New Year’s Resolutions don’t usually last so long. Diets, exercise, relationship goals and other sudden changes can quickly fall to the wayside when life starts to get in the way again after the holidays. A better way to make change in your life or career is to try and build good habits. Habits become behavior and behavior is what drives success. While we all like to think about the things we should personally improve upon this time of year, it is also important to consider our business and professional habits. Fortunately for our members, the Chamber offers a myriad of good habits and structured engagement that can easily become part of your regular business schedule.
The true value of a Chamber membership comes when you choose to unlock the power of Tallahassee’s largest business network. The two great benefits of which are building strong relationships and accumulating knowledge of our community. As a member, the best way to find these rewards is by making attendance at certain Chamber gatherings a habit. If you think about it, our “regularly scheduled programming” is tailored for habitual consumption and perfectly suited for anyone to ingrain a pattern of engagement into their business routine.
Chamber events and programs are so much more than just glad-handing and a buffet. Our team puts endless hours into curating a calendar for our members each year and the agendas for those programs are always aimed at creating a valuable experience. In any given week, members can visit our homepage and find a long list of dates for which a Chamber event is scheduled. Despite the ease of discovering our calendar whenever you may need it, we still hear from members who just can’t seem to make it out and join us. Again, the key here is creating a habit of attendance.
What we as staff have all learned over the years is that our most noticeable, memorable and reliable members are those who have chosen to attend certain programs religiously. It would be impossible to attend everything and at first glance our calendar may seem overwhelming, but there are plenty of members who can attest to the effectiveness of good Chamber habits that are based in regular attendance.
No matter your schedule or professional preferences, we are confident that one or more of our programs can work well for you and your business. Chamber events take place at breakfast, lunch and even after hours. They happen all over town too! Some are forums with speakers or panels and others are more aimed at creating dialogue and generating leads. We have gatherings for women in business, a council for our largest investors, meetups for young professionals and discussions with our partner level CEO’s. Not to be overlooked are our quarterly forums, ribbon cuttings and of course the Annual Community Conference. This list goes on and we can assure you that the calendar is full. The only thing missing is you and your business.
With a new year comes new opportunities. If you are working through some resolutions, then keep it up! Our suggestion is to look at your business, your chamber membership and most importantly, your calendar and decipher how you can resolve to build some new habits that keep you closer to your fellow business owners and operators. In a community like ours where change is a constant and the world of business is ever evolving, we hope you will choose to make the Chamber an important part of your 2020. The best habit you can make for your business is one that generates new chances to do your work. Here at the Chamber, we consider it our privilege to help make that happen.
Jay Revell
Vice President