How did I get this job? I have enough to do and there are so many outstanding people within our community of association executives in New Jersey who could do this job just as well, and probably even better, than I. What was I thinking? I am following people who have done such wonderful work in bringing NJSAE to the success we currently enjoy. I must be crazy. I don’t have the time or energy for this. These were just a few of the thoughts that invaded my mind several weeks ago as I prepared to meet with Pat Koziol, NJSAE’s new Executive Director, to discuss how we might most effectively partner in the coming year as I move into my term as President. As my questions continued to push me from comfort to…well….something very uncomfortable, a germ of an idea began to take root and suddenly grew to a sound that overwhelmed the cacophony in my head: “try not to break anything!” Suddenly, all I could think about was the overwhelming desire to make sure that I left the place in at least the order that I found it.
Over the few weeks that followed, I began to wonder if that was a weak choice. After all, wouldn’t it be a little disrespectful to the fine leaders who came before me to just “maintain?” Shouldn’t I be trying to match the contributions of those people who gave their time and energy a few years ago to pull the association’s finances back into the black? Wouldn’t it seem that the minimum amount of leadership required would be to at least match the performance of the leaders who navigated the selection process of our new executive director? Perhaps, but might it also be the most honest expression of respect for all of those who came before me to be a good steward of the organization that I’ve been given the opportunity to lead for the next year? Isn’t that the best way to give back to an organization – and in some small way to the profession – that has done so much for me? I concluded this little internal drama (without the assistance of a therapist, I might add) with the realization that it is precisely the role of steward that defines a true association management professional, and that while “paying it forward” was the least I could do, it was also the most important thing I could do.
Clearly, neither the concept of stewardship nor the idea of “giving back” are my own creations. I would even suggest that I am still a student, learning more about the subtleties of how both affect my chosen profession every day. Still, as I sat down to write this article it became apparent to me that these two concepts apply to every one of us, whether we are at the beginning of our careers, a seasoned veteran, or somewhere in between. Before you jump to conclusions, this is NOT a call to leadership. I am not going to suggest that everyone consider giving their time in service to the NJSAE. I am not going to assume that everyone is willing and able to make the commitment of time that leadership requires. I will suggest that almost anyone who reads this article, and in fact many who haven’t yet read it, owe some debt to the association and the profession it serves. Ask yourself, “what would I not know today that I know as a result of the NJSAE?” Before you dismiss the idea, consider that even if you’ve never attended an NJSAE educational program, even if this is in fact the first time you’ve read an article in Pace, you have likely learned something from someone whom you met as a result of your association with others who share your chosen career. I have.
If you hang around an organization like NJSAE you invariably hear someone, usually a grizzled “lifer,” say something to the effect of “I dropped my membership in NJSAE. I pay the dues for my junior staffers and I encourage them to join, but I’ve been around a long time and there’s really not much there for me.” This is normally the time when the person in my position is supposed to recite the litany of benefits – the “value proposition” of the association. I will resist the urge. Certainly there is value, and it’s a safe bet that at some point in the coming 12 months I will address that value with some enthusiasm, but not here…not today. Today, I am going to suggest to those long-timers that perhaps their focus needs to shift. If you have found success in association management, and if the NJSAE (or for those who, like me, came to New Jersey from someplace else, the allied society in the state where you began your career) has played any role in that success, perhaps what’s in it for you is the opportunity to be a good steward and to give back. Support the association with your membership, and yes, consider giving those of us who still have something to learn the benefit of your experience and knowledge. Join us at an upcoming event. If it turns out that you know everything there is to know about the topic, then ask a question that needs to be asked for the benefit of those who don’t. At a break, strike up a conversation with someone who just took a “job” and is suddenly realizing that they have joined a special group of people in an association management career. Think about all that you can give back, and then give some. As cliché as it sounds, you may just find that you get as much out of that as you give.
If you’ve read this far you are truly dedicated, and as a result of that dedication, I am going make a request of you. Consider how you can join me in stewardship of this invaluable organization. Think about whether you have anything to “pay-forward” and then find a way to do it. If you are that old-pro that I wrote about and you’ve lost touch with the society, find a way to reconnect that works for you. If you are the choir (and if you are still reading, I have a hint for you…you are the choir), find the lifer that I wrote about within your own office or in your circle of influence and put this article in front of them. Ask them to read it, and then ask them to act on it. I believe that “action” may truly be the most important thing we can do for our profession.
As always, these are my thoughts. Over the next 12 months, I’d love to hear some of yours.
