We Have Always Done It That Way

2008 is fast approaching, and it is going to be a very significant, and quite possibly, historic year for both our country and our world. Not only will America elect its 44th president next fall, but all eyes will be on Beijing during the month of August as China plays host to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. On a very personal level, I’m looking forward to celebrating my 40th birthday in March 2008. Well, that’s not exactly true. I’m neither “looking forward to” nor “celebrating” the conclusion of my 40th year of life, but I am paying close attention to what I can learn from the inevitability of this important milestone, as well as what new inspiration and imagination its arrival will bring.

This spirit of discovery and possibility in the face of inexorable reality fills me with a genuine hope that 2008 will be a momentous year for our association community as well, a time in which our commitment to meaningful innovation is dominant, and our “we have always done it that way” reflex is in decline. To help nurture this hope in others, I want to propose three “commitments” of learning and action for the association community to pursue in the coming year. Individually, each of these commitments is about building stronger organizations and, by design, a stronger and more authentic community of associations. When taken together, progress on these commitments could be a wellspring of innovation, with broader positive implications for society.

+Commit to build new capacity for association stewardship—Far too many associations, especially small organizations, continue to struggle with the profound challenges of making a complete transition into the 21st Century. The ambiguity and uncertainty unleashed by rapid and on-going paradigm shift creates unprecedented difficulties for all associations. Our traditional business models are decaying, and our standard practices are not delivering their usual impact, if they still work at all. To flourish in the years ahead, our community needs boards, CEOs and other senior leaders who are willing to be inventive, decisive and bold in the pursuit of new forms of success.

+Commit to tear down our irrelevant, self-imposed boundaries—One of the major business imperatives for all associations is the full embrace of inclusion in every conceivable dimension. Diversity is not (and has never been) a human resources buzzword, but a true reflection of our enormous national promise. It is now time for our community to demonstrate that it can fully realize this reservoir of untapped potential. At the same time, we should acknowledge that inclusion isn’t merely a domestic issue. Associations must stretch beyond the limitations of geographic borders, shake off the fear of what we do not understand and reach out to a global, dynamic and diverse network of colleagues to connect, collaborate and create value on behalf of our members and customers.

+Commit to take action on strategic social responsibility—In 2008, all associations will have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a critical dialogue on the importance of strategic social responsibility to our community, our country and our planet. The Global Summit on Social Responsibility, which ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership will convene in the spring of 2008, will be the platform for a robust exchange of ideas around how associations can capitalize on the exciting new business opportunities created when we collaborate to develop solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental and social problems. Strategic social responsibility isn’t about community service or doing good works. It’s about protecting and investing in what was entrusted to us to ensure that it is sustainable for those who will inherit it. It’s not about self-interest. It’s about shared interest.

If we are able to act on these three commitments, we can be catalysts for the kind of deep-seated change and innovation that originally inspired the creation of this book. So will you accept the challenge?

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, The Way We Lead, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
1 Comment »

To reinvent eroding membership-centric business models, association leaders will need to answer a fundamental question:

What is the strategic relationship between membership and participation?

In answering this question, leaders also will need to confront the even more fundamental truth that dues payments do not create members. Instead, going forward, association membership must be based on a personal commitment to participate, irrespective of dues payments. The approach associations adopt in this area must be open and flexible enough to accommodate both the absolute need to fully engage the payers of dues and the non-dues paying participant’s choice to be active in the association. While the former will pay for membership in order to participate, the latter will use participation as a form of currency to “pay” for membership.

This type of business model innovation is made necessary by what is happening online. The ease and simplicity with which anyone can make immediate and passionate contributions using free and inexpensive Web 2.0 technologies highlights the lack of an equally clear and accessible “architecture of participation” in most associations. A phrase that originated with the Web 2.0 revolution itself, a useful definition of an architecture of participation as it pertains to organizations in our community is “the collaborative design of pathways for meaningful engagement in and substantive contribution to the association’s work.” Designing an architecture of participation is about much more than simply offering opportunities for involvement. It is about innovating our associations for the future.

