President’s message

Oliver Goldsmith once said, “People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.”

I, for one, believe this statement wholeheartedly. As such, I am always on the lookout for a book, mentor, or program that can help improve my personal and business skills. And as the old saying goes, “Seek and ye shall find”; fortunately for me, I found the good folks at Dale Carnegie Maine!

For those of you who don’t recognize the name, the Dale Carnegie brand has always been one of excellence for more than 100 years. Founded in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has evolved from one man’s belief in the power of selfimprovement to a performancebased training company with offices worldwide. They focus on giving people in business the opportunity to sharpen their skills and improve their performance in order to build positive, steady and profitable results.

Dale Carnegie’s original body of knowledge has been constantly updated, expanded and refined through nearly a century’s worth of real-life business experiences. With only 160 Dale Carnegie centers worldwide, we are lucky to have one in Maine.

As a young man thinking about starting a business, one of my mentors gave me an iconic Carnegie book, “How to win friends and influence people.” It is a great book, and if you have never read it, I highly recommend you do. Chapter three is especially powerful … “He Who Can Do This Has the Whole World with Him. He Who Cannot Walks a Lonely Way.”

The course I am currently taking is comprised of eight, three-andone half hour sessions. The sessions deal with a variety of relevant skills, such as recalling and using people’s names, enhancing relationships, energizing communications, and gaining willing cooperation and commitment from others. Skills that folks — like you and I — use every single day.

So why take this course? Because I want to learn how to use my personal skill set better.

Why Dale Carnegie? For me, it is an opportunity to learn from a source that I have always admired. For you, it might be a book, webinar, college, or direct, hands-on training. Either way, we’re all doing the same thing: making ourselves better. As my dad once told me, “All learning is good.”

I think life-long learning is important for everyone. As a matter of fact, I can’t think of anyone who I know that can’t improve themselves.

Over the next several months, while it is still cold and windy, I encourage you to embark upon some form of self-improvement. Maybe it is reading a book, or maybe it is setting an eight-week goal to work on a project. Maybe it is finding somebody to mentor that you feel has potential. Regardless of the ways or means, do something that makes your personal skill set better than it is today.

I close by echoing a challenge once given by Henry Ward Beecher, “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.”

Upcoming events

— February’s Chamber After Hours is at Artforms, 128 Maine St., Brunswick. Tours of the production facility, music, refreshments and excellent networking are all part of the evening.

— Cool As a Moose, and then tour Artforms’ production facility. Attendees will enjoy music, refreshments and excellent networking opportunities. The date is Feb. 27, 5-7 p.m.

— Members of Southern Midcoast Maine, Greater Freeport and Yarmouth chambers are invited to make new connections at a networking event hosted by Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen and Topside Tavern, 88 Main St., Freeport. The event is “Triple Networking,” March 6, 5-7 p.m. and includes refreshments and live music.

—“What You Don’t Know About Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights Can Hurt Your Business” is the Business Success Seminar on March 6, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The seminar is sponsored by Eaton Peabody and Just Write Books at the Priority Business Center, 2 Main St., Topsham.

— The first Women’s Networking Forum of 2013 is March 7 at the Inn at Brunswick Station, 4 Noble St., Brunswick, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. In addition to lunch there is a presentation “The Power of a Woman’s Voice — How to Ask for What You Want” by Mandy Schumaker.

Please go to the chamber’s website (www.midcoastmaine.com) scrolling calendar to register for all of these events.

Members in the News

Welcome to Thrive and Prosper (www.trhiveandprosper.com). To discover more about chamber members, visit www.midcoastmaine.com or download MyChamberApp for use on your mobile phone or tablet.

The chamber proudly serves 740 businesses and organizations in the following communities: Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Brunswick, Dresden, Edgecomb, Georgetown, Harpswell, Phippsburg, Richmond, Topsham, West Bath, Westport Island, Wiscasset and Woolwich.