Step One: Attendance!

When I was a senior in high school I had the honor of being chosen for the Kiwanis Leadership award. The award “recognizes local high school students who either excel academically or have shown substantial academic improvement along with having a community service or good citizenship prerequisite.” In May of 1999, I arrived for the awards ceremony at the old Redwood Inn off Route 45 South in Kankakee and saw a huge room filled with Kiwanis Club members, parents, and students from other schools. Being an Arseneau, I was one of the first (alphabetically) to get up to speak to the audience in attendance and accept my award. Before getting up to the podium, they read off my accomplishments and finished with my last being “perfect attendance for 12 years.” With that I got a huge applause and a lot of approving head bobbing. When it was my turn to speak, I thanked the Kiwanis club for the award, and said, “Perfect attendance is not that big of a deal, I mean.... all I had to do was show up.”

Years later, I can see why the wise club members thought that was so special.

Sometimes at Kankakee Regional Young Professionals events, people will show up underdressed or overdressed depending on where they came from prior. I usually, say
“you’re here, that’s what matters.” “Being there” or “showing up” matters. Sometimes it really is about “being seen” at an event because your presence there shows your support. Participation is a key component of any business communications effort. It’s an exposure for yourself, your company, and any other organization you are involved with. “Showing up” shows you care.

In business, young professionals should strive to be noticed, to be seen, and to be heard. At KRYP we get the wallflowers off the wall and out on the floor with business cards. We say “hi” to new faces and introduce other colleagues to them. Every event is a new experience in “real world business class” and we learn something new with every attendance. You have to show up first though to make it happen. Every event you miss could be an opportunity for a sale, a referral, or mutually beneficial relationship.

I’ve heard people say to me, “I see you everywhere.” I say “good, it’s intentional.” I want to be omnipresent. I might miss something otherwise. And all I have to do is show up.

Jesse J. Arseneau is a core council member for the Kankakee Regional Young Professionals and an account executive for Invent Horizon. While he strives for omnipresence, he realizes omniscience, and omnipotence may be harder goals to reach.