Pioneers' Foresight Deserves Recognition
<B> Pioneers' Foresight Deserves Recognition</B>
By Michael Whitesage
Change happens so fast in the travel industry that it is almost a cliché to talk about it. We learn as we go, invent as we must. But I am often embarrassed by the collective amnesia of our industry, how we forget the originators of new ideas and the pioneers of innovative practices.
I don't want this oversight to happen to a dear friend, client and mentor, Edmund Rathke (<I>BTN</I>, Sept. 20). Ed was among the first presidents of the NPTA, now the NBTA, when it was still an organization seeking its mission. His humor and humility set the standard that has served as a model for the organization's best presidents ever since.
Many of the things that we take for granted today, Ed dared to dream of years ago. The idea of an independent corporate information system was his. Corporate Travel Department accreditation was a concept that he advanced within his company, Aetna, and succeeded in implementing in all but name. While others attempted to use travel policies to intervene, Ed understood the limits of his power. He practiced "consultative" travel management. I learned principles from him that I still recommend to clients today.
This column is also about our industry. We forget that we stand on the shoulders of our predecessors. An idea gleaned here or a document photo copied there are often absorbed into the body of knowledge without any acknowledgement.
While we may think we are brighter for what we learn or how fast we adapt to change, we may be poorer for it. When we fail to recognize our teachers and mentors, we sacrifice an important part of our past. We are an industry without a history. Imagine how pitiful a people would be without history. In a sense that describes the travel industry because we discard our past to promote our mastery of the present.
Not all industries make this mistake. Failure to acknowledge a source in journalism is a breach of professionalism. Evening-long shows are devoted to recognizing the contributions of entertainers. Science, the practice of learning and discovery, is built on crediting recognized research before any new work is presented. We don't have to go to such lengths, but simple recognition of our benefactors deserves merit.
Where would the industry be today without Don Sohn's early commitment to technology, Brian Froelich's courage to price as he saw fit, Jeannie Thompson-Smith's passion for reservation quality, Jerry Oranski's understanding of automation and workflow, Harold Seligman's stately example for the consulting corps, Rolfe Shellenberger's insight of the airlines, Jack Islin's zeal for travel manager training or John Krietner's best corporate practices, which have since become the industry's standard. I cannot name them all. Who would you include? I do know that the travel industry today would be different without anyone of them.
Business Travel News' Top 25 is an important list because it recognizes people who influenced our industry, for good or bad, during the past year. But we need another award. We need an award of merit to be given annually to an individual who has made a long-term, positive contribution to our industry.
By recognizing such leaders, we will begin to craft a history through retelling the story of their contributions. We may even learn that we are wiser and better when we acknowledge those who taught us.
One last thing: Let's acknowledge our best and brightest colleagues while they are still alive so they know how much they mean to us.
<I>Michael Whitesage is president of Prism Group Inc., a travel software and consulting firm with headquarters in Albuquerque, N.M.