Change Can Come with a Price
Or Change Can Be Priceless
by Rosalie Leone
rleone@amdweb.com

We have all heard “think outside the box” when considering implementing a change. Sometimes we look so far outside the box we lose sight of what’s important. Our initial thoughts become over processed. A logical and reasonable idea has now taken on its own dimension; a foreign matter, not quite identifiable. Now we can’t help but wonder—what will be the repercussions of the fall out? Change can come with a price or change can be priceless.

Most recently the Association of Millwork Distributors’ (AMD) membership voted in favor of changing the AMD bylaws. The board of directors supported amending the bylaws to provide clarity for the membership criteria and in anticipation of the current and future needs of the association. Although our bylaws have been revised several times over the past four decades; the most recent change will redefine who the AMD members are and reflect today’s millwork supply channels.

Not So Easy
This seems fairly simple, but as with many organizations, defining who the members should be can be anything but easy. AMD is no different and defining our members has presented some obstacles over the years. Each day, our resilient industry continues to take on new challenges. The millwork business model continues to transform, taking on new shapes and dimensions. These are ever-changing times and by now I think most get it—not embracing change will leave you behind. It’s been said that people are creatures of habit, but I disagree. We have no issue with changing the car we drive, changing a team we once favored, updating the clothes we wear or even changing our hairstyle. Why do we find it such a struggle to make a significant change in our businesses or in our organizations? Perhaps in the back of our minds we are thinking, what will be next? The truth is there will always be a next. Even if the change doesn’t produce the outcome you were exactly hoping for, no one wins marathons by standing still.

The mere fact that the AMD distributor membership recognizes and accepts the need for change in the association demonstrates more than ever how adaptable and accepting our industry has become to change. AMD’s mission is to reflect an organization that is more inclusive of the millwork industry as it is today; identifying and welcoming those segments that truly represent the millwork professional.

Change can come with a price, but this change is priceless.

Rosalie Leone is CEO of the Association of Millwork Distributors.

DWM
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