Association professionals must begin experimenting right away with developing new architectures of participation. Some of those experiments will fail, while others will evolve to become integral elements of new business models built for sustainable growth. To facilitate these processes of experimentation, staff and volunteer leaders can use the following six design principles:

+Keep it simple—In developing wiki technology, creator Ward Cunningham kept asking an important question: what is the simplest thing that could possibly work? In designing a new architecture of participation that will attract your next contributors, you should be asking yourself the same question over and over again. Try to create the simplest possible participation experience for everyone who wants to contribute by looking carefully at the factors that make your current architecture of participation complicated and less satisfying for your stakeholders.

+Tear down the garden walls—It is impossible for any association today to possess all of the ideas, knowledge and talent it needs to succeed. Fortunately, those resources are quite abundant, connected and mobile in the current marketplace, but they will not be attracted to our organizations if we continue to put up obstacles to keep them out. Just like the Web itself, your new architecture of participation must fully embrace open networks as a tenet of a new business model, and sunset the idea of the association as a walled garden.

+Take down the ladder—The ladder is the most enduring symbol of association participation. Contributors spend years, and usually decades, climbing these ladders in pursuit of leadership opportunities with increasing responsibility and authority. But what if your next contributors aren’t interested in climbing your ladder? What if they are comfortable leading horizontally and don’t necessarily want or need vertical authority to accomplish their goals? To address these questions, your new architecture of participation must reconsider traditional structures and roles, and fully engage the self-organizing leadership talents and coordination capabilities your next contributors bring to the table.

+Be modular—If the ladder is no longer the appropriate metaphor for association involvement, what should replace it? Think Legos. To fully engage your next contributors, your association’s new architecture of participation needs to be as modular as Lego bricks, allowing individuals and groups to quickly assemble, disassemble and rebuild “pieces” of different shapes and sizes to create new experiences that easily connect and enable meaningful collaboration with globally-distributed peer networks on a near real time basis.

+Trust first—Associations use a combination of policies, guidelines, requirements and similar mechanisms to enforce “synthetic trust” within their contributor communities. But community on the Web, as well as the trust that bonds the members of those communities, is considerably more organic, and it is this more authentic way of being that associations must embrace going forward. Your new architecture of participation can energize its next contributors by first demonstrating real trust in them, without requiring prior proof of their fidelity to the association.

+Make success a shared responsibility—Associations are still more comfortable with concentrating responsibility for success in the organizational core at a time when most of the energy for future progress lives at or near the “edge” of our organizations. By distributing real responsibility away from the core, associations can challenge their next contributors to direct their efforts toward executing strategy, advancing mission and realizing vision. Your new
architecture of participation can energize contributors by offering them the opportunity to connect their passionate interests and commitments to the long-term growth and success of the association.

The continuing decline of the membership-centric association business model means the end of association membership as we’ve always known it. To flourish in the years ahead, associations will need to shift their focus away from the inertia of transactional relationships and toward dynamic approaches that can unleash the full potential of passionate engagement.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Strategy, Technology, The Way We Involve Others, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
4 Comments »

Ever since Good to Great hit the scene, the association community has gotten data religion. Count this, measure that, does this metric make my balanced score card look fat? The problem with too much data collection is that you can be paralyzed by an undifferentiated mass of input. You become the crunchee rather than the cruncher.

Repeat after me: If a piece of data can’t enable a decision to be made, it isn’t worth measuring. Using this simple rule will dramatically reduce your measurement efforts while simultaneously enabling you to take more action. What’s not to like?

This same approach can be invaluable for your Board of Directors and other leadership bodies. When you are pressed for more and more data, push back. Ask what decisions the requested data will support. If it doesn’t support any, it is in everyone’s best interest to not go through the labor of producing it nor the time of assessing and discussing it. You can move on to those metrics that really matter to your leaders making decisions about the future of the organization.

