When did you join NAPS and how long have you been a member?
I was originally credentialed by NAPS in 2007 and have been an active participant in conferences, education, and other association offerings as a member since 2013/2014.

What is your involvement with NAPS today?
I have found myself in a very unexpected place with the NAPS community. I have always found value in industry credentialing and continuous learning. In the beginning, I also expected to find value in personally attending conferences or sending employees to learn about new processes, practices, and technologies available, helping to stay ahead of the curve and maintain various competitive advantages. Did that; found value; no surprise.

I have always been somewhat skeptical and distrusting of other people who could be considered competitors, in any context. However, when I began attending conferences regularly, I came to know a few high performing members who I would now consider a part of my inner circle of trusted friends and colleagues. As these relationships developed, I found myself involved with the NAPS Board of Directors, where I presently serve as Chair elect.

As a member of the Board, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and develop relationships with other key influencers, present and past Board members, NAPS team members, and other key stakeholders on the tangent of the industry. From this vantagepoint, I have learned NAPS members, generally speaking, and those who take the time to participate and justify the spend to attend conference in various cities year over year tend to be a cut above the rest. My participation with NAPS has been professionally and personally rewarding for many years.

What have been the biggest benefits you’ve realized as a NAPS member?
A few noteworthy benefits come to mind. While it is hard to comment on NAPS benefits without mentioning education and credentialing, NAPS does it better than anyone else, there is much more value hidden within the NAPS community.

As a business owner, principal consultant, or manager of an organization, the recruiting and staffing industry will undoubtedly present challenges and opportunities. Sometimes the distinction between these is obscure and your greatest opportunities are presented in hard times and dire circumstances. Working through these challenges and opportunities can be very lonely and stressful, especially when making unpopular decisions to improve company performance and better serve the organizations and people who trust you and your firm to find and/or employ the people who make their company possible. I am sure many of our members and prospective members can relate amidst the COVID 19 crisis.

The relationships I have developed as result of my participation with NAPS have been the greatest source of value. Talking through scenarios and sharing ideas with one or two trusted colleagues, who have no stake in your organization, can be valuable when working through challenging situations or big opportunities. I have found value here and I am confident those in my inner circle have empowered one another to advance one another’s overall capabilities, impact, and sphere of influence.

What would you say to someone considering joining NAPS?
You will take from NAPS what you are willing to put in. Everyone receives access to education, credentialing, member discounts, exposure to new technology and tools, etc. However, the greatest value will come from your participation and the relationships you develop along the way.

What upcoming plans, initiatives, or events are you most excited about in 2020?
2020 will be an interesting and challenging year. My thoughts on this question are very different today, in the first week of April, than the first week of March. The COVID 19 crisis has presented a set of unprecedented circumstances nobody expected and for which very few were prepared. In times like this, we see the best and worst of people. The NAPS community includes some of the most resourceful and creative individuals in the world. Since mid-March, I have seen the best of people in unlikely places and many NAPS members coming together, helping one another with ideas, strategies, and reassurance for one another and the companies they serve.

Many of our members find themselves in challenging places today. This hurts my heart; I understand their frustration and the anxiety and fear they may be experiencing, but I am confident they will pull through and find themselves stronger on the other side. This too shall pass, and a very bright future awaits. Our members are resourceful, adaptive, and resilient. They will build mountains of character and solid, sustainable business practices working through this crisis and delivering value to the companies they serve.

I am most excited to see familiar faces at the next conference and for the opportunity to learn about the resourceful, adaptive, and resilient means by which they helped their clients through this crisis and improved their businesses along the way.