Participate in 2018/19, with PASSION!

Thank you to all the leaders and members who attended June Awards last month. It was such a great time to celebrate Brandon Rich’s year as president, and welcome new leadership to the Association. It was especially great to see my friend Gary Mann who flew in from Texas to introduce me and install this year’s Board of Directors. Also, it was great having my wife and two sons in attendance.

During my speech, I mentioned a dream I had, of my picture hanging on the wall of AAMD past presidents, and no one remembering me or anything about my term. It was terrifying to because this year will be one of the busiest and most important in AAMD’s history. And I am not going to be able to get through it on my own. I am going to need your participation and your leadership.

What’s going on you ask? 2018/19 is going to have a critical election for Colorado and the outcome may dramatically change our industry. It’s a Tributes year, we will host NAA as the 2019 National Education Conference comes to Denver, it’s our Association’s 50th anniversary and we will continue to reflect and celebrate on our past as we prepare for the next 50 years! We are applying for another grant for the MAP program and we are adding Lease-A-Rama as a new association event. 

This is all in addition to our regular programs and events like Chili Cookoff, Golf Tournament, TechCon, Econ, Maintenance Olympics, Trade Show, Charity events, Business to Business, and June Awards. We also have many Political Advocacy initiatives, IROC, JLAC, the Maintenance Apprentice Program and we are adding several new political initiative subcommittees.

My platform for this year is simple. 

It is participation! I’m looking for participation with passion. In my opinion, the difference between being a manager day to day activities and being a is the passion and effort you put forth. We all manage processes, people, properties, committees, clients. The list goes on. While the results may vary, managing is essentially getting through the day by controlling events or people.

The outcome is usually similar, and over time the participants likely become disengaged. If we add passion, whether it be in the form of creativity, empathy, motivation or vision, we now become a leader. In time, others will follow and become leaders alongside you.

For example, as managers, we typically over plan and usually don’t allow our teams to have much say. The outcome is typical. Metaphorically sleepy employees and average outcomes. Introduce passion to your management style and you will begin seeing a change take place.

The changes don’t always take shape immediately, but passion will start to blossom and you will begin to see identities form. Leadership will slowly begin to take place. Don’t stop there. Keep being passionate. Pull inspiration from others and your surroundings and eventually you will see greater participation. Sometimes even role reversals where others are now emulating you and leading themselves. Soon they will individually become leaders in their own way. Guiding the way for others to follow.

I’ve spent the last five years participating in AAMD. I have tried everything I am asking you to assist me with. You have elected me to the position of president for the 2018-2019 year. I now call upon you to participate. To participate with passion. To be leaders, not managers, and draw in new members to assist with growing subcommittees and leadership.
Allow them to find their passion and become our leaders of the future.