VIEWPOINT: Courage In the Face Of Adversity

For many, the highlight of the recent NPMA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, La., was the keynote presentation by General Norman Schwarzkopf, a giant of a man who led America and its allies to victory during the Gulf War. Yet leadership comes in all sizes, even in the form of a diminutive former school teacher from Chicago, Ill., with the heart — if not the physical stature — of a war hero.

NPMA President Judy Dold captured the essence of leadership in her emotional welcoming address at the 68th annual conference. Dold said all great leaders possess three important qualities — the humility to know that one person doesn’t have all the answers; the drive and commitment to be an agent of change; and the courage to face reality, no matter how challenging the circumstances or how overwhelming the odds. And certainly pest management professionals — in fact, all Americans — face significant challenges in the wake of the terrorist attacks that wounded the heart, if not the very soul, of this great country on September 11th.

Yet like so many Americans, when faced with adversity, pest management professionals have responded with compassion, strength and courage. PCT magazine has chronicled numerous stories of PCOs who have given their time and financial resources to support those in need during this period of national mourning and recovery. Even more impressive, however, was the response of everyday pest management professionals who refused to give into their fears and traveled to “The Big Easy” by the thousands to attend the NPMA Convention, making an impressive statement of support to the industry . . . and an impressive statement of support to America. Rob Lederer, executive vice-president of NPMA, said 10 of 12 conferences scheduled for October in New Orleans were either cancelled or delayed as a result of the attack on America in September. “We thought seriously about cancelling the convention, but ultimately decided to move ahead with it because we thought it was the right thing to do,” he said. Nonetheless, there were many sleepless nights for Lederer and the NPMA Board of Directors in the wake of the decision as the Association saw its room block at the convention drop as dozens of PCOs decided to cancel their reservations and stay home this year. Yet just as miraculously, in the weeks leading up to the convention interest in the conference began to rebound, with final attendance figures exceeding 3,000 people, making it the third largest convention in the history of the Association, according to Lederer. “It says a lot about this industry that people put aside their fears and traveled to New Orleans to attend the conference,” he said. The NPMA Board of Directors, including NPMA President Judy Dold and Executive Vice-President Rob Lederer, deserve credit for making the decision to move ahead with the conference despite the risks. It showed courage in the face of adversity, a leadership quality General Norman Schwarzkopf knows something about.

The author is publisher of PCT magazine.