We are coming up on my second anniversary as AME’s president and CEO. During that time, our community has been in a cycle of facing challenges and overcoming them only to have new challenges arise.
This is almost always the way of life. It is rarely smooth sailing for an infinite amount of time. There are always new obstacles and challenges that we must face. The difference is that these past two years have included universal challenges that all of us have faced collectively.
As a community of lean, continuous improvement practitioners, we are equipped with skills that help us seek out root causes, look at problems creatively, and empower others from our teams to help us solve the issues we face.
One of my favorite things about AME is the network that exists to help you overcome the problems you face. We see AME Consortia members helping each other on a local level, those who participate in AME virtual lean coffee breaks sharing ideas and information, and past AME International Conference participants calling on one another for new ideas and solutions. There is always more to do and improvements to make whether the challenges be big or small, and I am proud that we have fostered a community that cares about one another and is willing and ready to help.
Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States, and this brings to mind the persistent challenge of solving diversity, equity and inclusion issues and where AME’s DE&I efforts fit in. AME has made strides, but we continue our commitment to improve and be better. Representation matters, and we’ve been working to include more diversity in the programming we offer and the opportunities we provide. This isn’t solely about ethnicity and race. Our Emerging Leaders Program, our volunteers focused on education and the workforce of the future, and of course our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team are looking at how we elevate people of different genders, religions, orientations, races, ethnicities, and generations.
As we continue to come together to share best practices, learn from one another and grow, AME is committed to doing this with volunteers and members who come to us with diverse backgrounds, races, ages, genders, life experiences, perspectives and more. If you’re interested in helping with this effort, please fill out the volunteer form and select “Other” from the checkbox list. Someone will be in touch with you to learn about your interest and bandwidth.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