Do not allow your measurement efforts to crunch you and your leadership.

Tags: Leadership, Strategy, Technology, The Way We Execute, The Way We Manage, The Way We Think, The Way We Work Together, We've Always Done It That Way by David
6 Comments »

Marketing is the full process of conceptualization, pricing, promotion, and distribution of a program, product or service. Intellectually you probably knew this, but do you live it? In reality, too often the focus of association “marketing” is a slick brochure or an e-mail blast. This, of course, isn’t very effective.

Try something different. For those products that aren’t selling well, cut your promotions budget in half. Then apply those resources to product concept (or re-concept). Why? It may be your product that is the problem, rather than the promotions. You can promote the heck out of a mediocre product but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a mediocre product. So, most of those promotional dollars are wasted. Even if you’ve created a gem of a promotional campaign and gotten buyers for that mediocre product, will they be satisfied buyers? Repeat buyers?

Consider this real case. An association has been offering a certificate of training program for the past six years. It spends very little on promotion – a listing on its website, occasional e-blasts, and a simple printed flier included in select mailings. Yet, almost all programs have sold out – many with a long waiting list. How? They spent their time wisely and generously on program concept and design. The program meets a real need, and exceeds participant expectations. Now, they don’t have to promote the program; it sells itself. Well, actually, graduates of the program sell it for them. Evaluations data show that over 95% of participants would recommend it to a colleague…and they do. Word-of-mouth marketing at its best.

Consider which of your products, services or programs aren’t selling well regardless of how much you promote them. Then, delve into the product’s concept. Who is the target? What are their needs? Is this product meeting a need? If not, can it be redesigned to meet a need? Is it a mediocre product or a remarkable one? Is it so remarkable that your buyers will “sell” it for you through word-of-mouth? Can you make it so? (Of course, remember that not all products are worthy of a redesign; some may need to be retired.)

A place to start: the product of membership. Do you really need to promote membership more…or do you need to work on making it worth buying?

Tags: Strategy, The Way We Execute, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
2 Comments »

In the first edition of this book, I advocated separating “strategy” and “plan.” The primary reason is that when we do “strategic planning,” we end up bolting the weight of our strategy to the details of our plan, making it hard to change, to take in new information, and, in many cases, even to implement. Planning and strategy are simply two different things. They should be “tethered” together, not “bolted.”

But the standard response to my argument since that first edition has been: “Okay, but if we don’t do strategic planning, what do we do instead?” The answer is, you do the real work of strategy. Unfortunately, too many associations find the real work of strategy unfamiliar, and even uncomfortable.

The real work of strategy focuses first on strategic direction—clarifying precisely what drives the association’s success and orienting all decision-making, implementation, and learning in that direction. Honestly, most associations do not do this. They are good at identifying their mission, and they know what programs and services they have, but they rarely can articulate “middle level” strategic thinking that helps everyone from the Board down to the staff understand not only where they are headed, but how they can best get there given the current operating environment. Strategy becomes a guide that everyone uses to evaluate decisions and understand changes in the environment, rather than a thirty-nine-page instruction manual that tells people what they should do.

The second focus of the real work of strategy is learning. What if the world weren’t linear? What if you had to articulate a strategic direction, knowing that you would need to change it on an ongoing basis, but at irregular intervals, based on how the real world unfolds, rather than on the availability of your executive committee? If the world did work that way (and, of course, it does), then you would need to build your organization (structure, process, culture) around learning. Suddenly the work of strategy becomes integrated at all levels, as everyone learns from what they are doing and feeds that learning back into strategic decisions.
Strategy may not be a new concept in your association, but what about the real work of strategy? If you want to go down this road, then prepare yourselves to do things differently. For example:

• Demand creativity. Thriving without creativity only happens in that non-existent linear world.
• Bring more voices into your strategy process. It’s not just beneficial; it is required.
• Describe your association’s entire strategy on the back and front of one page. If you can’t tell a simple story, the system won’t be able to make it happen.
• Re-evaluate your meetings. To learn from what you are doing, you need better conversations.

