In this summer of TMA activity, I want to take time to focus on two critically important aspects of what it means to be part of TMA—membership and leadership.
Membership matters, and time and again we are reminded of that in so much of how all of us engage with opportunities all throughout TMA. The value membership is found from building one’s personal brand to creating trusted relationships that last a professional lifetime. It all starts with the one connection that connects you with what it means to be a member of TMA.
While the TMA brand is strong and more non-members find value in organizational opportunities, those who become and remain members help our organization shine. Membership matters, and it is the essence of TMA, serving as the gateway to professional development and important leadership opportunities that helps our standout organization thrive.
One need only look to the example of our global leaders to understand the impact being a member of TMA has on the fraternal community built on trusted relationships that make a difference to TMA and the complex matters our members manage. There are so many example of what membership in TMA means and how our members thrive.
TMA Global President Allen Wilen, CTP, in exemplifying the power of membership, shows it best, not only in the many leadership roles he has held in TMA, but in how he rewards the loyalty and commitment of other TMA members, where he looks to TMA members first to afford them business opportunities.
Likewise, TMA Global President-Elect Rachael Smiley has shown the power of connectivity, not only in her rise to leadership that started not so long ago when she became chapter president of TMA Dallas-Ft. Worth, but in how she, as a member and leader, has parlayed the power of membership into many business opportunities, most recently in an international representation from a connection made at the 2024 Distressed Investing Conference.
Membership matters because it also means support of common causes that enhance personal and professional growth, where TMA becomes a vehicle of opportunity for others to learn from. An example of that is the recent formation of a committee headed by former TMA Global Chair Holly Etlin, CTP, along with TMA member Bruce Smith, in bringing together those from the TMA community who will support learning tracts to aid our members in best networking and business development practices, as we honor the memory of TMA luminary Sheila Smith, CTP.
From friendships formed to business opportunities shared, membership is not just about occasionally touching and sampling the power of TMA. It is about member engagement and developing your professional profile to become that one connection that lets you stand out through TMA.
TMA members have built personal and professional profiles that support opportunities only available through our organization. Members step up and assure member value is created and elevated. This is what members do, as they mentor others about both what TMA has to offer and the power of TMA membership as part of the story of our professional journeys.
So as we experience and enjoy all the great opportunities TMA has to offer, prioritize membership and make it matter. Make it matter in how you engage for yourself and with others to share the power of membership, allowing us to continue to build upon the strong and empowering house that is TMA.
Scott Y. Stuart, Esq.
TMA Global CEO
sstuart@turnaround.org
@TMA_CEO
