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Lynne Walker McNees
THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO ASSOCIATE YOURSELF WITH
SOMEONE. even bigger than that, consider the “a” in iSPa. the word
“association” comes to us from the Latin word socius, which means “ally.”
So, an association isn’t just a group of people: it’s a group of allies who
have joined together in service to a common purpose.
in the economically driven world of competition and sales, aligning with
other industry professionals may seem counter-intuitive to building a
unique presence. however, iSPa continually shows that true uniqueness
comes from a genuine willingness to join together—to associate with one
another—rather than compete with each other. a rising tide raises all
boats, and it’s a pleasure to realize that to associate is to succeed, particu-
larly in the spa industry.
this idea ties closely to this month’s success story about a group of
Santa Barbara spa directors (ojai Valley, ritz-carlton Bacara, four Seasons
Santa Barbara, plus a few others) who meet quarterly to discuss best
practices for running their spas and new solutions to common problems.
together, they are stronger and more equipped to best serve the Santa
Barbara area. there are many powerful spa groups like this—both formal
and informal—making a tremendous impact all over the world.
collaboration, rather than competition, is often a better way to find new
ideas and discover new possibilities. as the Santa Barbara spa directors will
tell you, collaboration takes a humble perspective and an unshakable desire
to spread the benefits of spa to as many people as possible, in the best way
possible.
as a non-profit association, let’s continue to ally ourselves to one
another and take advantage of the invaluable reinforcement that comes
from associating—and succeeding—together. So, reach out to your
community! Get to know other spa directors or other resource partners. You
might be surprised to find that when you work together, everyone succeeds.
—LYNNE McNEES, ISPA PRESIDENT
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octobEr 2019