Get involved, share your insight.

• Author: Corcoran, Timothy B.
• Position: LEADERS

By now, many of you have heard about the recent annual conference in Orlando. My view is perhaps a bit biased, but I found it to be one of the better conferences I've attended in a long time, and much of the credit goes to Annual conference Advisory committee co-chairs Jose Cunningham and John Byrne. Attendance was high, and while I couldn't possibly attend every breakout session, those I visited were packed and engaging. For those who weren't able to attend, I encourage you to read the summary articles (such as the one that starts on page 18), watch the video interviews, review the Twitter feeds and encourage your local colleagues who did attend to share their findings.

One of the brightest stars in Orlando was the keynote speaker, Kat Cole, president of Cinnabon. She delivered an inspiring message of achievement, overcoming obstacles, finding and becoming a mentor, and collaborating--even with competitors--as a means to win. I recognize that few of our firms sell delicious pastries; however, Cole's message succinctly captured the challenges of leadership, of competing in a changing marketplace and of giving back to our communities. Philadelphia attendee Laura powers summed it up nicely: "The new normal is the ability to lead, innovate and change constantly." what are we doing to help our firms adapt in today's dynamic and fiercely competitive marketplace? and what are we doing to develop our future leaders?

In the last two months, I've visited more than a dozen LMA chapters, met with local boards and talked to another hundred or more individual members--and...