{ outreach in action }
What Noah Taught Us I
heard someone recently refer to R&D as “raid and deploy”. I’m not above that sentiment, as I consider how to present several thoughts in my role as Founda- tion and Outreach Director. So with credit to “author unknown” on a blog I read, here are valuable lessons learned from Noah’s Ark as a means for informing and perhaps inspiring you about key activities and opportunities in the MDA.
Don’t Miss The Boat — Engagement is an intentional activity. The profession is chang- ing. Are you keeping up? There are so many opportunities to connect at some level with some benefit or event that can help you suc- ceed. Jump aboard! Don’t be caught looking around asking, “Where did everyone go and why is it raining so hard.” Fall is a busy time. Find your connection with student outreach events, ADA Annual Session, the MDA House of Delegates or an array of CE offerings at the component level.
Remember, We’re All In The Same Boat — Opinions are like noses. Everyone has one. The MDA provides a variety of formats to share them and learn from others. It’s imperative that we seek to understand and embrace changing practice and education models because the public and government see all dentists as riding in the same boat.
Plan Ahead — It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. Perhaps it’s only cloudy right now, but the MDA Board of Trustees and staff, and several of its subsidiaries, have spent large chunks of time this summer planning for the next three years so we aren’t all wet when a storm does arrive. A real highlight was the task force on member- ship that spent a whole Saturday in Jefferson City planning how to reach new members and stay healthy, as an association, for years to come.
Stay Fit — When you are 600 years old, you may be asked to do something really big. The newly expanded Well Being Foundation board recently met to plan how to launch their mission to focus on the total health of the provider (that’s you). You may not need to build an ark, but you and your team
can benefit from better nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, weight management, stress reduction, strong mental health and other resources the Well Being Foundation is developing with you in mind.
For Safety’s Sake, Travel In Pairs — Two by two is a good strategy. Making a personal connection enriches your membership. Who can you welcome to the area, invite to a meeting, help mentor or serve on a commit- tee with? Once you’re beyond the inertia and isolation, you meet many wonderful people who have much in common with you. Good company can make for smooth sailing!
Don’t Listen To Critics, Focus On The Job At Hand — It’s easy to poke holes in a voluntary membership organization. Yes, the MDA always can improve and seeks to do so, but it is focused on the job at hand. We are fighting for advantageous or protective legislation. We are delivering programs like EFDA. We
are monitoring changing regulations. We are connecting with members. Our commitment is to help you succeed. If we were just rear- ranging chairs, we’d be on the Titanic. And that did not end well.
I’m as enthusiastic as I’ve ever been in my three plus years with the MDA. The weather may change and the water may rise, but I look at our leadership and our engagement with the issues, and our plans to improve— and especially our wonderful members—and I can’t help but think we will be okay. So jump aboard for a ride to remember! f
28 focus | SEP/OCT 2014 | ISSUE 5
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