If you saw the recent IAAP Newsletter, you had a chance to review all of the different ways you can get and stay engaged as a member of this association. Getting involved strengthens the community and links us together in immeasurable ways. I’ve talked about my IAAP leadership journey many times because the value that I continue to receive from my involvement has had a profound effect on my personal and professional growth.
Reading that newsletter took me back to when I first joined
IAAP in 2008. I found myself wondering, if I had read that newsletter at that
time, would I have jumped on any of those opportunities? I’m not sure I would
have. That wasn’t the kind of person I was at the time. Although the desire was
there, the confidence and motivation didn’t necessarily match. The way I initially
got involved was quite accidentally. I was invited to a meeting within my
company, led by some fellow admins who were starting a corporate chapter. I
knew nothing about IAAP, but I felt a sense of energy and excitement in that
meeting and I wanted to be involved. By the end of that meeting, I had been
appointed as the Interim Vice President for my chapter.
What was significant about that? Somebody else believed in
and encouraged me. I didn’t take time to think about why I could or couldn’t do
it – I just said ‘yes’. That simple action set everything in motion. Did I know
what I was doing? Absolutely not. I took it upon myself to learn from my early
mentors, learned everything I could about the association and did the best job
I could as our chapter Vice President. The connection I felt to the community
and within our chapter was strong. That encouraged me to continue on a
leadership path. I wanted to continue to be an active part of the community,
because having that camaraderie and support fueled me in a very positive way.
That’s what I had been missing in my career up to that point. That is the
cornerstone of what makes our association so special.
During these challenging times, our community is more
important than ever. I am grateful every day for the connections and
friendships. We all have something to offer and can learn from one another. If
you want to be involved, but haven’t taken that step or are unsure where you
would best fit, consider completing the Willingness to Serve.
You can also talk to your local Branch or Region Director (or me!) about how
you could get involved. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is quiet the voices
and simply say ‘yes’. I did back in 2008 and it profoundly changed my life.
