Top Five Things I Learned as Chapter President

By Sonia Osman, Drake Lighting
2020 Four Rivers SHRM Chapter President
Published December 4, 2020

Serving as your Chapter President for the past two years has given me the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills that have added value to my everyday life, both personally and professionally. I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned. 

Learn/Listen – if you learned something new e

very day, you still would not know everything. I am thankful that there were a number of individuals available to teach me how to “run the business” of our organization. I listened to their wisdom and, in doing so, realized that listening was the important attribute I could gain. Without listening, you miss a part of the story, leaving a gap in your efforts toward success.

Everyone – it takes everyone to make the chapter successful. There is no “I” in TEAM. That is why everyone is needed to complete the entire picture. Every member has unique talents and ideas that they bring to the table. During the past two years, our brainstorming sessions have brought new ideas and new growth. 

Adapt – in 2020 everyone has had to learned how to adapt. With the uncertain situation before us, the board had to adapt everything! We adapted how we meet, engage, and communicate as a chapter. We adapted to changing schedules, speakers, presentations, and events. Through everything we learned and every challenge we encountered, we still met our goals.

Day – the hardest lesson learned was the importance of taking each day, one at a time. The board and our members quickly understood that day-to-day activities could change in any given moment. The members stood for what they believed in, pivoted toward the challenges, and gave it their all in 2020. 

The MOST important thing I learned this year in my role is to LEAD. Being a leader is a lot harder that it seems at times. You have to have a servant’s heart, understand the needs of others, and most importantly, meet those needs. Entering my second year as President, I was honestly unsure what the year would look like. How would my role change due to my new position with the Kentucky Chamber because I was traveling a lot of miles across the state? When travel came to a halt in March, it gave me an opportunity to take a fresh look at our efforts. Since then, we’ve overcome so many trials. But I’m here to tell you, WE MADE IT WORK, and the Chapter is entering 2021 with packed agenda and much enthusiasm.

Thank you for allowing me to serve you through the last three and half years. As your Past President, I look forward to what the board has set for 2021, and I hope you do too. Happy New Year!

© Four Rivers Society of Human Resource Managers, 2020
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