By Kia Aghai, Warn Industries; Tara Demuth, R&S Truck Caps and Auto Accessories; and Dallas Johannes, SoffSeal
Professional development is often associated with training courses, certifications, or preparing for the next promotion. But true professional growth is much bigger than a job title. It is about developing the skills, mindset, relationships, and confidence needed to become a stronger contributor—and, ultimately, a stronger leader.
That idea is at the heart of “Pathways to Professional Development,” an FLN education session taking place at the SEMA Show on Wednesday, November 4, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Moderated by Dallas Johannes of SoffSeal, the session will feature Tara Demuth of R&S Truck Caps and Auto Accessories, Dan LaRou, and Jeffrey Banyas.
For emerging leaders in the aftermarket, this is a session worth putting on the calendar. But it is also one stop among many opportunities at the SEMA Show to intentionally invest in your professional development.
The session will begin by challenging the idea that professional development follows a single path. With countless training programs, education sessions, networking opportunities, industry councils, mentorship relationships, and on-the-job experiences available, how do you determine what kind of development you actually need?
The panel will explore what professional development means at different stages of a career and how individuals can identify experiences that will help them grow. Industry involvement will also be part of the conversation. Getting involved beyond your own company can expose you to different perspectives, business models, technologies, and leadership styles that you may not encounter in your everyday role.
For FLN members, this is an important mindset. Your career path will not look exactly like someone else’s, and the development opportunity that makes the biggest difference for one person may not be the right fit for another. The goal is to become intentional about identifying your own areas for growth.
Turning Development Into Leadership
One of the most important themes of the session is the connection between professional development and leadership.
Too often, leadership is viewed as something that begins after someone receives a management title. In reality, leadership can start wherever you are in your organization.
How can an employee influence a team without formal authority? How can someone demonstrate leadership before receiving a promotion? How do you challenge a leader constructively? And what is the difference between complaining about a problem and stepping forward with a solution?
These are practical questions for anyone who wants to become a stronger leader.
The panel will also address the importance of learning to receive feedback. Growth requires the willingness to listen, reflect, adjust, and continue improving. The ability to accept constructive feedback is one of the skills that can separate someone who is simply performing a job from someone who is actively developing as a professional.
And leadership doesn’t necessarily mean managing people. Not everyone wants to become a manager—and that’s okay. Organizations need technical experts, specialists, innovators, project leaders, and other professionals who want to deepen their expertise and make a greater impact without managing a team.
Explore the Full SEMA Education Schedule
While Pathways to Professional Development is designed specifically with FLN members in mind, the SEMA Show education schedule offers many other opportunities to expand your skills and perspective.
Business & Professional Growth
Consider The Business Behind the Builds: Best Practices in the Truck and Off-Road Industry, powered by TORA. The session explores strategies and practices driving success in the truck and off-road market, giving attendees practical ideas that can be applied directly to their businesses.
For professionals looking to improve their effectiveness, Five Ways to Make Your Small Business More Successful offers strategies for increasing visibility, building stronger teams, maximizing customer relationships, managing time, and negotiating effectively. Whether you work for a small business or a larger organization, these skills can help you become a more effective contributor.
Another practical option is Time Is Money! Real-World Time-Management Strategies. Time is one of every professional’s most valuable resources, and learning how to prioritize responsibilities, increase productivity, and make better use of each day can have an immediate impact on both individual and team performance.
Leadership & Communication
Technical expertise is important, but strong leaders also need to know how to communicate, listen, influence, and navigate challenging situations.
The SEMA Women’s Leadership Symposium: Own the Room: Executive Presence, Leadership Transitions and Strategic Influence for Women Leaders offers practical tools for strengthening executive presence, navigating career transitions, and becoming a more confident and influential leader.
Listening as a Leadership Skill That Changes Results, presented by Dale Carnegie, focuses on an often-overlooked leadership skill: listening. Effective communication begins with understanding others. Attendees will explore techniques for active listening, reducing miscommunication, strengthening relationships, and improving team alignment.
For anyone who has ever had to navigate a difficult workplace conversation, Courageous Conversations: Addressing Conflict Without Burning Bridges, powered by SBN, provides an opportunity to develop the emotional intelligence and communication skills needed to manage conflict, rebuild trust, and maintain productive professional relationships.
Another important topic for today's emerging leaders is Leadership in the Era of AI: How Great Leaders Keep the Human Edge, presented by Dale Carnegie. As technology transforms the workplace, leaders still need to build trust, communicate effectively, and keep people engaged. This session explores how leaders can embrace AI while maintaining the human connection that makes organizations successful.
AI & the Future of the Aftermarket
AI will continue to shape the careers of today’s emerging leaders, making it increasingly important to understand how to use the technology effectively and responsibly.
The Art of Leveraging AI as a Competitive Advantage explores practical ways to integrate AI into business workflows and turn emerging technology into an operational advantage.
The AI-Driven Aftermarket: Smarter Tools, Smarter Builds examines how AI is changing product development, diagnostics, manufacturing, customer support, engineering, and decision-making across the aftermarket.
And If You’re Not Using AI in YOUR Business, You’re Already Behind! provides an opportunity to hear from aftermarket professionals using AI in areas including marketing, content creation, retail, and manufacturing. The session will explore where technology can improve efficiency while still maintaining authenticity.
For FLN members preparing for leadership roles, understanding AI isn’t simply about learning another technology. It is about understanding how technology may change the way your teams work, how customers interact with your company, and how businesses make decisions.
From Learning to Action
Professional development doesn’t end when the session does. The real value comes from what happens afterward.
Bring an idea back to your team. Try a new communication technique. Ask your manager for feedback. Volunteer for a project outside your comfort zone. Identify a skill you need to strengthen and find a way to practice it. Connect with someone you met during a session and continue the conversation.
The SEMA Show provides thousands of opportunities to learn, but the right session can be the beginning of a new skill, a new relationship, or even a new direction in your career.
That is ultimately what Pathways to Professional Development is about. You don’t have to wait until you have a leadership title to begin developing as a leader. You can start by becoming more intentional about how you learn, how you communicate, how you contribute, and how you help the people around you grow.
For FLN members, SEMA is an opportunity to do exactly that.
Build your Show schedule with your future in mind. Attend sessions that challenge you. Learn from people outside your normal circle. Take something you learn and put it into practice. Most importantly, remember that your professional development is your responsibility—and the next step in your leadership journey can start today.