Tags: Strategy, The Way We Lead, We've Always Done It That Way by Jamie
No Comments »

One of the most common arguments made in defense of the “we have always done it that way” approach to leadership in our organizations is that associations have existed for many years, indeed for many decades, and thus have a demonstrated ability to survive and thrive in the face of profound change. So, the argument goes, why should association leaders dramatically change their beliefs and practices to accommodate what’s happening today? Isn’t today’s brand of change simply an extension of what we’ve always known?

Let’s unpack this argument. First, there is no question that associations are resilient organizations. It’s absolutely true that many associations have managed to stick around for a long time, and the leaders of those enterprises deserve most of the credit for keeping them going during periods of considerable difficulty, including depressive economic conditions, social and technological disruption and world war. Whether these leaders made all of the right decisions in their time is immaterial as far as I am concerned. They accepted the responsibility of leadership, and they’ve earned both our gratitude and our respect for everything they achieved.

Going forward, however, the question is not where we’ve been, but where are going and how we will sustain what our predecessors entrusted to us. In our time, we face a fundamental question that those who came before never had to confront seriously: what role, if any, should associations play in our society? We are neck deep in a period of accelerated political, economic, social and technological shift that is unlikely to abate anytime soon. Precisely what it will take for our organizations to be successful in this environment remains somewhat unclear, making our historic resilience useful. What is increasingly clear is that our standard set of responses to new realities is no longer getting it done. We need new approaches, which diminishes the value of being resilient because it may prevent the deep and sober reconsideration of the conventional wisdom that is the basis for doing what we’ve always done.

So associations must continue to be resilient, of course, but not in a way that ignores the solemn responsibility to create a more vibrant future. We cannot defer the hard strategic choices that we certainly will need to make in the next few years. To do so, would be absolutely irresponsible. Rather, we must embrace the challenges and opportunities of a new era, and act decisively, confidently and responsibly. Our ancestors would expect nothing less from us, and we should accept nothing less for ourselves and our successors.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, Technology, The Way We Lead, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
2 Comments »

The success of associations in the 21st century will depend, in large measure, on whether the leaders of our organizations choose to set aside their self-aggrandizing agendas, petty personality conflicts and micro-managing tendencies to embrace the real responsibilities of stewardship that come with the staff and volunteer roles they occupy. It’s clear to just about everybody in our community that current governance approaches aren’t working for many organizations. So, if we’re really ever going to extract the “we have always done it that way” DNA from associations, those legacy systems must be among the first challenges we tackle.

To make it simpler and more attractive for boards, CEOs and other stakeholders to adopt a new mindset, I have articulated a set of ideas around what I call “innovation ungovernance.” Ungovernance offers an alternative perspective on what association stewardship can be and what it can achieve if we’re willing to let go of old ways of thinking, acting and being, and embrace the necessity of innovation. It is a framework for driving organizational success that is more consonant with the world in which associations operate today, and it certainly can be a catalyst for a renewal in the critical role associations have always played in the fabric of our democratic society.

Below are five ways that ungovernance thinking enables innovation in our organizations. I hope you will share your reactions, thoughts and ideas as comments. Also, I invite you to join a virtual dialogue on innovation governance where you can help shape this conversation for our community.

1. Ungovernance questions existing assumptions and beliefs—Associations face daunting challenges in the years ahead, and chief among them is the need to complete the transition of our organizations from the last century into this one. Unfortunately, the outdated core beliefs that guide association governance practices interfere with this process. Ungovernance seeks to challenge such orthodoxies by asking different questions, posing fresh and perhaps unpopular perspectives and demanding more original responses from leaders. Associations are long overdue to eradicate the toxic influence of denial and nostalgia in their organizations, and it must begin with a radical shift in the way we think about association stewardship going forward.

