PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: I read a lot of books. It is a habit that I picked up in the military. However, even as a young kid, I always heard the phrase, “Reading is fundamental.” Yet today, as I talk to my peers, many say they are too busy to read. In my mind, too busy to read means “too busy to succeed.”

Recently, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis made a poignant case for reading when he stated the following to a young officer who said he was too busy to read, “The problem with being too busy to read,” says Mattis, “is that you learn by experience (or by your men’s experience) the hard way. By reading, you learn through others’ experiences, generally a better way to do business, especially in our line of work where the consequences of incompetence are so final for young men. Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesn’t give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.”

My experiences echo Gen. Mattis’. While I cannot say I have the answers to all of my challenges by any stretch, I do know by reading and research I can always find a similar situation to learn from. I make no apologies when I say my preference is to learn tough lessons through somebody else’s hard knocks instead of my own.

In addition to my daily reading, I try to read one professional and one leisure book per month. My leisure books are usually some crazy sci-fi craziness that is so far from reality that I can’t apply it to work or life. My justification? A little nonsense helps take the edge off life and helps put a little humor in my day to day.

I do, however, like to share some of my professional reading, especially the books that I think are exceptional and applicable to everyone. Today, I would like to share another fantastic read that, even after 47 years of life and business experiences, makes me say, “I need to work on this stuff and get it right.”

The book is “Relationships 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know” and it is written by one of my favorite authors, John Maxwell. The book starts off by revealing the punch line: what makes someone successful is knowing how to build solid relationships. In it, he states, “The more solid the relationships, the more cohesive the team.”

He continues by saying just about everything you do depends on teamwork. It doesn’t matter whether you are a leader or follower, coach or player, teacher or student, parent or child, CEO or nonprofit worker; you will be involved with other people. The question is, will your involvement with others be successful? He then states that there are five characteristics you can look for in your relationships to know if you have connected with others. They are respect, shared experiences, trust, reciprocity, and mutual enjoyment.

As I read this book, I smugly think it should be required reading for Maine’s Legislature. And then I remember my grandmother’s words, “Don’t try feeding it to somebody else until you eat it yourself.” (Remembering her words often humbles me when I get too big for my britches.)

And so I read on, for fun and for professional knowledge. If you haven’t picked up a leisure book in a while, I recommend you do. If you’re in business and you haven’t taken the time to read lately, I suggest you start out with one of John Maxwell’s books. While I can’t guarantee success will follow, I can assure you that you will be better prepared when the hard knocks come.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Sweetser and Shipshape Financial host the Aug. 28 Chamber After Hours. It takes place a Sweetser on Bath Road in Brunswick from 5 to 7 p.m. This is the place to be for regional business networking including make new connections and cementing previous connections. The event is catered by Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar and free for chamber members, their employees and guests to attend.

“How to Hold a Meetup” for your business or group is the next in the chamber’s series of seminars to help you market and grow your business through social media and online marketing. Led by two of the chamber’s board of directors, Amanda Leland (Long Cove Builders) and Jim Bouchard (Think Like a Black Belt). The seminar takes place Wednesday, Sept. 4, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Priority Group Business Center, 2 Main St., Topsham. Learn how to set up a meetup, how to use it to market your business and design activities to center meetups around. This seminar is free, and you can brown bag your lunch.

It’s time for you and your employees to deliver “extraordinary” customer service and you’re going to have to do it intentionally, on purpose. Come to a customer service seminar presented by Bob Labrie, of Maximum Potential. Bob has been in the training development field for the last 28 years and always provides more than you expect. Obtain a new set of customer service concepts, principles, techniques and skill-sets at this seminar on Sept. 12, 9 to 11 a.m. at Priority Business Center, 2 Main St., Topsham. “Intentionality, a Vital Component for Delivering Excellent Customer Service” is co-sponsored by Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber and Brunswick Downtown Association.

Enjoy live music and dancing to a 12- piece Oberlaendler Hofbrau Band, eat authentic German food, and earn guy and gals prizes for keg throwing and stein hoisting. Come to the 1st annual Oktoberfest — “Mid Coast Maine” style on Saturday, Sept. 21, noon to 5 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Brunswick. Sponsored by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Richard’s German Restaurant and Samuel Adams. Buy tickets online at www.oktoberfestmaine.com/.

Please go to the chamber’s website (www.midcoastmaine.com), scrolling the calendar to register for all of these events. For some the seating is limited. Don’t miss out.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS: The chamber welcomes Christiane Willaims as a “Friend of the Chamber.” Discover more about chamber members at www.midcoastmaine.com or download MyChamberApp for use on your mobile phone or tablet.

The chamber proudly serves 760 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.

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