In my last post I mentioned the efforts through the American Botanicals Council surrounding the Herbal Legacy Campaign.  As noted there the kick-off of the campaign got me to thinking during this latest Expo West.  A conversation I had with a highly respected member of the Natural Products Industry along with some dinner conversation just at the close of this year’s Expo solidified my thoughts.  This posting is the result of that solidification.

One of the things about this industry that has always held the greatest appeal is that it, to my mind, is near unique in that it is an industry so very much based on Relationships.  As I waited for my car on Saturday I pointed this out to a very esteemed colleague and asked if he felt the same,  Moreover, I inquired as to whether he felt the “next generation” of people coming up through the industry had that same inclination.  His answer surprised me.  Not that the answer was contrary to my opinion or against my beliefs but rather an enlightened surprise.  He told me that he felt strongly that this relationship-based industry was moving along just fine in maintaining that aspect.  He clarified by pointing out that while he and I might be among the more elder statesmen of the industry, there are groups of much younger folks who were building their own relationships and carrying along the tradition that has made this industry what it is.  They just don’t happen to attend the same functions or parties as we do.

Fast-forward a bit to Sunday night after Expo West.  I had the great opportunity to sit with two men whose opinion and insights I value highly.  We had dinner together as a kind of Expo West wrap-up.  We were joined that evening by a much younger man who is deeply involved in the industry.  (The names here are being omitted only to protect the guilty).  During the course of the evening and then at the close of the evening we three elders sauntered off together to get lost on our way back to the Anaheim Hilton.  We talked about a great many things but one thing we completely agreed on – the young man with who we had dined was one of the next generation we wished we could “clone.”  His perspective, his knowledge and his desire to insure that the Natural Products Industry thrives on honest, scientific principles made him shine in our eyes.

Rather than cloning this person, there’s at least the issue of perception in the industry regarding such practices, my mind turned back to the Legacy aspect.  Those of us who were involved prior to the passage of DSHEA (our current land/time mark) and those who worked for the passage of this legislation (hell, even those thousands who say they were there when they weren’t) have a gift.  That gift is perspective.  It is wrapped in experience and memory of what transpired, what went before and how it serves as a background for the current situation and, yes, the future.  All of us who have worked in the industry for an extended period of time share that perspective.  It behooves us to serve the industry and to have our legacy include the passing on of knowledge.  As with traditional story-telling to keep legends and truths alive in tribal settings, we need to insure that the next generation moving to the forefront of the industry has this knowledge.  That is our legacy as much as it is our history.

Mentoring is a word that is over-used today, I think.  However, it is the best one to assign to the responsibilities we have if we are truly dedicated to the future of the industry.  Share the tales and more importantly the meanings of the tales of the industry and its trials from days gone by.  Identify those coming up in the industry and help them understand what can be, what should be and why.  This mentoring need not take any formal setting or serve as yet another retreat or conference.  Simply taking the time to identify and work with those newer faces that show promise.  Like raising the plants we use in so many of our products, the right amount of care and delivery of the necessary elements will insure that the messages we wish to share are carried forward.  Taking this time from our schedules, particularly at industry get-togethers such as Expo is a marvelous opportunity to perform this mentoring task.  Our legacy has been built; it is time to insure that it remains.

Each of us, and I know we know who we are, has the chance to bring all that we have learned to the table and share that knowledge.  Maybe at the next SMQAA we can have a few more of the newer faces present.  Maybe at the next SupplySide we can take an extra fifteen minutes each and at least identify who those newer faces are and share that knowledge with one another.  Then, as opportunity arises, we can take the time to pass on the wealth of knowledge we have and listen.  Because the chances are that these fresh young faces will have ideas and those ideas might just lead to joint efforts that result in a combined legacy of a vibrant industry, rid of its internal as well as external problems.  Just as those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it – You can teach on old dog new tricks. 

The Legacy we leave is not merely what we have built within this industry; it is what we will have nurtured to keep the industry going forward in a positive direction.  It is our responsibility to make this happen.