2. Ungovernance focuses on the association’s business model—Associations don’t exist to be governed, but to create value for stakeholders. Indeed, the future growth and advancement of associations depends on their ability to create distinctive new value in a time when the traditional economic framework for such value creation is rapidly eroding. Organizations in our community—not to mention the community as a whole—face a competitive landscape that has changed dramatically in the last decade, and will continue to morph in the next one. In this new context, association leaders must cultivate both the freedom to discover and develop inventive new strategies and the discipline necessary to execute them intelligently. As the Ungovernance Doctrine states, the definitive responsibility of association boards and CEOs is the capable stewardship of sustainable business models powered by innovation.

3. Ungovernance distributes responsibility—Current approaches to association governance embody the concept of centralized control. The future of associations, however, lives at or very near the edge, with contributors who are already deeply involved with—or are actually creating—what’s next. Ungovernance recognizes that sharing real responsibility for long-term success with all stakeholders supports the kind of robust and energetic collaboration necessary to achieve it. Contributors must be invited to engage with the association on their terms, but within a coherent and sustainable strategic framework that capitalizes on everyone’s unique talents and capabilities and inspires them to innovate consistently. In short, ungovernance is about creating an ecology of stewardship.

4. Ungovernance builds trust—At best, legacy governance practices create a kind of “synthetic trust” that must be enforced through bureaucratic structures, burdensome management mechanisms and restrictive policies. At worst, association governance actively undermines trust by creating a culture of risk aversion and fear. In contrast, authentic trust is organic, and emerges only through an unswerving commitment to build it everyday. Ungovernance enables innovation by inviting leaders to adopt the notion of “trust first” as their new default position, while working hard to earn the trust of those they serve by “walking the walk” of innovation in their own work.

5. Ungovernance inspires creativity and unleashes passion—Associations desperately need creative, passionate contributors who are willing to advance the work of innovation by experimenting with powerful ideas. Ungovernance is all about removing onerous constraints that impede the freedom to think expansively and act with confidence, while applying “generative constraints” that help ignite new thinking around difficult problems. Ungovernance embraces possibilities that fuel the passion of contributors who will drive the association’s long-term success. At the same time, ungovernance requires clarity around which possibilities have the greatest potential to become worthwhile strategic opportunities.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, The Way We Think, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
5 Comments »

There has been a positively raging firestorm of personal attacks in the association blogoclump on the idea of marketing. OK, more like spirited debate of the ideas while maintaining respect for each other individually but that didn’t sound as exciting.

Here is Kevin Holland’s post that sums it up nicely and gives his take.

In any case, I offer up an example of someone who tried something new in marketing their event, measured the results and learned from the process. I give you Kristi Donovan:

David asked me about the crazy idea – and I realize I never did tell the details. We decided to segment our marketing to our target audiences for the conference. I identified three sessions that each of our audiences would be interested in attending, put them on the cover of our brochure along with a statment such as: “We’ve designed the following sessions for chief executives like you!” Then we mailed that cover to our CEOs and COOs. We did it for 4 distinct audiences and then a generic for everyone else. We intended to personalize but that became cost prohibitive. (And maybe we didn’t even need it!)

Is this rocket science? No, not really. But a big, big step forward for us.

What was the result?

I am absolutely thrilled that my cockamamie idea in June that caused me and my coworkers so much stress has apparently resulted in an 85% increase in registration for our meeting over this time last year. Truly phenomenal. Some folks have suggested that may not hold through the rest of the reg period. Frankly, I’m just happy that something in our marketing mix is working. Heck, not just working, but kicking butt. If nothing else, we’ve gotten 85% more people to commit to our meeting earlier than ever.

Can’t beat that. It wasn’t so crazy after all!

Kristi’s posts are an excellent example of how thinking critically about your segments and making a targeted offer can pay off. And they did measure data to track results but it all started with trying something they had never done before.

