ASHI inspector survey.

[Les]

I filled out the survey this morning and have been biting my tongue ever since.

This particular survey is just a bunch of complete silliness. The survey is nearly the most ridiculous survey I have ever read. My first degree was in sociology with an emphasis on polling. I know that was a million years ago, but the basics never change. The document was leading, had no focus, poorly written, etc..

I must admit I am becoming more frustrated with ASHI on a regular basis. I have been patient for nearly a year and have watched leadership act like fools and treat me (regular member) like a fool. I am tired of all the insider stuff, shell companies, personal gain while being trying to appear "most holy".

Is it me or is this soap opera stuff getting to you?

[Scottpat]

Les, I'm with you. It was a silly survey with loaded answers. I don't think I used any of the canned answers and I commented on every single question. I love how they asked the same question a couple of different ways. I wonder who really authored the survey and who's idea it was?

[Les]

Scott,

Looks like something to do with membership - JD? The quality of the stuff coming out of HQ is really getting on my nerves. The education issue nearly put me over the edge when I was in Las Vegas for Casey-O'Malley show and learned I was maybe the only person there that was not on the payroll or being asked to be on the payroll.

I certainly do not want to be labeled as anything, but gotta think there has to be some fire where there is all this smoke!

[Garet]

I wrote diatribes in response to most of the questions.

[Les]

Garet,

diatribes? is that where folks of similiar mores get into two circles of equal diameters and write?

pleased to know I am indeed crazy and in good company!

[Nolan Kienitz]

Les and all ...

I'm crazy right there with y'all. Virtually all my answers were also dissertations. (I think that is a valid word) [?]

As I was going through the survey it kept smacking me in the face as to: "What's the point of this B.S.?"

Fundamental waste of time, effort and Lord knows what ASHI is wanting out of it.

[kurt]

I couldn't finish it.

I kind of get where they're going with most of the questions, but I have to wonder about the why of it all.

I had an equal bit of bile cough up on that new "ASHI Products and Services Directory" I got in the mail the other day.

Maybe I should go back on the ASHI forum and insult everyone some more......

[Robert Jones]

Kurt,

You had to love the Mike Holmes inspections in the services directory. Speaking of the ASHI forum, I just posted about continuing education and ASHI's lack of it. Well lack of it in this state when iachi has already gotten 12 courses approved. But, I digress.

[randynavarro]

I filled out the survey as any good ASHI member should.

I didn't have time to diatribe and dissert(ation) like others, although I wanted to.

I feel it was kind of pointless.

[Jim Morrison]

Unapologetically unaffiliated, & unconcerned,

Jimmy

[Robert Jones]

I think in about 6 months, I might be as well.

[Marc]

Associations, like forums, have their place. I just don't agree with the way they are conducted nowadays. Was it always this way?

Marc

[Inspectorjoe]

I filled out the survey as any good ASHI member should.

I didn't have time to diatribe and dissert(ation) like others, although I wanted to.

I feel it was kind of pointless.

I felt the same way when I filled it out. It was strangely reminiscent of the Branding surveys that were sent out 7 years ago. I'm afraid this is going down that same path, only this time with different players and different (cloudy) objectives.

Does anybody remember those surveys? They seemed to be written to elicit a desired response. Reading them gave me a feeling that something really bad was about to happen. So bad that I saved the second one. Why did I save it? I don't know, maybe so I could someday say "I told you so". My written comments were pretty prophetic I think (You need to enable macros to read them). Of course, my answers and comments fell on deaf ears.

Things didn't change at the bizarre experience known as Chapter Leadership Day held later that fall. The day was wasted shuffling from room to room, literally throwing ideas up on the wall and seeing what stuck. This is crazy I thought. There were a few like-minded people who also were skeptical of the scheme, but all I got from most of the people I talked to was condescension. I can't recall the number of times I was told "you just don't understand it yet". I was in the back of the room during the initial session when Kurt stood up and condemned the Saturday-Mornings-at-Home Depot idea. That gave me some initial hope, but I didn't see anything like that repeated that day.

Download Attachment: ASHI Branding Survey II.doc

1403.84 KB

[kurt]

Yo, my Brother! You were there that day? Wasn't that a POS, with Mr. Smarmy up front looking all Directorial and condescending? Sheeeesh.....I was walking around wondering if there was anyone else in the room that could see it for what it was.

I keep the membership as a hedge against the future, sort of. I get a few gigs a year out of it.

Marc asked if it was always this way.......no, it wasn't. Now, it's about a bunch of, how do I say it...........

Morons? Yeah, that's it, morons, talking about moving the profession "forward". Ooooof, it's something, but it's not forward. More inward, like up the orifice kind of inward.

[kurt]

Unapologetically unaffiliated, & unconcerned,

Jimmy

Jimmy, ya make me laugh.......

[mgbinspect]

I filled out the survey this morning and have been biting my tongue ever since.

This particular survey is just a bunch of complete silliness. The survey is nearly the most ridiculous survey I have ever read. My first degree was in sociology with an emphasis on polling. I know that was a million years ago, but the basics never change. The document was leading, had no focus, poorly written, etc..

I must admit I am becoming more frustrated with ASHI on a regular basis. I have been patient for nearly a year and have watched leadership act like fools and treat me (regular member) like a fool. I am tired of all the insider stuff, shell companies, personal gain while being trying to appear "most holy".

Is it me or is this soap opera stuff getting to you?

Well, Les, I share your frustration. I've been a Member of both ASHI and a CRI with NAHI since 1994. I was the second CRI in the state of Virginia.

