Connecting a Valued Past with the Possibilities for Our Future
William D. Novelli
AARP Executive Director and CEO
AARP National Leadership Conference
Grand Hyatt Hotel
Washington, DC
April 29, 2002
Welcome everyone-to Washington and to this exciting meeting. For those of you who came in from out of town, you'll be happy to know that tourism is finally coming back to normal here in the nation's capital.
You can see this in the increased traffic around town. But, it really hit me the other day in front of the National Archives, just a few blocks from AARP headquarters. I saw a little boy was standing with his grandfather, looking up at the inscription on the building. The kid read it aloud: "Past is Prologue," then he asked what it meant. His grandfather said, "Past is prologue," that means, "You ain't seen nothin' yet."
And that's how I feel about the future of AARP.
As we saw this morning, we're blessed with a rich tradition of leadership and service, from our founder, Ethel Percy Andrus to Horace Deets. From the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who served AARP throughout our history to our current Board leadership. We have much to be thankful for-and because of that-even more to look forward to.
We marvel at a glorious past-presented so well in the video we saw this morning-and think about the world we live in today. Shereen and Nancy described it very clearly. In all of the trends they discussed, we see a world that is changing at an incredibly rapid pace.
I think just about all of us know these numbers:
- One of the more than 76 million boomers turns 50 every 7.5 seconds.
- With every coming year, over 4 million men and women will join the ranks of 50+ America.
- This is changing the fundamental age distribution in America. In 1900, only 13 percent of the population was age 50 or over. In 2000, it was over 27 percent. And, by 2020, it will be over 35 percent.
What does this mean for AARP? It means that by 2006, we will have over 40 million members. It means that by the time AARP turns 50 in 2008, we will have more than 42 million members.
We all know that Dr. Andrus was a woman of great vision, but when she signed the papers to form AARP on that July day back in 1958, could she have imagined in her wildest dreams that the Association would some day reach and engage that many people?
But he numbers are just part of the picture. Behind each of the 35.2 million members we have today - and the 5 million more we will add over the next 4 years-is a story.
- There's the couple in their 70s who have to decide which of their prescriptions not to take because the cost is so high they can't afford it.
- It's the story of the 62-year-old who can't wait to retire so he can "unretire" and start that new business he always dreamed about.
- There's the fifty-something Hispanic working woman who wonders if she is going to be eaten alive by the demands of caring for her children and her parents.
- It's the story of the 68-year-old woman who likes to give back to a society that has given her so much.
- Then there's the couple in their early 60s who have suddenly taken on the responsibility of raising their two grandkids.
- The recent retiree who worries whether she's saved enough so she won't outlive her assets.
- It's the story of the 87-year-old nursing home resident who is facing the end of her life and hopes to do so without too much pain and with her children and grandchildren beside her.
- And, it's the story of 50-year-old Janet Hamilton-our 35 millionth member-who is looking ahead with loads of confidence, and with whom we expect to have a 35-year relationship.
These very different people share one thing in common-they have all turned to AARP to help them make their choices, fulfill their goals and dreams, and make the most of their lives after 50.
And we have to decide the best way to do that. Our job is to lead our members-and the nation-into this uncharted future beyond 50.
- Many face life with uncertainty; we can help prepare them and show them new possibilities.
- Many see possibilities, but don't see how to reach them. We can help to guide them.
As the old saying goes, we only have three options: to lead, to follow, or to get out of the way. We will lead. That's what great organizations do.
We're all here- AARP's national leadership-to decide how we are going to serve our members and serve the nation at this exciting time.
When the Board appointed me to succeed my friend, Horace Deets, eleven months ago-it's hard to believe it's been almost a year-I offered three great goals for our organization:
- AARP will be the most successful and acknowledged organization in America for positive social change.
- We will deliver on our promise to each member: to help them make their own choices, reach their goals and dreams, and make the most of life after 50.
- And we will be a world leader in global aging.
I said then, and I believe even more so now, that we are well positioned to lead the demographic revolution - to contribute ideas… to promote change… and to influence how people and institutions respond to the formidable problems and huge opportunities here and throughout the world. And, that we would do this through a strategy of continuity and our own organizational change.
That's what we've done. We've built on the strong AARP foundation. And, we've also made a few changes along the way to sharpen our focus, to help us work more efficiently, and to make better use of our resources.
And now, here we are. This conference brings our entire leadership together to see where we are, to review our strategic plan and prepare for the future. This is where we make our choices as an organization, where we lay out our goals and dreams, and where we figure out how we are going to fulfill them.
Have you ever been to the Naval Academy's football stadium in Annapolis? Around the upper deck they have the names of some of the great battles in American history: Iwo Jima, Guadal Canal, Corregidor. A freshman on the Pitt football team looked up one game day and said, "Wow, what a schedule!"