Like Kristi says, this isn’t rocket science. What is different? She tried it! Breaking out of the ‘always done it that way’ rut and taking action puts her ahead of 90% of the field out there.

Tags: Membership, Strategy, The Way We Involve Others, The Way We Lead by David
4 Comments »

I’ve been thinking about this difficult question for quite some time now, but I’ve been reluctant to write about it out of a genuine concern that the question itself might sound like an unprovoked attack on hard-working association staff and volunteers. This is definitely not my intention. Rather, I’m hoping we can make our colleagues’ lives a bit easier by creating a more favorable climate in which they can always bring their imagination to bear on the work of their organizations.

Albert Einstein suggested that “imagination is more important than knowledge,” and who am I to disagree with him. In a time of paradigm shift, what we think we know is increasingly less useful than what we can learn, imagine and create. In a recent post, Micropersuasion blogger Steve Rubel suggested that “the most important ‘tool’ you can have today in business is insatiable curiosity. The minute you lose it, you’re dead.” I think Steve is right on target and, from my perspective, curiosity and imagination go hand in hand: our curiosity feeds our imagination, and our imagination drives our curiosity.

Which brings me back to my inquiry about the possible imagination deficit in our community. I suppose what I’m really wondering is whether the work environment in associations today cultivates and nurtures the curiosity and imagination of staff and volunteers. One specific source of concern in this regard is the recent emphasis placed on so-called “data-driven strategies,” as advocated by ASAE & The Center’s 7 Measures of Success report. Without a doubt, there is a need to infuse the strategic decision-making process with useful data. But we must also recognize there are limits to what data can tell us, and there is good reason to challenge the notion that backward-looking information will always illuminate the wisest course of action for the future of our organizations. Associations definitely need clear, simple and focused strategy, but it should be “driven” by the value it will create for members, customers and stakeholders. Identifying and implementing that potential value necessarily will involve some combination of what we know, what we can learn, what we can imagine and what we can create together.

The powerful forces of paradigm shift are reshaping our society, and associations are going along for that very bumpy ride. But in the midst of this uncertainty, association professionals and volunteers have an extraordinary opportunity to envision a very different and more vibrant future for the organizations to which they have committed themselves. I challenge you to do just that by remaining curious and using your imagination everyday. If you’re able to do that, then in time the more important question won’t be whether there once was an imagination deficit, but what we did to eliminate it for the benefit of our community.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, The Way We Execute, The Way We Involve Others, The Way We Lead, The Way We Manage, The Way We Think, The Way We Work Together, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
4 Comments »

Associations have long built their value to members on creating information products. Conferences, magazines, journals, newsletters and web sites all have been traditional vehicles for creating and providing information and knowledge to members that couldn’t be had elsewhere.

Then the Web came along. Suddenly, we all have access to vast collections of information. However, this has brought a new challenge: finding the valuable stuff in that massive pile of information. Your association can continue to provide value in an information rich economy by developing the capacity to assist your members in sifting through it. Invest in understanding how search technology works and how it could be tailored for your members. Think like an information concierge rather than a publisher.

Make helping your members to find critical information and knowledge a key part of your value, wether or not you published that information in the first place.

Tags: Innovation, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by David
4 Comments »

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” (Leonardo da Vinci)

We need to make our organizations easier, clearer and simpler for everyone involved. We need to consistently, carefully and firmly identify everything we do that isn’t fundamental to advancing the larger purposes of our existence and get rid of those things as quickly as possible. This is what I mean by “radical simplicity.” In today’s world, less is not only more, much less is much more.

In recent months, I have come to view radical simplicity as a major strategic opportunity for associations that touches all aspects of what we do from governance to products and services to volunteer engagement. In far too many organizations in our community, the complexity we create ourselves interferes with our ability to achieve what we say we care about most, including supporting learning, building vibrant communities and delivering value to those we serve. We live in a complicated world to be sure, and there isn’t much we’re going to do to change that, except to the extent we are able to change both our organizations and ourselves.

