Keywords

presidential leadership, professional organization

Abstract

Reality is cruel.

When I was nominated to run for president of ALAN, I was flattered and briefly entertained dreams of grandeur. If I were lucky enough to win, I thought, my friends, family, and colleagues would be so very proud. If I won, I dreamed, I would be lavished with presidential perks and presents. If I became president of ALAN, I imagined, I would get to wallow in the glory of presiding over a glorious ALAN Workshop.

So far, this is what reality has taught me:

Proud? My local friends, family, and colleagues barely even noticed when the election result were announced. "Well," asked my 16 year-old daughter, "does this mean you're going to get paid more?" When I told her no, she said, "So who cares?" "ALAN?" asked one of my colleagues. "What's that?" In an email a friend wrote, "Congratulations on winning that election, I guess ..."

Original Publication Citation

“Glorious Reality: Presidential Fretting About the ALAN Workshop,” The ALAN Review 31.1 (Fall 2002): 6