That's what we've got - a tough schedule ahead of us. And, it all begins with our vision-of how we see the future and our place in it. It's our guiding star, always showing us the way but never quite reachable.
Our current vision statement says that, "AARP excels as a dynamic presence in every community, shaping and enriching the experience of aging for each member and for society." That statement was adopted in 1995-before the first baby boomers turned 50 and began joining AARP.
We've learned a lot about the boomers since then, and one of the things we've learned is that boomers have a different attitude, different expectations, and want to make more of their own choices.
So, to be relevant to the boomer generation- whose members are joining AARP in droves-and also to maintain the spirit of serving our older members, we are here considering a revised vision statement with this guiding star: "A society in which everyone ages with dignity and purpose, and where AARP helps people make their own choices, fulfill their goals and dreams, and make the most of life after 50."
To propel us toward that vision-and to state what we do and what we are-we are also contemplating a revised mission statement that says:
"AARP is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all people and helping them to age with dignity and purpose. Through information, advocacy and service, we lead positive social change and deliver value to our members."
This mission statement creates a framework for realizing our vision and directing and organizing our work. It contains two essential concepts:
- That we will lead positive social change, and
- That we will deliver value to our members.
What I like about this mission statement is that it builds upon our past and propels us into the future. It encompasses the great goals and shows our commitment to serve members and be a socially responsible organization. The Board reaffirmed this commitment two years ago in a statement that said:
"The collective strength of our membership enables us to serve the broader community, improving the quality of life for all people as they get older. We know that healthy aging requires an early start; therefore, our social responsibility extends to all segments of American society. It also includes sharing strategies and information with organizations across the globe."
I am inspired by this Board statement, because it gives all of us as employees and volunteers a tremendous responsibility to live up to, and it challenges us to change the world.
Inherent in our vision and mission statements are some values that cut across all that we do. You know from the presentations this morning-and from your own work-the challenges of dealing with a membership of over 35 million people.
Any group that size is by its nature extremely diverse. By the year 2025, 30 percent of the 50+ population will be of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In fact, boomers are the most ethnically diverse generation ever.
The AARP membership goal requires that our members will mirror the profile of America's 50+ population. In order to achieve this goal, we must first understand these diverse audiences, so we can provide the information, products and services they want and need, and so we can reach and engage them in meaningful ways.
Boomers share many basic values with their parents, yet their attitudes and behaviors are often different. They are shaped by different experiences, and we must communicate with them differently. We must offer them choices…and so choice is critical to virtually everything we do.
One of the greatest things about AARP is that we pledge a strong commitment to our members-and others in society-who are vulnerable and disadvantaged, including the frail, the isolated, the low-income. These people are more likely to live in poverty-and poverty increases with age-are less likely to be healthy, and are less likely to have the resources they need to cope.
And they-as well as many other older people-are often targets for scam artists who prey upon their vulnerabilities. That's why must help protect them in the marketplace-- so they can maintain what financial security and well being they do have.
But we know we can't do it all…no one organization can. To accomplish our mission, we have to create alliances that strengthen our capacity to serve. We have to get better at reaching out to corporate America, to academia, to other nonprofits and foundations and to government at all levels, to establish partnerships that will help us create positive social change and provide value to our members.
We recognized long ago that AARP cannot be all things to all people. That's more true today than ever before. So, we need to focus. That's one of the main purposes of our strategic plan.
The plan identifies five areas for focusing our efforts:
- Health
- Economic Security
- Life Choices
- Community Service
- Global Aging
We'll be hearing much more about them throughout the conference, especially Life Choices and Community Service. But let me offer just a few comments.
First, regarding health. Our members consistently identify health and well-being as one of their top concerns. This includes everything from staying healthy to the cost and quality of health-care services. Health care is re-emerging as a major public issue, and we have to be ready. We need integrated solutions to our nation's complex and politicized health-care problems.
As we all know, our number one legislative priority is prescription-drug coverage in Medicare. We are out front on this, pursuing a three-pronged strategy of education, legislation, and litigation-with a heavy reliance on our growing grassroots muscle.
This initiative is extremely important. Our members need drug coverage, and the campaign demonstrates our strength and resolve. Let's everyone here be a grass roots guerrilla. Let's contact our members of Congress, write a letter to the editor and attend town meetings. Let's send 'em a message. Don't come home for recess without the legislation.
In May, we will release our second Beyond 50 Report to the Nation. This one is on Trends in Health Security. The challenges are in this area are huge.
Our first Beyond 50 Report to the Nation, released about a year ago, focused on economic security. That report has literally changed the way we look at economic security in retirement.