“As simple as possible, but no simpler.” (Albert Einstein)

By suggesting we make radical simplicity a priority, I do not mean to imply we should “dumb down” our organizations. On the contrary, our organizations should be the hottest of hothouses, in which we plant the seeds of many new innovations, nurture them and allow them to grow in all kinds of surprising and unexpected directions. There is an important difference between the organic evolution of complexity in our thinking and the creation of synthetic complexity that so often occurs in our organizations. The former is a natural cycle of growth and change that systematically builds our capacity, while the latter involves the unnatural and unnecessary introduction of hierarchical and bureaucratic constraints into places and spaces where, if we took the initiative to cultivate them, trust, reciprocity and the capacity for self-organization could do the job quite well.

Radical simplicity isn’t about avoiding complexity altogether. It is about creating a markedly more intuitive and straightforward interface between our organizations and our members that enables us to make sense of the complexity we need and drastically reduces (if not eliminates altogether) the complexity we don’t.

“What is the simplest thing that could possibly work?” (Ward Cunningham, inventor of the wiki.)

On a very practical level, embracing radical simplicity in our work might make the difference between robust growth and anemic performance in key metrics. At the very minimum, a radically simpler organization should make for happier and more satisfied staff and members. For me, a focus on radical simplicity is itself a form of genuine innovation, and one that definitely can make a meaningful impact along multiple dimensions quickly.

To set your organization down the path of radical simplicity, consider raising the following five questions for discussion:

* What factors create complexity in your association’s work?
* How much of the complexity in your association is self-inflicted?
* How do “tried-and-true” solutions actually increase complexity in your organization?
* Why does your association have difficulty letting go of just about anything?
* What are the elements of a new business model that will allow your association to fully embrace radical simplicity?

To put your strategic thinking into action, consider one final inquiry: what three things about your association can you radically simplify in the next three months? If you can initiate these critical conversations, you will go a long way toward creating the right conditions for enduring success in your association.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
3 Comments »

I’m pretty sure I don’t need to write too much here, but in case you’re wondering why, here are my three simple, one-sentence answers:

1. It can’t be done–can you think of an organization of any kind that does “all things” equally well?
2. It shouldn’t be done–can you think of a good reason to pursue a strategy that sets up everyone in the organization for frustration and failure?
3. It doesn’t work anyway–can you think of a good reason why anyone would want to be member of an association that doesn’t get the first two?

Instead of being everything to everyone, consider being a single thing for most people, and let the others figure out where and how they want to play. I can’t tell you what that “thing” is, because it is going to be different for every organization. There are no ready-made answers. Figuring out what your association’s one thing should be is the whole point of strategy, but we tend to overlook this basic fact while we’re busy administering the thousand-and-one details contained in our multi-year, multi-page, multi-goal, multi-objective, multi-tactic and largely non-strategic strategic plans.

Why are we making it so hard, when we could be making it easier on ourselves and our members? Give up the illusion that being all things to all people is either desirable or achievable, and, instead, focus on the genuine strategic opportunities that will emerge as soon as you begin looking at the world in a new way.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
No Comments »

There has been so much discussion in popular business publications about the importance of creating a “dashboard”. A dashboard is a tool that senior executives use to measure performance or results of just about any business-related information you need to know. As the Chief Executive of an association or non-profit, organizational dashboards can provide you with critical information that can be used to make good business decisions for the association.

I am in the process of creating a dashboard for my organization right now. The process is eye opening and amazingly useful. On a bi-weekly basis I know exactly where I stand on a range of issues and feel like I have a much better way of tracking new initiatives within the organization.

Here are some questions to get you started.

What items should be put on the dashboard? Great question. This is personal to each individual/organization. Initially I looked for articles and/or books on the subject but I quickly abandoned this because, as a small business owner, I don’t have the same “metrics” that big companies may have.