I traveled the Seminar and Convention circuit on weekends for several years as a vendor and came to the conclusion that these associations are very similar to "Church" - the closer you get to the center, the worse it begins to stink, because it gets thick with the power hungry. I thought is was rather funny that during all the time I traveled, officers changed, but the attitudes were always the same - they were too good, too important, too high and mighty to find time for anyone other than the royal family.

At first, it was annoying to realize that you were merely an underling -a peasant, but then I was actually glad I was outside of that rather cold and deceitful circle. I've never done "pompous" very well.

Since that experience, I am thankful to be a member, but I honestly don't vote or do such things as the polls. The only thing I don't miss about traveling the circuit, is being constantly snubbed by officers that had never even met me and didn't really care to. It's a bit ironic that apparently, the struggle to get to the top creates the same personalities over and over again.

I learned more than I ever cared to about the good ole' boys and couldn't be one under any circumstances. I pay the royal family absolutely no attention whatsoever...

In fact, I suppose other than holding the membership cards, I'm more like Jimmy - Since I haven't, and had no intention to, open up or fill out the poll, I'd be my normal "unapologetically unaffiliated (in spirit) and unconcerned" self too, if Les hadn't struck a nerve with me... [^]

That's my two cents.

[Richard Saunders]

What cracks me up is that you guys pay money for this!! (Yep, those leaders sure are idiots). At least forums are free.

[Garet]

Garet,

diatribes? is that where folks of similiar mores get into two circles of equal diameters and write?

pleased to know I am indeed crazy and in good company!

From my dictionary -- Diatribe: A bitter and abusive verbal attack.

For years I've been suggesting that they stop seeking educators from among our own ranks and instead get real experts in each field. I've also been suggesting all-day or multi-day sessions on a single subject rather than 2 hour affairs where the speaker starts by saying "We're going to skip a lot, because this should really be an all day class." And I'm really tired of home inspectors simply recanting war stories and passing it off as education.

[mgbinspect]

What cracks me up is that you guys pay money for this!! (Yep, those leaders sure are idiots). At least forums are free.

Actually, I think idiots is a bit strong, but just like politicians, they forget:

1. who sent them 2. that they used to be, and really ought to remain, just one of the clan 3. what the folks back home wanted.

It Animal Farm...

[Jim Katen]

Associations, like forums, have their place. I just don't agree with the way they are conducted nowadays. Was it always this way?

In my experience, yes. There's always some some big, embarassing dust up about this or that and it always ends with a bunch of people walking out in a huff. Heck, NAHI was started by a bunch of guys who quit ASHI in a huff 25 years ago.

Then there was the decision to allow certain ASHI Candidates to use the logo -- a bunch of upset members sued ASHI over that one.

Then the Branding adventure.

Then the governance adventure.

Now the corporate partner adventure.

And on & on & on.

The survey was just strange. I don't know who was behind it, but whoever it was isn't going to listen to anything that any of us said. I predict that none of our responses is ever going to see the light of day.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[emalernee]

Thanks to this thread, I won't feel guilty deleting the email.

Ezra Malernee

Canton, Ohio

[Terence McCann]

Unapologetically unaffiliated, & unconcerned,

Jimmy

I hear ya.

I'd be there in a heartbeat but if you're not ASHI in these parts you're not working. Howard-Hanna, the biggest firm here, has a standing rule to only use ASHI certified.

That, and the fact, that belonging to any "clan" gives me a rash.

[Scottpat]

ASHI does have more right than wrong when you look at the options available. Free online eduction is not going to make or break me or make me decide on what association I should join or not join. The day I can't afford to pay for education is the day I will be working at the local Burger King. Now, it would be nice if we had some sessions that were pre-approved with the various states so that a person that is not near a chapter or even a chapter could make use of them if they wanted.

I agree that some of the past leaders in ASHI have taken the wrong direction a few too many times, but then all you have to do is to look around in the profession at what options a person have if they want to be affiliated with a professional organization and the choice is pretty clear.

A good number of the issues revolve around the constantly changing folks that we call our leaders. Every year we change the Pres and several more of the folks that lead the org. What plans were in the works are forgotten and new ones are put into play. The ED and his staff should be the ones who are spearheading the eduction program, they should be the ones who moves it from point A to Z to be sure it is accomplished. It can't be done by volunteers who talk on the phone and meet 4 times a year.

As for the survey, I was told that it was done by the task group that is researching the chapter model that ASHI has in place.

My membership is still worth the price of admission. Just this past week I completed one gig that come from the ASHI site and booked another for next week that came from the ASHI site.

[kurt]

Les put this up over at the ASHI board, and Hemsell didn't know what it was........that's not encouraging........

I think Scott's response is reasonable. I know almost everyone in here from ASHI, so that by itself is something on the good side.

Scott also makes the very accurate observation about who's running what, and how things should be done. This goes to the core of one of my dissertations recently. Everything's set up all wrong, and the folks in charge are adamant that things are organized correctly.

Staff structure is completely goofy, based on another idiots idea about what the organization should be. It's not set up with folks in place that will do what we need done; it's set up for the ED to have something to "manage". It's a big mess.

[mgbinspect]

Unapologetically unaffiliated, & unconcerned,

Jimmy

belonging to any "clan" gives me a rash.

I suppose these two statements pretty much sum it up for me and always have - especially Terry's. Being around a gang of home inspectors in the same room for very long becomes kinda like nails on a chalk board - too much testosterone I suppose. I'm usually ready to claw my way through a wall in pretty short order.