As I sit to write my final remarks as CFMA’s Chairman, it seems like only yesterday that I was writing my first message for CFMA Building Profits. But as I look back over this past year and reflect on each of the destinations that I have had the amazing opportunity to visit and experience, I see that my CFMA compass once again played an integral role in my journey. Please allow me to reflect on these destinations – Destination Education, Destination Leader, Destination Unknown, and Destination You and Yours – and hopefully it will help you consider how to use and share your CFMA compass.
Destination Education
Destination Education is the path we each travel in order to find success in our careers. Since CFMA plays a large part in our journey as lifelong learners, I encourage you to register for CFMA’s 2020 Annual Conference & Exhibition and/or one of CFMA’s many regional conferences. Your education journey is never over, and CFMA will always continue to strive to be the best source and resource of information to ensure your compass keeps you firmly in Destination Education.
Destination Leader
As I witnessed through my travels this year, you only need to look around at your chapter to see the opportunities your CFMA compass holds to pursue Destination Leader. Volunteering to help lead your CFMA chapter provides many opportunities to work with dynamic leaders, such as the chance to attend the CFMA at Spring Creek leadership retreat. Those members who wish to take their CFMA involvement to the next level often give of their time and talents to serve nationally and are a part of CFMA’s Mentoring program, which offers rising leaders the chance for continued growth.
Destination Leader entails being able to lead in an ever-changing, evolving, and fast-paced world, and your CFMA compass can help you grow and maintain necessary leadership skills.
Destination Unknown
Having your CFMA compass at the ready for Destination Unknown is of vital importance. Unlike the others, this destination finds you when you least expect it.
Destination Unknown may come in the form of an unexpected job loss, a company’s financial failure, the loss of a key employee, or one of many other events that could rapidly transform your status quo. Having maintained your peer relationships, sharpened your technical skills, and honed your leadership skills with your CFMA compass, in times of both calm and tribulation, will assuredly help you through a Destination Unknown in the best possible manner. I heard many stories this year from fellow CFMA members who had to face a Destination Unknown and got through it smoothly because they knew the value of CFMA.
Destination You & Yours
Finally, I will share a couple thoughts on Destination You and Yours that I think are fundamental for your entire journey.
First, pursue only those things that you are passionate about. Our world needs people who are happy doing many different jobs, and I promise you that pursuing a job, title, or paycheck just because it is the “next rung on the ladder” will not bring you joy. Listen to your heart and spirit, and let it tell you what to pursue.
Second, when you reach Destination You and Yours, bring your genuine self to that role. Always remember that people have believed in you and helped you reach that destination because of what you can bring to that place; not what those who came before you brought and not because of what those after you will bring. Be faithful to yourself and those who have supported you by always being your authentic self.
In closing, thank you for entrusting me to serve as your Chairman; I am truly humbled and infinitely proud of all of CFMA that I got to experience this past year. I am honored to have served as your Chairman and hope that I brought my genuine self to this role. Remember, your CFMA compass is always there to help guide you along your journey; it is the people that make CFMA work for all of us.
To all of you, I personally want to say thank you. CFMA would not be the amazing Association it is today without our incredible chapter leaders, countless volunteers, members, Executive Committee members, Officers, and HQ staff.
As always, I wish you all the best in your pursuit of excellence, and remember, Do What Makes Your Soul Shine!
Copyright © 2020 by the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA). All rights reserved. This article first appeared in March/April 2020 CFMA Building Profits magazine.