From the Chief’s Corner: Connecting the Dots…

By Chief Alan Perdue (ret.), SBC Executive Director

Posted on September 26, 2023

At the conclusion of a recent SBC training seminar an integrator that has attended several of our events came up to me to thank me. “Every time I come to one of these seminars,” he said, “I pick up another nugget of information that helps me have a better understanding of what I am really doing as it relates to ERCES.” After he left, I reflected on our conversation, and the concept of a common game many of us played as young kids came to mind.

That game is connect-the-dots, a sort of puzzle that contains a sequence of numbered dots that, when completed, reveals the outline of an object. So, what does connecting the dots have to do with ERCES? The idiom “connect the dots” is often used as a metaphor to illustrate how the association of one factor to another can help to visualize the whole picture.

I have written various articles in the past about competency, the codes and standards, radio frequency (RF) theory and application, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Individually, these subject areas are very important to every ERCES project, but even more important is their collective application. In the game of connect-the-dots, if you miss one of the dots, the intended outline of the object will not be properly displayed. Similarly, as it relates to an ERCES, if any aspect of competency, codes and standards, RF theory and application, or FCC rules is not fully compliant with what is required, the desired outcome of a properly designed and deployed ERCES will not be achieved. You need to connect all of the dots.

That conversation and many others that take place at the end of a seminar often focus on new information attendees have learned or a renewed interest in a topic they thought they understood but realized that they really didn’t. The conversations illustrate the importance of continuing education and continuous self-improvement. Continued education allows us to remain relevant, build confidence through competence, develop new perspectives, learn about trends and issues that better prepare us for the future.

In the puzzle game connect-the-dots if you miss a dot the intended picture simply does not turn out right. In the world of ERCES, what you do and how you do it matters. As I have often said “make sure you do the right thing the first time and every time because someone’s life may depend on it.” It might seem like an old cliché but “Failure is not an option.” #FeelSafeInside

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