Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

With apologies to Fleetwood Mac, “Don’t stop, it will soon be here. It’ll be better than before.”

Throughout these columns I have emphasized change: Change that is here and change that is coming. This is my last chance to address you and I want to focus on where NAEA is going. As the song tells us, “Yesterday is gone so why not think about the things that are to come.”

I am excited to be part of crafting NAEA’s strategic plan. We have a bold future in front of us. I am sitting in my office at the end of January and tax season is just around the corner. As you read this, I hope the end is in sight. This is the latest start to a filing season which gives me the time to reflect.

In my welcoming message, I referred to the following saying, “May you live in interesting times.” This, which seems to be a blessing, is often thought of as a way of damning someone. I took over the presidency of NAEA in a year that proved to be interesting times. We finished the prior fiscal year with great results. Our finances seemed to have turned a corner and, perhaps, we could actually start building reserves so vital to our future. But the coronavirus pandemic made that impossible.

Then we looked for a change in staff leadership and our Executive Search Committee rose to the occasion. We conducted a nationwide search, without hiring an expensive search firm, and discovered a new leader to work with us in increasing member benefits and value. We all look to Meg for her leadership skills and membership experience. And we did not have to explain why we are missing in action from February to April. It is so exciting to have Meg join us and, coincidentally, as I am writing my last message to you, she is crafting her first.

Because of the nationwide lockdowns, we had to change the way we thought about delivering services to our members. The staff and Education Committee (volunteers) stepped up and developed programs through Zoom that served our members and gave us a new way to reach out.

The Nominating Committee was able to virtually interview candidates for the board of directors and brought us a highly talented group of leaders from across our membership. I believe they are reflective of our diverse membership.

But as the song says, “Yesterday is gone so why spend time thinking about the things you have done.” I did that as a reminder of what is possible if we work together to make things happen. Yes, the volunteers and the staff developed the offerings. But it was you, the members, who enrolled in them, that made them successful. I thank you for that.

So, what does the future look like? I see a smaller footprint for NAEA’s office. I see us working remotely and attracting the best experts regardless of geography. But the office as a physical location is not dead. People are social animals and we will develop new ways of working.

NAEA will always be an advocate for enrolled agents and the credential. The most recent struggle in Minnesota reaffirms the need to have an advocacy effort. We must be eternally vigilant. The best place to centralize that effort is in the Washington, DC, area.

Education has become a commodity but our members do not want to settle. NAEA will develop the finest educational offerings. We will partner with industry experts and with our affiliates to bring these programs to our members.

We have to find out what our members want and need and develop ways to deliver those things to them. In my marketing course, I often use a quote attributed to Henry Ford: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” That does not mean we ignore our customers. In fact, it means we go to them to find out what their problems are. As I come to the end of my time in office, I challenge you, the members, to help us design the NAEA of the future.

What problems can we help you address?

The final theme of my time as president was kindness. At every board meeting and every gathering, I talked about the need to be kind. Kindness does not only relate to our families, it relates to the world in which we live. The communities of our lives. Kindness has been shown to breed happiness. So, as I prepare to turn this platform over to Dave Tolleth, I ask you to continue to be kind to yourself and your community. And to continue your quest for lifetime learning. Through learning, we constantly become better at everything we do. So my challenge to you is be kind, learn, and be happy.