One of the best parts of my summer vacation is getting to spend one-on-one time with each of my three children. With work and school, it is often hard to find that uninterrupted time to bond over shared interests.
At the end of a wonderful family vacation last month, we were at dinner and I was asking the kids what their favorite part of the trip was. It was heartwarming to hear each of them include something I had done with them individually among their trip’s highlights.
Then they turned the question around on me. I was smart enough to sense the trap and tried to play it safe. I talked about all the great things we did collectively as a family.
My youngest wouldn’t leave it at that. He wanted to know which of the three kids I had more fun with. In full politician mode, I explained I loved spending time with all of them.
Any parent who has more than one kid has dealt with some version of this “who do you love more” conversation. Unfortunately, the right answer, “I love all of you equally,” is the least satisfying and seldom accepted reply.
I admit, on any given day my attention may be more focused on one child more than the others due to any number of reasons. But what is hard for children to comprehend, and often for parents to articulate, is that just because my “daddy spotlight” isn’t shining directly on you at this exact moment, it doesn’t mean your overall importance to me has lessened in any way.
In many ways, working for a trade association is like being a parent. Our primary job day-in and day-out is to care and support the family (industry) as a whole.
The challenge is that in serving that broader mission we also have a responsibility to more than 260 corporate members. They all have different needs, priorities, and interactions with the association.
Nareit’s communications team recognizes this challenge and set a goal to spotlight at least 75% of our members during this year in our magazine, online, through a video interview, or a podcast.
This is where you can help us. Be sure to let me or anyone on the team know about any news or developments at your company. When you are attending a Nareit event, my team and I are onsite recording videos and podcasts highlighting the expertise and achievements of our members. We’d love to spend some time talking to you at the next event and helping to tell your company’s story.