Working with membership communities provides us the unique opportunity to foster not only business relationships but to build enriching interpersonal partnerships as well. The mutual care and support between an organization and their management company, when cultivated with intention, can blossom into a truly meaningful and collaborative relationship. Nothing is more satisfying than providing excellent service under a studied president who is passionate to be in service.
The Little Things
To showcase this we call on the actions of one of our associations’ past presidents, who showed us how a thoughtful gesture can make all the difference in the world, exponentially in times of heightened challenges. While coordinating the on-site logistics of a past conference, when the demands of high level focused excellence had reached a peak, the team received three finely crafted bracelets. Each bracelet accompanied a custom charm with a word or phrase representing a particular trait of the recipient. She had put time and thought into what each individual of the team brought to the community and handpicked a token to represent how they showed up for the Society.
Two team members wanted to share a few words about what this meant to them.
Katya P.: “I still have that charm. Mine says, “CHAOS Coordinator.” The impact was huge. At first not even in what was said, but that the Society’s President took the time to pick this out for each member of the team, and I believe she was pretty spot on in giving them.”
Lisa M.: “How it made a difference for me, was that she shared that she chose a word for each of us that spoke to her of who we are and what we provide. I wore mine all weekend, and it was a good reminder of being that word, I believe it said, “Grace.”
Women in Leadership
Serving under a strong female presence was an absolute pleasure. It is crucial that women in leadership roles continue to support each other such as our president did with her incredibly kind gesture. Each recipient of the bracelets are leaders on the VPG team who continue to serve as strong women in leadership roles. The impact and influence this had on the team was substantial. Here at VPG, we are very invested in women’s empowerment and seek partnerships that value these ideals. Studies show that women in leadership often have a stronger social commitment to their team and encourage more participation from the team. Empowered women, in turn, lift up others and continue the cycle of mutual support.
We reconnected with this past president just the other day. Given the current context, she wanted to reach out just to ask how each member of the team was holding up. This act of reaching out meant the world to the team. While we work from home, isolating, social distancing, and doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Chicago, we all benefit from the thoughtful connections from colleagues and loved ones. Kindness and compassion are crucial for maintaining a sense of a supportive community as well as facilitating good mental health! Here is my bracelet, yep I am GirlBoss.
MVP
Megan Van Petten
Van Petten Group, INC.