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiolgoy
College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811
The future is not the result
of choices among
Alternative paths offered;
It is a place that is created,
Created first in the mind
and will,
Created next in activity.
The future is not some place
we are going to,
But one we are creating.
The paths to it are not
found, but made.
And the activity of making
them
Changes both the maker and
the destiny.
-- Anonymous (1987)
Welcome to the beginning
of a new academic year. I hope your summer was restful and rejuvenating.
I know that many of you share my excitement for all of the work and opportunities
that lie ahead. Also, I know that many of you share my enthusiasm
about the upcoming 4th ASEP meeting in Memphis. I am certain that
there are plenty of research, professional, and special topics to interest
you and, of course, there is always the opportunity to renew friendships
and to network with other exercise physiologists.
As the last four years give
way to the meeting in Memphis, I have been asking myself whether or not
I have done enough. There are so many areas that need improvement,
and I admit that the shift in academic thinking to re-direct our future
is not always easy. This is especially true for the exercise physiologists
who favor the mainstream initiatives spurred by sports medicine.
Their mission is next to a partnership with sports medicine as though the
organization is in confluence with promotion and tenure. There is also
the prestige that is realized from publishing in its journal.
Entrenched in the conglomeration
of the sports medicine influence, exercise physiologists individually and
collectively have been slow in committing themselves to their right as
a potent force in the public and scientific sectors. Yet, they play
a critical role in the battle of closing the gap between sustaining the
sports medicine myth and the new exercise physiology reality. The
price is higher for some more than for others. Of course, the questions
are rather obvious: “Shall we keep things as they have been or shall
we change and, if so, why and for what price?” Strange as it might
seem, given my efforts in developing ASEP, professionally speaking, I have
grown up with the sports medicine frame of mind. I have also benefited
from my association by having published in its journal, presented at its
meetings, and have learned from its members. Most have shared their
knowledge with me. Only a few have taken advantage of me, and they
are not worth speaking about.
Rather, I want to emphasize
my hope and belief that ASEP will provide you with a future in exercise
physiology not just equal to sports medicine but better, much better.
As I prepare my remarks for the upcoming meeting in Memphis, September
28, 2001 at the Embassy Suites hotel, I have been thinking about a number
of things. I have also reviewed a lot of what I have written over
the past several years. Challenged by the ASEP unprecedented approach
to exercise physiology, I have identified and written about the criteria
of a profession, what it means to be a professional, and the importance
of professionalism. It has not been easy. Much of the content
about professionalism I had to learn since it was not part of my doctorate
training. Fortunately, some of my educational training in public
health and management helped somewhat in preparing me for how I now think
and for what I am now doing. Clearly, some of my articles need serious
work. They are not well written. Others lack the insight and
content that are necessary to persuade the reader to join the ASEP drive
to realize the power within us. Such is life, and I am for certain
not perfect or the only person in ASEP who believes as I do.
What I do know is that the
power of a person or just a hand full of people with fire in the belly
can be awesome. They can be the difference in change or no change.
There are several important and hard working exercise physiologists in
ASEP. They know who are they, and they understand why ASEP is important
work. They also understand that selling a new organization to their
colleagues as well as the public sector is not easy. Something new
or different is always approached with some speculation and caution, although
such is generally unnecessary. Getting the big picture and acting
on important issues ought to be fairly easy among professionals.
On the other hand, a little education can be a scary thing! When
professionals fail to act, it is frequently a function of political reasons.
Who has this, who has that, and who stands to gain from what?
The question before us is:
“To what extent are we ready and willing to move forward in our own growth
as exercise physiologists?” If we are not ready or willing, it is
difficult to imagine how we can expect to become a profession? Perhaps,
some of our colleagues are saying that we do not have the talent or ability
to provide professional leadership. I have been told to my face that
I do not have what it takes to lead an organization! As I recall,
the exact words were: “It’s a good idea, but you are not the person
to make it happen.” Interestingly, the reason is always the same
if the person is not interested. “It can’t be done” and, if there
is a remote possibility it can be done, “you are not that person.”
It is as if the “other” person is always better or can make the right decisions.
Of course what I am writing is not new to you or to most of us and, frankly,
it is always a bit unpleasant when our friends show so little faith in
us.
