Sometimes, though you can’t take any credit for it, you find yourself doing the right thing at the right time.
 
That was the case this past week. The “right thing” was reading a classic book: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. And the right time was rocketing through the air on a flight to join MRAA’s Dealer Development Manager Nikki Duffney at the National Marine Trades Council meeting in Anacortes, Washington.
 
The part of the book I was reading was on what Covey calls “the maturity continuum” – one in which we start life with physical, emotional, mental and financial dependence, then move to independence, and eventually – on a quest to achieve our greatest success – may reach the pinnacle of maturity, interdependence.
 
The way Covey explains it, “interdependence is the paradigm of we – we can cooperate; we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together.” In our society, we often put independence on a pedestal as the ultimate goal – but the author does an excellent job of reminding us that idea is misplaced.
 
“Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of other to achieve their greatest success,” he writes.  
 
I’m not telling you anything new. Most of you actively practice interdependence. For one, you experience the benefits of collaborating with your team to strengthen your business. You also might be a member of a 20 Group. And if you’re reading this, chances are you’re a member of a marine trade association. Or two. Or three. Take, for instance, the marine dealer with a marina who was a member of three of the associations in attendance at the meeting. He belongs to his state association, the MRAA and the Association of Marina Industries – each of which offers unique education and benefits to fuel success for that business owner and his team. Talk about 1 + 1 + 1 = 5!
 
It doesn’t hurt to be reminded of how much more we can achieve together than alone. The book was my first reminder this week, but it came to life again and again working alongside the brilliant and dedicated people who run the industry’s marine trade associations.
 
There are many ways in which we were already collaborating with the national, state and regional association professionals in the room. For example, we partner with the National Marine Manufacturers Association by sharing a political action committee, called BoatPAC. Many of us at the NMTC event co-host the American Boating Congress, which is produced by NMMA. MRAA collaborated with Wendy Mackie, her team at the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association and others to launch the Strategy 10 + 1 publication, a Guide to Growing the Workforce, and the MRAA Guide to Apprenticeship. And on a personal level, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with Barb Caster of the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York to serve those marine businesses in my local community.
 
One final example, inspired by the value of working alongside our marine trade association peers to serve you, is a co-host program at the Dealer Week event this December in Tampa. Five associations have already signed on as Dealer Week Co-Hosts, and after meeting with our peers to explore the value of this opportunity to our organizations and you, several more have expressed interest in co-hosting.

Thanks to NMTC leadership, there were lots of seeds planted that will sprout new opportunities for all of us who participated to practice interdependence this week, which multiply our ability to fuel your success.

To learn more about co-hosting at Dealer Week, MRAA’s annual conference and expo, reach out to Allison Gruhn or visit our partner page.