The Power of Association: Why Being Part of Something Bigger Matters
By Emily Leonczyk, MBA, CAE, COO and Executive Vice President at The Markens Group
I’m writing this on a plane on my way to Savannah for an association management conference. Yes, even people who manage associations have their own association.
As I reflect on global trends like workforce shortages, economic uncertainty, and sustainability, I keep thinking about you, the Board of Directors, association members, colleagues, peers, and partners who strengthen the homeopathic product industry every day through AAHP.
Over the years, in my role as a management partner, supporter, and Certified Association Executive, I have been fortunate to learn from extraordinary volunteer leaders, dedicated members, and visionary peers who show what is possible when people come together. Time and again I have seen that associations build more than industries. They build people. They build careers. They build legacies.
At their best, associations unite competitors, suppliers, and stakeholders to pursue shared goals, raise professional standards, and advocate for policies that sustain long-term success. In doing so, they create an environment that enables an entire industry to thrive, even in times of uncertainty.
One of the most powerful roles an association plays is as a convener of knowledge and best practices. In today’s fast-changing regulatory and business landscape, staying informed and adaptable is a challenge for any one company. Associations provide a trusted forum where members exchange insights, elevate each other, and set a higher standard for the entire industry. That shared commitment benefits not only the businesses involved but also the customers and communities they serve.
Associations Develop People
What inspires me most about associations is how they connect the next generation of professionals not just to a job, but to a career. Every industry right now is grappling with a generational shift. Boomers and Gen Xers often saw association involvement as simply the right thing to do, but Millennials, Gen Z, and the emerging workforce need to see the why, the value of community and camaraderie even among competitors. Associations help teach that lesson.
They create a forum to hear fresh ideas, to learn from others’ successes and failures, and to bring those insights back to improve your own business and develop your people. Associations put you in a room with others who truly understand the unique challenges and rewards of your industry. That shared perspective sparks problem-solving, new approaches, and creative solutions you might never have considered on your own.
When you walk into an industry event, you can see workforce development happening in its purest form. You’re giving your employees peers they can rely on, shared values to guide them, and a vision of what their careers could grow into. That’s powerful.
Associations Inform Smarter Business Decisions
Running a business today means making hard decisions in an unpredictable world. Should you expand? Invest? Hold back?
You don’t have to make these decisions in a vacuum.
Associations give you access to specialized industry data and insights you can’t find anywhere else. That kind of information helps leaders make confident, strategic choices with clarity. I’ve seen members pick up the phone to ask someone who’s faced the same challenge before and get advice that saved them time, money, and sometimes even their business.
Being part of an association also shifts your perspective. It connects you to others outside your own company and helps you see the bigger picture. That knowledge sharing and collaboration broadens your vantage point, sharpens your decision-making, and gives you the confidence to move your business forward.
Associations Protect Industries and Jobs
When I walk through a grocery store or pharmacy and see homeopathic products on the shelves, I think of AAHP members. I think of the countless hours you’ve spent advocating for reasonable regulation so those products can stay there.
That advocacy doesn’t just protect products, it protects jobs. It gives your industry a face and a voice in places where it might otherwise be misunderstood or overlooked. I see this play out at the local, federal, and even global level. Associations bring people together around a shared cause, providing stability and ensuring the entire industry has the foundation it needs to endure and thrive.
Associations Grow Leaders
Some of the best leaders I know got their start by serving on a committee or a board.
Why? Because being part of an association board teaches you how to make decisions that reach beyond your own company. It challenges you to see the bigger picture and develop leadership skills that last a lifetime.
We talk a lot about leadership sustainability, and for good reason. Building strong leaders is a long-term investment. Associations provide education, forums, and real opportunities to lead. In many ways it is the best kind of on-the-job training you can get.
You also learn the deeper responsibilities that come with leadership. Serving on a board helps you understand the duties of care, loyalty, and obedience at a higher level. Sometimes that means casting a vote for what is best for the organization or the industry as a whole, even when it does not directly benefit you. It reminds you that leadership is about something larger than yourself.
Associations Build Lifelong Connections
One of the most rewarding parts of association work is the relationships, the real friendships and trusted advisors who end up in your phone, not just your inbox. These are the people you don’t just email formally. They’re the ones you text when you need perspective, advice, or simply someone who understands.
Over time competitors become colleagues and colleagues become trusted friends. The longer I’ve been in this field the more I notice something remarkable. At every meeting we take a moment to honor the dearly departed, and I often see obituaries that mention the trade association by name. At first I found that surprising. Now I see it for what it truly is, a reflection of the mark these leaders left on their industry.
Associations give you a chance to connect your personal values with your professional work and to leave a legacy that lasts. When someone’s association involvement is mentioned at the end of their life, it’s a powerful reminder that they contributed to something bigger than themselves. And that is worth remembering.
Why Belong?
Because being part of an association is not just a professional courtesy anymore. It is a strategic choice.
Take action:
- Invest in your trade association
- Look for ways to get more out of your membership
- Connect your work to something bigger
- Leave your mark
Associations advocate for the people, the values, and the future of your industry. And that is a legacy worth building.
A rising tide lifts all ships. Together we achieve more than any one of us ever could alone.
About the Author and The Markens Group: Emily Leonczyk, MBA, CAE, is COO and Executive Vice President at The Markens Group. Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, TMG is an association management company that has helped foster a sense of community for more than 30 years. The firm provides outsourced professional services including strategic leadership, financial management, event planning, member services, marketing and communications, program management, website, social media, and general administration to trade associations, membership societies, and not-for-profits. TMG has assisted AAHP since 2015.