Do You Network?

Jan. 7, 2009
Why is there so little interest in professional networking?
We like to start out every new year with a fresh view of the fleet maintenance industry, and one way we do that is to survey our readers, to get their thoughts on industry issues and trends. We recently surveyed readers on their involvement in maintenance councils, both the national Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) and their own state maintenance councils. One hundred and sixteen readers completed the survey, and the results were both expected and surprising. About 1/4 of the respondents were TMC members, and 3/4 were not. Of the TMC members, 100 percent intend to renew their membership, and 65 percent attend TMC meetings. Among those who indicated that they were not TMC members, only 15 percent belonged to a state maintenance council as an alternative. That means that less than half of the survey respondents do not belong to any maintenance council at all. That could indicate a lot of things, but the first thing it suggests to me is that most of our readers are not interested in professional networking. Could that be true? Have we overestimated the importance of trading maintenance ideas and tips with colleagues? Or are fleet maintenance managers simply networking on a smaller, more informal scale? What's your take?

About the Author

Mark O'Connell | Fleet Maintenance contributor

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