Regardless of what others
say, it should never be the yardstick of how an individual should think.
At this point it is indeed reasonably clear that my friend was wrong.
I have made a difference and, similarly, members of ASEP have made a huge
difference. All of us are on the right track for the right reasons.
Had I compromised my thinking I would not have been truly satisfied with
the direction exercise physiology has taken. Sports medicine, even
with its avenues of opportunity for exercise physiologists, is essentially
the same kind of compromise as “half a baby is better than no baby at all.”
But, unfortunately for the sports medicine believers, the concept of sports
medicine and exercise science flourishing under the umbrella of sports
medicine is inconsistent with the notion that exercise physiology is a
living and growing entity.
ASEP, above all, regardless
of its size has been fruitful and determined in its actions to move exercise
physiology forward. Members, not all, but many have realized in face
of the likelihood of being unpopular and unpleasant that if exercise physiology
is to develop into its own, they must get involved. They have overcome
certain obstacles and all kinds of surprises from colleagues to make things
happen. They have learned along the way that risk-taking is central
to change. Members have carried out committee functions, updated
existing documents, and created new documents. They have demonstrated
their support of ASEP by publishing in its electronic journals. Two
Boards have been created and armed with members to oversee certification
and accreditation, and three ASEP state-affilitated organizations exist
with a fourth just months from declaring its web presence. A “first-ever”
Standards of Professional Practice document was just recently created and
reviewed by at least 25 ASEP members. The ASEP web site has been
updated with a fresh and more professional look and, for those with a keen
interest in licensure, the process of writing the first piece of legislation
has begun. It just takes time to build new knowledge and new experiences
into what we are accustomed to doing and, fortunately, time is on our side.
Building a professional is
a challenge as well as an intellectual exercise of considerable magnitude.
It is done or should be done at a speed that is right to develop confidence
in the process. As a member of the Board of Directors, I can say
that we are aware of the challenges, problems, and issues that surround
moving either too slow or too fast. We are concerned that the standards
set by ASEP are the right standards for professional exercise physiologists.
In addition to the adoption of performance standards, there are other important
steps in building a bridge between ASEP and its members. First,
developing leadership opportunities for ASEP members is critical to our
success. We understand the importance of assisting the development
of young professionals who can serve our profession. Second,
understanding that decision-making on behalf of an organization of colleagues
is not a mechanical job but rather one that challenges each and every person
to do the right thing. Communication is absolutely important and,
yet working to keep the lines of communication open is not easy.
Organizations that have been around a lot longer than ASEP are still asking
themselves, “How do we structure what we do to encourage collaboration
among our members? Others ask, “Will “flattening” the organization
help with setting future agenda? Will it encourage the identification
of needs, foster growth, and bring members closer together?” It is
logical that if members are going to stay with an organization, they must
be involved in one form or another. Third, all organizations,
including ASEP, require membership for a variety of reasons. Recruitment
of new members should be at the top of our concerns. We need to figure
out how to better attract new members and how to keep them. Maybe,
it begins with how we treat them as new members and how we get them involved
in ASEP matters. There is also the important consideration of new
members benefiting from ASEP’s steps to support placement and career services.
Fourth, what lies at the heart of most organizations is its mission
and its plan to tackle critical issues. As a society of exercise
physiologists, it important for us to keep our eyes on the critical questions
that need answering. We also need to stand up for our beliefs and,
often as is necessary, be willing to take risks to ensure that our goals
and objectives become reality.
Just recently, I wanted to
take a risk but held back for various reasons. It is not unusual
to hold back, to do nothing, and I suppose writing about it is one way
of communicating my concern. Despite my attempt to be fair in what
I am about to describe, I am sure it is possible to misunderstand my point.
In short, I have been reading several comments from non-PhD exercise physiologists
who belong to an egroup on Yahoo.com. Implied by the person who started
the group is that the members are encouraged to speak “openly” about the
exercise physiology profession. But, every time a member tries to
do so, he/she is told “no, no you can’t say it that way” – talk about the
feeling and power of futility. I learned early on that it was not
possible to speak openly even if my comments offended no one. And,
so the egroup and its members keep from saying much important about the
professional development of exercise physiology. A small number of
the membership continues to ask questions, but there is limited to no follow-up.
