Aaron Wolowiec recently posted to Acronym about standing out from the crowd (which I somehow seemed to post the exact same thing twice - I wish it was a bit more insightful).
However when I read the post, I thought to over a year ago when I first started this blog. It was all about stepping out from the crowd. The first time I spoke at Great Ideas a couple years ago I wanted to step out from the crowd. So I gave it a shot - and was and still am nervous everytime I do. But now I'm a wee blip on the radar of the association world and have had some great opportunities and met some great people because of it. But none of that would have happened if I didn't break down my preconceived barriers (I'm too young to present to executives/nobody will read my blog) and go for it.
The worst thing that happens is nobody reads it - or it doesn't go very well. Failure is great in that it provides learning opportunities.
Thanks for reading,
bob
P.S. - I like Aaron's notion of "emerging" as opposed to "young" - maybe a rename is in order? I mean it is kinda ironic that I don't want people to focus on my age (and the lack of experience that comes with it) and yet my blog is called young association professional.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
Bob:
I appreciated your comments to my original post. Actually, I appreciate anyone who reads my drivel and validates it with a response.
Anyway, here are some thoughts I have re: your post. Not to sound dramatic, but to some extent we do control our own destiny in the association community. No one is going to set us up with great opportunities just for the heck of it. We need to seek them out. We need to step out of the shadows and get ourselves noticed.
As we take chances and they pay off, slowly we build a name for ourselves. It doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. Last year, I joined ASAE. I then applied to be on the Young Professionals Committee. That small step has changed the course of my life.
Since then, I feel like I've made so many great connections with “young professionals” my age from around the country; I've been interviewed by a few writers/reporters; I've been quoted in a few prominent association magazines; I'm guest blogging for Acronym; and the list goes on.
No one wants to fail. That's simply human nature. But we can't “win,” we can’t advance, we can’t “stand out,” if we don't take these chances. So, the moral of this story is this: no matter how uncomfortable or uneasy we are, we must continue to take risks.
Likewise, we must work for organizations that support our growth and professional development. We must find mentors who can push us beyond our comfort zone and be available for us in those times of failure.
And, in my mind, we need to dispel the myth that young professionals lack the knowledge, skills and experience to substantively contribute to the association community. That’s why I think the term “emerging professional” is so much more fitting.
--aaron
Post a Comment