From the Board Chair...

​I write as I approach the end of my tenure as Chair of the Neponset River Regional Chamber to share some thoughts and reflections on what I have learned over the past year.  

While attending a conference this past month on the state of education, I listened to Author Grant Lichtman present his new book, Thrive: How Schools Will Win the Education Revolution. Mr. Lichtman referred to Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter’s 8 Steps to Change which are as follows:

• Step One: Create Urgency 
• Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition 
• Step Three: Create a Vision for Change 
• Step Four: Communicate the Vision 
• Step Five: Remove Obstacles 
• Step Six: Create Short-Term Wins 
• Step Seven: Build on the Change 
• Step Eight: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture

I realized later, as I reflected on what I had heard, that we can use these principles to guide us as we recognize and accept our changing business landscape and the inevitable ways that these changes impact us as a Chamber, and call on us to make appropriate adjustments. So, while change is never easy, it is our challenge at this point in time and one that I think these guiding principles will help us to achieve.

Mr. Lichtman concluded his talk by saying that to be successful in this era of competition and competing demands, the key is to make your product irresistible. I am confident that we can achieve this goal. So, while I end my time as Chair with much work still to be done, I invite you all to participate with your time, talent and treasure as we shepherd our Neponset River Regional Chamber to becoming simply irresistible in the eyes of our business community.

With gratitude,

Alisia St. Florian
Chair of the Board
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLC