Expectations

To be successful, we must surround ourselves with people who will remind us what we really want and what we are capable of-not making judgments because of our age, gender, size, or professional credentials. Communities create expectations. That's part of their role. You may have read the recent studies on children, proving over and over again that the single most significant variable in academic achievement is high expectations. Regardless of culture, or whether children are from affluent or poor families, setting high expectations has a positive impact on the child's performance. The same is true for ABWA. In order to maintain a strong ABWA community, we will continue to raise the bar for the Association.

Sometimes when we complete a big innovation like the WIN, our website, or our magazine, or introduce an ideology like Best Practices, there is the slight temptation to think that we've done enough, and now we can sit back and relax for a few years, right? I'm sure that's how they felt when they invented the first cell phone, the first digital camera, or the first-generation iPod! I mean, after all, how could it get any better?

As soon as we catch our breaths, the forces of progress will demand something else, will require us to climb, move another mountain-that is, if we wish to remain relevant in today's business world. That's why women need a strong and vital community like the American Business Women's Association-so we stay strong-together.

In the words of Kelly Kilpatrick, a woman who inspired me, I hope that you "reach into yourself, reach out to your friends and family, and reach up to your spiritual beliefs" because you, my friend, belong in ABWA.

René Street
Executive Director