STLE creates the future
By Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report May 2023
Our society charts the course for 2023-2026.
STLE’s Board of Directors is putting the finishing touches on a refreshed three-year strategic plan for the organization. Approval is expected at a late May board meeting during the STLE Annual Meeting and Exhibition, May 21-25, in Long Beach, Calif. (U.S.).
The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan has been developed in the past year based on research into member needs and external challenges and opportunities facing the organization. The starting point was the current three-year plan, which was established in 2020. All 23 members of the board worked with senior staff to assess how that plan needed to be revised, based on input from a membership survey conducted in late 2022 and from printed sources, including the STLE Emerging Trends Report series.
The complete plan document will be published in late June. For now, here’s a look at the four domains, which form the core of the plan.
Domain 1: Professional Development
Goal: STLE maintains its reputation and continues to be recognized as the go-to resource for knowledge in lubrication and tribology as well as world-class certification.
Domain 2: Technology and Innovation
Goal: STLE will be the forum where global thought leaders collaborate to advance innovation and progress through research and creative application of tribology and lubrication engineering.
Domain 3: Communications and Advocacy
Goal: STLE advocates for the science of tribology and the practice of lubrication engineering to ensure the future relevance of the profession, the industry and the society.
Domain 4: Organizational Excellence
Goal: STLE will be a strategy-driven organization that follows association best practices to advance tribology and lubrication engineering. The organization will operate effectively, efficiently and intentionally.
Each domain is assigned to a board subcommittee known as a Strategy and Surveillance Team (SST). These groups work with staff and committees to establish strategies and tactics under each domain and to monitor results and adjust as needed. Key performance indicators will be used to track progress and adjust as needed. Although the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan is a refresh of the current plan, it includes many new initiatives under each of the four domains. Among them are:
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Using a mix of virtual and in-person content distribution to expand the audience for technical exchange and education.
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Expanding support for scholarship, grants and STEM activities through a fundraising campaign in support of the new Scholarships and Investments for the Future Fund (SIFF).
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Making diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) best practices a part of STLE’s culture.
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Assuring organizational vitality through an emerging leaders’ program.
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Outreach to industry employers to reinforce the value of encouraging their employees to pursue one of STLE’s three certification designations.
While the Strategic Plan is a framework for guiding the organization, it is not a static document. The process to implement the plan will tap into input from individual and group discussions with key constituencies within the membership. These will include representatives from local sections, technical committees and the STLE Corporate Member community.
STLE’s commitment to being a strategy- driven organization can be traced back to its formative days. Throughout the 79- year history, leaders from many previous generations have moved STLE forward by having a clear idea of what the society needed to do to remain relevant to the tribology and lubricants community. STLE’s current Board of Directors and staff are committed to the same principles as a guide to delivering on the STLE value proposition in the next three years.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.