Strength in numbers
By Rebecca Lintow, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report November 2024
Recruiting your colleagues to volunteer with STLE promises rewards for all involved.
November is a time for gratitude. For STLE, this means sharing a big thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers. Your generous gifts of time and expertise make STLE the valuable resource that it is today.
This time of year, with Thanksgiving in the U.S. and other holidays worldwide, many in our community reflect on ways to give back. This year, STLE has a special request: encourage and support your colleagues to begin their own STLE volunteer journey. A strong relationship between STLE, industry companies and their employees benefits all involved. You can help strengthen the ties between your employer and STLE by spreading the word about our mission and ensuring that our volunteer base remains filled with leaders in the tribology and lubrication engineering field.
Maybe you know an early career professional who would benefit from increasing their professional network. Perhaps you have a coworker whose role is evolving, making them an excellent candidate for a new certification. Do you see leadership potential in a colleague? Chairing a committee is a great way to hone those skills. Or maybe your employer wants to solidify their position as a leader in the industry.
Getting more individuals at your company involved with STLE can achieve all of these goals and more. Participating alongside other members of your department or team can improve your overall competency and ability to innovate, and it also fosters camaraderie and morale. To your employer, this means employees who are more engaged with their work.
Many of our current volunteers joined STLE at a time when participating in a technical association was a key piece of your employer’s professional development expectations. These days, employees may have to convince their employer of the value participating in STLE: the enhanced professional development, networking opportunities, increased engagement with the field and leadership training for the employee as well as increased representation and status for the company within the industry.
Having employees who are actively engaged with STLE benefits your company in numerous ways, and having multiple employees involved increases these benefits exponentially. It also reduces the chances that your company will lose their STLE connection in the midst of retirements, a major concern in our industry today. Having more employees engaged also gives your company more opportunities to have representation on the STLE Board of Directors, a position that offers increased visibility and enhances your company’s reputation as a leader in the field.
You might already know who among your coworkers would benefit from getting involved. Now is a great time to talk to them about integrating STLE into their professional development plan. If you need a partner in convincing your colleagues or your boss about the value STLE can bring to them, our staff is happy to share resources and advocate alongside you. There is a volunteer position to match every professional goal. Visit
www.stle.org/volunteer to learn more. We look forward to welcoming more folks from your company to our community!
You can reach Certified Association Executive Rebecca Lintow at rlintow@stle.org.