The majority of AME members come from Canada or the United States, so for most of you, this is a week of celebration with Canada Day this past Wednesday and U.S. Independence Day on Saturday. These two celebrations remind me of the importance of celebrating and remembering our successes.
In our own way, we are all working tirelessly to help our organizations, our families and our communities be successful. When we push through and reach our end goal, or even when we have a small success that we know will build to something greater, it is important to take a moment to celebrate what we’ve accomplished and recognize those who have helped us along the way.
To that end, I am approaching the six-month point in my tenure as AME’s president and CEO. I can assure you that a global pandemic wasn’t my number one concern when I took this role, but I am proud of how AME has adapted and I am in awe of — but not surprised by — the way the industries we serve have responded.
This six-month milestone gives me a chance to pause and celebrate, first, our members. You have shown resilience and have continued to come to AME for best-practice information and to share ideas and learn from your fellow practitioners and industry leaders during our virtual offerings. You have done this while balancing new commitments at home and in the workplace. Some of you have taken on new responsibilities for your organization that are stretching you in ways you didn’t expect, while others have the burden of finding new jobs after facing unfortunate layoffs. Through it all, you’ve remained committed to lean and continuous improvement. You’ve kept your heads high while working toward revised goals and seeking new learning opportunities from AME and our alliance partners.
Likewise, I celebrate the work our AME staff and volunteers have done to shift our programming and bring important virtual events and trainings to the manufacturing, health care, and other industries we serve. This work is important to help our communities return stronger, and I am proud to lead our dynamic and determined team.
And so, as we head into a holiday weekend in the United States, and on the heels of Canada Day up north, take a moment for yourself and your family, take a deep breath and take time to celebrate the collective effort it has taken for us to get to this point. Celebrate what we’ve accomplished thus far. We are not finished fighting our way back, but as we celebrate Independence Day in the U.S. and the half-way point of 2020, w e can be proud of our efforts. We should remain confident in our ability to overcome the adversity that we face individually and collectively.
For my fellow Americans, I wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July. Please note that AME’s offices are closed on July 3, but we’ll be back at it with six incredible virtual events, workshops and webinars next week.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
