The Power of WHY
Posted by ablack on Oct. 5, 2016 / Chapter News / Subscribe 0
The number three is an important number. Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The Three Stooges. The Three Musketeers. There are three primary colors. All graphic designers and photographers know the rule of thirds. It’s a powerful number – and it also has significant meaning for our Chapter.
Last year, Cricket launched a three-year strategic plan to help us be deliberate in continually engaging our members, improving our resources, and increasing opportunities for growth and learning. This year, we’re continuing the momentum for year two. As a part of that effort, the incoming Board of Directors participated in a strategic planning session in June. We had the privilege of hosting Society President Elect, Craig Galati, AIA, FSMPS, CPSM. Craig facilitated the session and helped us “check in” on our strategic plan and refocus on goals and objectives to support the plan. From that session, three goals emerged for the year:
- Increase value to members and emphasize advocacy for the profession
- Focus on quality over quantity of programming
- Communicate value to both members and non-members through targeted strategies
Those goals tie in directly to our Chapter’s mission statement:
To Advocate, Educate, and Collaborate
for the A/E/C industry to build business for a thriving economy.
This year’s theme is the power of WHY. This comes from Simon Sinek’s inspirational TED Talk and subsequent book, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Simon’s message is powerful. He talks about the WHY, how, and what of a company or organization; also known as The Golden Circle:
- The WHAT of a company/organization is pretty simple—every single company on the planet knows what they do
- The HOW of a company/organization is often given to explain how something is different or better than other companies or organizations.
- WHY? Very few people can clearly articulate why they do what they do – what is your purpose, cause or belief? Here lies the inspiration. What is your why?
By itself, an arrow is just a flimsy piece of wood. But pick up a bow, and pull that arrow backward 180 degrees from its target, and you’ll find that it becomes unstoppable.
SMPS Arizona is in a great position and we have so much positive momentum. As we move forward into our three-year strategic plan, let’s focus on our WHY – as individuals and as a Chapter. We are all leaders, no matter what level we are at in our jobs or careers. We impact others every day, whether we realize it or not. What inspires you? What’s your cause? What are you passionate about? What would you do TODAY, if you knew you could not fail?
I’m excited to be where we’re at now. We have so many new members discovering the value of SMPS and becoming involved in the Chapter. Combine those new members with our dedicated 10-, 15-, and 20-year members, and we have a knockout team of fresh ideas combined with solid knowledge. There are still so many great things to come. I’m looking forward to the future of SMPS Arizona and can’t wait to see many of you at one of our upcoming events!
Maureen Varela, CPSM
Marketing Manager, Pulice Construction Inc.
Maureen joined the A/E/C industry in 2006 and has been employed by Pulice Construction since 2010. She has been an active member of SMPS for a decade and is enjoying her role as current Chapter President. Many know Maureen as the hard-working Marketer that she is, but few know about her passion for adrenaline! Over the years, she’s tried out ziplining, skydiving, rappelling, and white water rafting, and she’s always on the lookout for the next adventure.
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