What We Learned at MHEDA Convention 2016

What We Learned at MHEDA Convention 2016

As we spent last Monday and Tuesday along the banks of the Potomac River at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, we had the fortune of being able to soak in what could have been several years’ worth of great lessons in under 48 hours. The list of speakers included some pretty fascinating figures, including the likes of Major Dan Rooney, a man who served three combat tours in Iraq, and Judy Hoberman, a sales expert and author of Selling in a Skirt.

From Major Dan Rooney, USAF: Are we actually living, or just alive?

Major Dan Rooney’s talk, titled A Patriot’s Calling: Leadership, Teamwork and Sacrifice, challenged us to ask ourselves if we’re truly living, or if we’re simply alive. We often think of “living” and “being alive” as synonymous, but in Major Rooney’s definition they’re virtually opposites. Most of us spend a good deal of our time sleepwalking through life and going through the motions of the routines we develop. From this talk, we were reminded to be mindful of the things that matter and the importance of finding and pursuing our passions with reckless abandon. He also encouraged us to live with the mantra, “Think I can, therefore I will,” as well as “CAVU” (ceiling and visibility unlimited). Have a vision and eliminate self-limiting beliefs from your mental habits.

From Judy Hoberman: Step Outside Yourself

Judy Hoberman is a speaker and author of the popular book, Selling in a Skirt. Judy’s presentation, Women Mean Business, was given at the MHEDA Women in Industry breakfast, but its content was relevant to anyone truly motivated to become more successful in business and sales. In order to succeed at sales, we need to actively listen to the customer and understand their problems and needs. The key to sales, Judy said, is compassion. We also learned the S.K.I.R.T. acronym as an easy reminder:

• Standing out
• Keys to Success
• Inspiration
• Results Oriented
• Time management

Maybe the most important question we were encouraged to ask ourselves: “What do we do, and how do our clients benefit from that?”

From Women in Industry: Women are Thriving in Material Handling

The ladies of MHEDA had great success moving forward with the organization’s Women in Industry initiative, which offers learning and networking opportunities for women in material handling. Included in the Convention’s events was a Women in Industry breakfast, during which Judy Hoberman gave the presentation mentioned above.

From MHEDA Gives Back: The Importance of Being Community-Minded

On Tuesday, we had the chance to get together and talk about what our fellow MHEDA members are doing to give back to their communities, as well as share what we’re doing to contribute to our own. It can be intuitive to think of giving back as an obligation, but businesses across the nation and in different industries are uncovering the fact that it’s a reward in and of itself, and can even be good for business. Josh spoke on the MHEDA member panel and shared about events that our organization participates in for a charitable cause, like Movember, Red Nose Day, the Ice Bucket Challenge, Run for Red and others in hopes of sparking ideas and inspiring organizations that are just starting down the path of community participation and charitable giving.

We also had a blast packing “comfort kits” for homeless veterans at the MHEDA Give Back Event, where members joined together to pack 1500 packets in under an hour!

It’s Always Worth It

It’s not easy for everyone to take a few days off from their busy schedule and attend a convention. There are businesses to be led, customers to be helped and budgets to be stuck to. Yet, this year and every year in the past, we found our trip to the MHEDA Convention to be well worth it. We learned some valuable lessons for business and life, had a great time at the MHEDA Give Back event, and made new friends while catching up with the old ones along the way.