Participating in associations: Be in the center

My standard pitch for why it’s important to be involved in associations runs along the lines of networking, learning from others, giving back to the industry, credibility from your involvement, and so on. Some buy into this, some don’t. But wait—what’s important here is that I REALLY, REALLY believe in this and so do a lot of other people who are much smarter than me. Clay Fischer, a very successful tilt-up contractor in Florida, talking about his association work, once told me that “The wealth of knowledge you get from all these people is powerful and they are willing to share it.” That alone should convince you to sign up.

But I understand that there is only so much time and money to devote to this sort of activity, so you’ll need to make choices. Do you focus on your particular niche or look for an organization with a broader perspective? Do you get involved with a local group or a national group? I recommend starting with the narrowest focus you can find locally, then expand into the broader-based national groups. For contractors, it’s hard to beat the American Society of Concrete Contractors, and it’s Decorative Concrete Council, although that does require some national travel.

When you’ve made that decision, jump in with both feet. I never thought of myself as much of a joiner—I was deathly shy growing up and would do anything to stay out of the limelight. Working for the American Concrete Institute as an editor on Concrete International, though, forced me in front of people. It was painful at first, but what I soon discovered was that it can be incredibly exciting to be directly involved in decisions that affect the entire concrete business. And when you’re learning about and influencing things that directly affect your business, it’s even more exciting.

Committee work can, of course, be incredibly dull and slow. I’m on one ACI committee that has been trying to revise a 50-page report for the past 10 years. If you get involved with one of those, dump it. Or, better yet, if you think it’s important, see what you can do to push it to a conclusion.

So here’s what I recommend: give it a chance, but give it a real chance. Be in the center. That’s the key. Watching from the sidelines is boring and provides fewer benefits. Be in the center. Accept some responsibility and then follow through. Before you know it, you’ll be put in charge of something—next step is chairman then president. And I’m really not kidding. Anyone willing to contribute will be pushed up the line in a hurry. I’ve seen people join a committee only to end up as chairman within a couple of years.

Here’s a list of associations by state (http://www.concretenetwork.com/associations.htm). Look through this and decide what to do--or let me know and I can steer you to a group that would be beneficial for you. And tell me about your experience with associations. Did you get sufficient return on the time and expense? Did you feel welcome or out of place?