A NEW YEAR, A NEW PATH FORWARD by Ryan Napierski, President, Nu Skin Enterprises and Chairman, DSA Board of Directors
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have always loved the beginning of a new year. The discovery of reflection as we consider the experiences of the past year combine with the promise of potential to create within us a resolution to do better and drive for excellence. It is this very spirit of discovery that is the driving force behind our three-tiered strategic industry focus—improving our industry reputation by repositioning our Association to succeed in a modern world and rejuvenating the direct selling environment. These three tenets have been the focus of DSA for more than a year now, but our continued commitment to improvement in each of these will be critical to ensuring our success in a world that continues to change. Becoming Comfortable with Discomfort— A Path to Reputational Excellence One key question I hear consistently, both in my role as President of Nu Skin and in my role within the Association is, “What can we do to change the perception of direct selling?” It is an issue that our companies and our industry have wrestled with for decades. But with shifts in the way people interact, how they work, and how they connect with brands and products that matter to them, there has never been a better time to rewrite our narrative and improve our reputation. I believe there are several reasons for these shifts, but they all seem to roll up into one of two things—shifting consumer perspectives with a new demographic landscape and transformative technological change in how people work and interact. This requires us to rethink everything and become comfortable with discomfort. Reputation is a complex equation, and the answer is never simple. Fairly or not, our reputation as an industry has been built by the combined impact of everything we, and those who represent us, have done and said for decades, and the brushstrokes we dsa-dsj.org
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