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Creating a Legacy 16 The ADA Library & Archives: The Right Information Anytime, Anywhere
CREATING A LEGACY
I returned this week from attending the 2021 ADA Presidents-elect conference held at the American Dental Association office in Chicago. This conference is held annually to educate and train next year’s presidents of the societies or associations representing each of the 50 states. For a full day and a half our schedules were filled with presentations from expert business consultants, motivational speakers, and officers and leaders of the ADA. The agenda is also carefully planned and programmed to include ample opportunity to get to know fellow dentists from all over the country and share successes, failures, and issues that are common to the dental communities all across the nation. I felt like I had come to the fountain to get a drink, and was blasted with a firehose! There was so much information to take in!
While there are countless topics and issues that could have been addressed, there was only time to specifically focus on a few select ideas. These ideas included, Remaining Relevant as we Execute Across the Generations; Advancing Health Equity; Leadership and Governance; Reimagining the Future of Membership; and an open discussion on Emerging Issues in the Dental Industry. Fabulous ideas, knowledge, and instruction were presented to help us become better leaders, better dentists, and better resources for the dental professionals we represent and serve. You will, no doubt, in the coming weeks and months, be hearing and reading about a lot of these issues which will also help you to become better leaders, better dentists, and better resources for the health and well-being of the communities you serve. Be prepared and willing to get a drink from the firehose of information to come.
At the conclusion of the conference I was asked what the best part was for me. Attending meetings like this, with all the meeting and greeting and social interacting, usually pushes me a bit out of my comfort zone. But despite all the organization and activities of a great event, the best part for me was the people. I must admit that I have somewhat welcomed and even enjoyed, to an extent, the increased and encouraged isolation that we have experienced as one of the by-products of a global pandemic. But I am also learning that people need each other. 98. It is a beautiful old building, well preserved from its 1904 construction, dwarfed by the skyscrapers surrounding it, and still in use today. A block or two away stands an even older edifice, the Chicago Water Tower, built in 1869, standing as another landmark and survivor of the great Chicago fire of 1871 which essentially decimated the rest of this downtown area of the city. I was impressed by the quality of craftsmanship used in these old buildings which has helped them stand through the years. Tools were used by these artisans to bring together bricks, and stones, and mortar to create these great buildings which have stood through time as a legacy long after their creators are gone.
The topics and presentations at the presidents-elect conference were very well planned and created, like the beautiful bricks and stones of the fire station and water tower. But it takes people, a muddy and messy conglomeration of differences coming together in a common cause, to join and blend together to make the mortar that brings things together to create our own legacy.
The best thing was the people. People make the difference. Programs and topics may be the tools, and the tools are there for all to use. The difference comes with how we use them and what we build. The principle asset of an association is community. Brochures, plans, and programs can be duplicated. But you can’t duplicate people.
As we learn of the many tools that are available for us to use in improving our association, careers, and our lives, let us try to remember that what we do for ourselves is gone when we’re gone, but what we do for others remains forever our legacy.