This is very unfortunate for exercise physiologists? I suspect that
this is not the case with egroups outside of exercise physiology where
communication is valued even with a lot of noise. It seems that I
remember something about democracy having developed not as a by-product
of a univariate view on a given subject but because of the right to express
different views. It would seem more appropriate to encourage ideas
that are created in the mind and in our professional activity to allow
for a founding of something new.
The ASEP view of exercise
physiology is one that understands an important fundamental of communication.
That is, if there is no one who hears (and thus no one who is writing about
what he/she really thinks via an open forum), there is no intellectual
interaction. Instead, there are only words or, stated differently,
there is no communicate. Without the opportunity to say what is on
our minds and what we are thinking at the moment, then, communication may
be viewed as miscommunication that ultimately encourages tradition to repeat
itself. In a real sense, what I am writing about is our ability or
inability to relate to all members of the emerging profession by defining
what we say in accordance with our own experiences in the field.
It cannot be otherwise because the connection between people or members
of an occupation, discipline, or an emerging profession is not possible
without the opportunity to imagine possibilities and to speak “openly”
about feelings, work and the perception of work, and experiences that result
from it.
What is important to remember,
especially as members of ASEP, is that the reality of our colleagues who
disagree with the philosophic intent and purpose of ASEP is directly related
to their perception of exercise physiology within the context of sports
medicine. The differences that exist may very well be defined as
a collection of factors that have conditioned their thinking. Hence,
the idea that ASEP is wrong is a perceptual problem that something new
is inconsistent with the historical perspective of sports medicine.
When something is deeply woven into our way of thinking, the reality of
changing our thinking is not an easy task. This is why one-dimensional
thinking about exercise physiology is not consistent with the views of
ASEP. Before exercise physiologists can relate to ASEP, they need
to be introduced to a new way of thinking. Multidimensional thinking
often allows for an explanation of feelings and words that become the foundation
of opportunistic thinking. For this reason, we need to learn how
to think outside of our historical reference. Stated differently,
we need to figure out how to come into our own as professionals and as
an emerging profession.
Coming into our own demands
that we become that which we believe we ought to be. Thus, we have
to do that which we believe is required of us. And to do so requires
each of us to believe in something so that we become motivated to act in
accordance with our values, beliefs, and aspirations. To believe
in something, especially ASEP, may well be a function of our individualized
yet shared experiences that exercise physiology ought to be (can be, if
not should be) on the same professional level as physical therapy, nursing,
and occupation therapy. The aim of ASEP is exactly that, and no one
should be surprised at the statement. On the contrary, the logical
implication for the existence of ASEP is the professional development of
exercise physiology. This is not to say that existing is enough.
If all the organization does is produce more information about professionalism
and more Internet pages about itself without increasing communication,
it is not enough. The right organization is increasingly entrepreneurial,
innovative, and it communicates to its members. It is about being
up front with new ideas and new plans for supporting the development of
the emerging profession, especially with regard to the questions:
“What do we value?” “What do exercise physiologists do?”
What are the standards of our professional practice?” “What
are our professional credentials?”
The organization itself is
without question important. But, any organization is nothing more
a collection of members. What is important about an organization
is, therefore, what makes the organization possible – members with passion!
However important the organization of ASEP is, its name and its overall
structure cannot be considered more important than the members who are
willing to work on its behalf. If the members place the organization
above their concerns, there is the very real possibility they may believe
the organization is an end itself rather than a means to an end.
Organizations must exist for the members. Thus, what is valued must
be that which the members value and are driven to perform key activities
to produce results that will make a difference. What is true, and
what may very well make a difference is just a stone throw away!
Harvey Mackay wrote about it in his popular book, Swim With The Sharks.
“He hammers at his rock a hundred times without denting it. On the
hundred-and-first blow, the rock…splits in two.” Harvey points out
that it is not the final blow that splits the rock, but all the blows that
had gone before. If we believe in ourselves, we can change the face
of exercise physiology. If we unite with action, our action will
produce results. We can all benefit from coming together and realizing
the magic within us, that is, our right to unite and to communicate for
a common cause.
Copyright
©1997-2001 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights
Reserved.
ASEP
Table of Contents
Questions/comments
