Building a Better Industry
by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

In his book, How To Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie taught us to never criticize, condemn, or complain.   I’ve lived by those words most of my adult life.   Had I studied Dale Carnegie much earlier as a child, I believe my life would have been even more meaningful and productive than it is today.  That’s not a complaint.  It’s a realization of the power of productive living that is only possible when you focus on a path forward for your life, your career, and your personal development.  It’s about having the vision and the discipline to work toward achieving goals and objectives that enable you to create the life and the world in which you want to live.   Studying Dale Carnegie is the best thing I’ve ever academically pursued and that decision has changed my life for the better.

Twenty-five years ago, the Dive Industry Association was founded in order to create a Trade Association that would Build a Better Industry, One Member at a Time.  Our Mission was designed to bring buyers and sellers together by creating a Global Diving Business Network (the Sellers) and identifying consumers of diving products and services in the Global Diving Community.  The amount of time, money, and manpower that it took to crystalize our mission has been staggering, but we are finally at that tipping point where our growth and effectiveness is recognizable to the entire diving industry.

You can only build a better tomorrow for buyers and sellers in an industry by having a vision for the future, and constructively strategizing, planning, implementing, and building a pathway to growth and success.  You don’t build a better industry by tearing down the existing foundations of our industry and rebuilding your own eutopia.  You move forward with plans that contain actionable items, that achieve short and long-range objectives, that can be measured by key results and analyzed for their successful completion.  It’s working with your peers to implement and integrate current successful paradigms in the global diving industry.  It’s about being the best person for the team instead of trying to be the best or only person on the team.

There are some individuals and organizations in our industry that always seem to be against someone, some business, some organization, or some policy.  We’ve witnessed some nasty, destructive and negative campaigns that have done more harm than good to the industry, and we’ve seen some harsh lawsuits that have been filed and won against the campaigners.  My question is not about the rationality of the negative campaigns but as to their effectiveness.  When someone asks me to be against something, I always want to inquire about the bigger picture.  If we are against something, then what is it that we want to be for?  In my opinion, wouldn’t it be better to constructively work on the thing that we are trying to create rather than just be against something?

I recently took a healthy lifestyle management course through the Veterans Administration.  For us Veterans, it’s called MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans.  I highly recommend it to all veterans.  Not just for weight loss, but for developing a healthy lifestyle that can in fact, change your life.  In the 16-week program I lost 25 pounds, but I didn’t achieve it by not doing something.  I didn’t just not eat, I ate the right food, in the correct portions, and combined diet with exercise.  I analyzed my calories in and calories out.  I graphed my blood chemistry and identified which blood counts were acceptable and which ones were not.  I had to set smart goals every week and think of actionable items that would achieve my weekly objectives.  I had to measure my key results to see if they were doing the job that I was planning for.  The program was a lot of work, but it rekindled my discipline and increased my motivation as I started to experience weekly successes.

The VA MOVE program was life-changing for me.  The work sparked my desire to take control of my health, and that was only the beginning.  During the course I did some more research on goals, objectives, actionable items, OKR’s, and statistics about habits.  I applied what I learned to my business, my career, and my lifestyle.  I read three more exceptional books; Good To Great, Measure What Matters, and Atomic Habits that have made a significant difference for me in my personal life and in my business life.

Never one to underestimate the power of attitude, motivation, discipline, and a purpose driven life, I have learned to strategically plan smart goals, create actionable items that achieve objectives and I am mastering the art of measuring key results to verify that I am on track to achieving my objectives.  Is it working?  Well, this past DEMA Show in November was the most productive DEMA Show I have had in 43 years.  We exhibited at Surf Expo in January and it too, was the best Surf Expo I have ever exhibited at in their 50-year history.  Last month we signed up four of the largest companies in the diving industry.  In January 2026 we had a 194% increase in sales over January 2025.  So, you tell me!  Is it the economy, the industry, events, or my attitude?  I think it may be a combination of all four.  You may want to read our article, DIA – A 25-year-old Startup.

Become a Member of our Global Diving Business Network: Annual Membership in the Dive Industry Association is $125 and includes placement in a number of Trade Directories and websites.  Our organization uses websites and directories in advertising and marketing campaigns to refer business to our members.  By joining our network, you are becoming part of a network that works on your behalf to bring buyers and sellers together for the benefit and growth of the Global Diving Community.  Download a Membership Application today.

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