Last year, I wrote about my experience at PMI’s Leadership Institute Meeting and the message of M.O.R.E.—Manage Perceptions, Own Project Success, Relentlessly Reassess, and Expand Perspective.

A year later, I find myself asking a different question:

What does PMI Madison mean to you as a member?

We often think about our PMI experience through the events we attend: Professional Development Day, educational programs, networking opportunities, volunteer activities, and other opportunities to earn PDUs.

Those opportunities matter. But I believe the real value of your PMI membership goes beyond the events themselves.

What Are You Getting From Your PMI Membership?

Maybe you've learned something that made you better at your job.

Maybe you've met another project professional who helped you see a challenge differently.

Maybe you've found a mentor, colleague, or friend.

Maybe you've volunteered and discovered an opportunity to develop your own leadership skills.

Or perhaps you're still looking for those connections.

That is the opportunity PMI Madison has to create for you.

Our professional community is bigger than our membership roster. It includes experienced project professionals, students, educators, employers, volunteers, sponsors, and others who share an interest in project management.

That creates possibilities.

A student can connect with an experienced project professional.

A newer project manager can find someone willing to share experience.

A seasoned professional can find a meaningful way to give back.

A volunteer can discover a leadership opportunity.

Two members can meet at an event and discover that they can help one another.

The event creates the opportunity.

The relationship creates the value.

What Happens Between the Events?

That's the question I've been thinking about.

A professional community isn't created only when we gather for an event. It is built in the moments between those events.

It's created when you reach out to another member.

When you share something you've learned.

When you introduce two people who could benefit from knowing each other.

When you volunteer your experience.

When you ask someone about their career.

When you find a way to help another project professional succeed.

And sometimes, it's simply taking the time to have a conversation.

As I approach the end of my term as Chapter President, I've been thinking less about how many activities we can deliver and more about the experience we create for the people who choose to be part of PMI Madison.

I hope your experience with PMI Madison gives you opportunities to learn, connect, grow, and contribute.

But there's another important part of that equation:

You help create that experience for others.

You don't have to wait for the next event to find value in PMI Madison. You can help create it yourself.

The next time you attend a PMI Madison event, look beyond the program.

Introduce yourself to someone you don't know.

Ask a question.

Share an experience.

Offer to help.

Make a connection.

You may discover that the most valuable part of the experience isn't something that was on the agenda.

It may be what happens between the events.

PMI's purpose is to maximize project success to elevate our world. Locally, one way we can contribute to that purpose is by helping one another learn, connect, grow, and contribute.

Thank you for being part of our PMI Madison community—and for helping make it a community worth belonging to.

Rodney Wendlandt
President
PMI Madison/South Central Wisconsin Chapter