Building a secure retirement has traditionally been thought of as a three-legged stool, with the three legs represented by Social Security, Savings, and Pensions. This concept long held that if people had these three sources of retirement income, they could handle balance the financial demands of their retirement years.
But a secure retirement in today's America has to be built on four strong pillars: Social Security, savings and pensions combined, earnings from continued work, and health insurance. We have to devote even more attention to those areas.
For many years, our research showed that, overwhelmingly, people want to stay where they are as they get older - at home. If they can't do that, their next preference is some form of assisted living. Not moving in with the kids, not a nursing home - but assisted living.
People have justifiable concerns: Will they be able to stay in their own homes - and for how long? Will they be able to afford care in an assisted living facility, or will they outlive their assets? What about the quality of care?
Our studies tell us loud and clear: choice is critical. People want to know what their choices are, and they want a hand in creating choices for their future well-being. Not just where they will live, but also how they will live their lives. And what they want throughout the spectrum of care if and when they need it.
Years ago, I worked in a big marketing company where brand managers reigned supreme; except when they ran afoul of management. One day a fellow brand manager was called up to the chairman's office. The top guy said to my colleague, " I saw a TV commercial last night for your product." My friend said, "Yes sir, what did you think of it?" And the chairman replied, "I think your commercial is somewhere between useless and downright harmful." I said to my friend, "wow, what did you say at that point?" And he answered, "What could I say? I argued for useless."
Useless and downright harmful aren't a good set of choices. And yet that's pretty much what many people are faced with today regarding the spectrum of care.
We have outlined four strategies for helping people to make and implement choices:
- Prevention - To prolong healthy living and independence,
- Empowerment - To expand information, resources and confidence to make decisions,
- More and Better Choices - To increase options in services and care settings, and,
- More and Better Financial Tools - To expand choices for financing care and support.
You will be hearing much more about-and discussing-Life Choices later in the conference, but just let me say that this effort is critical to providing people with the choices they need as they get older. This must be a big, integrated and well-resourced program. And, clearly, this is one program we cannot do on our own.
We'll also be discussing and hearing about our Community Service Initiative. As we saw in the history video, AARP was built on a tradition of service. We've been working on how to build on that tradition for quite sometime. The tragic events of September 11 served to reaffirm and strengthen that commitment.
I am truly excited about our community service opportunities, and this conference will help examine the barriers to overcome, look at the goals and review the strategies to achieve those goals.
Our final area of emphasis is global aging. Working internationally is not new to AARP. We've been at it since our very beginning. But now we have the opportunity and the need to think more globally…and more strategically, than ever before. We have a conceptual plan, but we're clearly not there yet.
Governments, organizations, and leaders around the world respect our advocacy, our technical expertise and research, our volunteers, and our size and independence. In any part of the globe, 35 million members attracts a lot of notice.
Just as we can contribute internationally, we can also learn, as well. And we can counter the negative viewpoint that global aging is a catastrophe. To provide the kind of global leadership to do that, we need to pursue a more focused strategy and integrate it into our core work.
Accomplishing all of this means we have to have our own house in order. We need an organizational environment conducive to success. An environment of accountability, innovation and risk-taking, continuous learning, shared responsibility, continuous learning and the courage and the ability to make decisions and get on with it.
Fortunately and importantly, we have talent at AARP. Lots of talented staff and volunteers, primarily, I think, drawn by our great mission. But we need more good people, and we need more financial resources to achieve our goals.
And although it isn't the exciting part of life, our organizational structure, our systems, and our technology must all support our people and our work. If you aren't serving a member, it is equally important to serve those who do.
So what will it mean to succeed? How will know we are making a difference?
- The couple in their 70's will have prescription-drug coverage and won't have to choose which drug not to take.
- We'll provide the 62-year-old entrepreneur with information to help him start his own business.
- The Hispanic woman will have an easier time coping in her stressful generational sandwich.
- The successful woman will look to AARP for a way to give back-through volunteering and philanthropy.
- The grandparents will successfully raise their grandkids using us as an important resource.
- The recent retiree will be more confident of her security in retirement.
- The nursing home resident and her family will ask for and receive proper palliative care.
- And, our poster child for the boomer set, Janet Hamilton, will lead a wonderful life as AARP's 35th millionth member.
In sum:
- Our members will be better off
- Our Association will be stronger
- Our communities will be better places to live
- We will strengthen and serve our great nation.
Ethel Percy Andrus saw the possibilities when she founded AARP-so have other AARP leaders through the years- and look where we are today.
Now, it is up to us to see the possibilities for our future-and imagine where we can be tomorrow. AARP is a rocket ship, ready to take off. Past is prologue-But we ain't seen nothin' yet.
