Chamber Currents
Lead Where You Are
It is the fatal mistake of any Chamber of Commerce, or any organization for that matter, to dismiss the value of former Board Members and/or long-term supporters. It is fairly easy to work in the direction of acquiring a broader membership base and focusing on the needs of those new members as they enter into the business world. Coming from a marketing background, it was natural for me to work for our Chamber members in that manner. The idea of creating new value-added marketing and public relations components to our membership benefits was something our staff quickly added to the mix. We aimed to get these folks in and show them how we could possibly affect their bottom line. However, I see now that perhaps what we failed to do in our attempt to bring new people in was overlook some of our most supportive members and the benefits and opportunities that may best suit them and their business needs. Let me explain.
I recently attended a leadership summit, Lead Where You Are, hosted by Christ United Methodist Church in Myrtle Beach. The summit, though a spiritually based conference designed by Willow Creek Association headquartered in Barrington, Illinois to strengthen leaders within the local church, created within me a fire to better serve — God, my local church, Chamber constituents and our community. Many of the speakers at the conference had no church affiliation, and spoke strictly on leadership principles and methods that have worked best for them in their organizations of choice. I must have taken over 25 pages of notes during the three-day conference, and during that process, a new way of looking at things and the way our Chamber approaches our people and the community we serve took shape. I was asked to search my soul and question as to whether or not my strengths are being ruthlessly tapped to better serve my community. Many of the ideas and new angles will be presented during our Chamber’s upcoming Board Retreat scheduled for September 11, but know that during 2008, you’ll be moved by the things that our Chamber will do. You’ll see a difference in what we can mean to this community.
The year 2008 is a very special year for the Conway Chamber. This year marks our 50th anniversary as a chartered Chamber of Commerce. This will be our golden year. Our new Information Please directory, which is distributed across to the country to individuals interested in learning more about Conway and pursuing the opportunity to relocate here, will feature a number of our Past Presidents on the front cover. Along with the photo, we’re writing and submitting an article about the Presidents pictured. I won’t disclose the slant from which we’re writing, but I will say that the interviews we conducted with each individual helped our staff realize what valuable assets these folks are to our organization. Though they’ve moved on into other leadership roles within our community, our Past Presidents remain supportive of what we do. They’ve been in the trenches with us. They know what our core values are. They know what we represent. And, to me, they serve as our strongest ambassadors. We learned from them that they still have dreams for our Chamber and visions of where they’d like to see us go in the future. They shared ideas, their passions, their successes and blessings received from their involvement in the Chamber, and some even offered us a challenge or two. For that, I am grateful and truly appreciate the honesty and the truth that can and has set us free to grow, build, and lead. I do hope you’ll pick up a copy of the guide once it is published, as you’ll be able to use it as a telephone directory. Our entire membership is listed, as well as information vital to living in Conway.
As we approach our new fiscal year, I would like to challenge you, as a member of the Chamber and our community as a whole, to call us and be completely honest. How can we help you in your business? How can we help you grow into a stronger leader for our community? How could you use our Chamber as a channel through which you grow to better serve Conway? These are the issues we’ll face this year, as these are the questions we’ll ask ourselves. You are each and every one important and yes, vital, to our organization. You, no matter how long you’ve been in business or how long you’ve lived in Conway, are entitled to opportunities through this Chamber. This is where we are….from here is where we’ll grow. I invite you to come along and grow with us. Call us at 248-2273. Our doors and hearts are always open.