What performance measures do you have and what are the metrics? (financial goals, program measurements, prospective members, reserve amounts, etc.) Where ever you need to see change is where you may want to start. Add these items to a “change” section of the dashboard. Create a “reality check” and a “target” for each of these items and list where you are today (reality check) and where you want to be.

What items do you need to know about on a regular basis to make sound business decisions for your organization? Add these items to a “maintenance” section of the dashboard. Some ideas: membership numbers in key categories, the status of major GR issues, status of an IT implementation.

Who should be involved in creating and upating the dashboard? Maybe it is you, maybe it is the senior management team, maybe it is the entire staff. It’s your call, but regardless make sure that the dashboard is useful to you as a management tool. Keep in mind the final use of the tool.

Why is this important? Too many association executives do not think entrepreneurally about their organization. The creation of the dashboard allows you to get a great snapshot of exactly what you need to know, on a regular basis, in one place. It provides a great reality check on where you are and where you are headed.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Amy
1 Comment »

Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach, Inc., writes an eNewsletter that is fantastic. His organization provides a structured coaching program for entrepreneurs and his newsletter focuses on specific aspects of the program.

The July 2006 newsletter (Strategic eNews) has an article entitled, “Thinking Like an Intellectual Capitalist“. Sullivan suggests, “Instead of identifying yourself by the products you sell or the title your industry gives you, you define yourself as an entrepreneur with a specialty in a particular area.”

What kinds of mental shifts do you think would happen if association executives changed their mindset to think (first) like an entrepreur then (second) as an “association executive”?

Sullivan continues, “This shift allows you to come up with creative responses to others’ needs “” opening you up to the possibility of doing anything that will create value, not simply acting as a channel for industry goods and services. It also allows you to shift your focus to your biggest asset: your existing relationships.”

What a brilliant concept!

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Amy
No Comments »

The rule of thumb in our community is that an association should have an amount in reserves equal to 50% of its budget, just in case the organization’s financial position begins to deteriorate. So, for example, if I am the CEO of a $10 million association, I’m looking to accumulate $5 million in my reserve fund as expeditiously as possible. It makes complete sense, right?

Of course it does, and that’s why I can’t resist mucking things up by proposing a minor edit: let’s make 45% instead. And with the other 5%, let’s invest in the work of innovation for the future. After all, it’s a rule of thumb, not a rule, regulation or law, so we can make it whatever we want it to be. And just imagine the extraordinary impact that 5% of your reserves would have on the pursuit of innovation in the community your association serves!

There are great reasons to pursue this alternative. First and foremost, by investing 5% in innovation, you will be making a powerful statement that you value the creativity, energy and passion of the people who make up your association more than markets or financial instruments. Second, building a deep capacity for innovation creates tangible and intangible benefits for your association that will never come about from even the most successful portfolio of investments, including new ideas, new capabilities, brand equity, member engagement and new revenue streams. And finally, if your innovation efforts produces a winner, the financial upside to your future reserve fund investments could be quite considerable. Surely these attractive opportunities are worth an investment of 5%?

Well, I know what you’re going to say…we don’t like to take risks. You don’t think you’re taking risks in the market? Yes, I know you’re carefully managing your portfolio and doing the other stuff all smart investors do. That really isn’t the point, however. Risk is an element of today’s operating environment and present in every choice that leaders make. No amount of careful planning, smart implementation or wishful thinking will eliminate it altogether, nor do we want to eliminate it. (It would be incredibly boring and routine to run an organization in an environment of zero risk, wouldn’t it?) So, the issue isn’t whether your organization “likes” to take risks, but how much risk you’re willing to accept. And if you’re investing any of your reserves in the market, you’ve already decided that you will tolerate some risk in exchange for a certain level of reward.

Unfortunately, you exercise absolutely no control over the rewards the market will bring you. But you do have levers you can pull when it comes to innovation. By taking a strategic approach to innovation, your organization can invest its 5% in ways that minimize and manage risk by limiting uncertainty and controlling financial exposure, while maximizing whatever upside a given idea may produce. You can’t get away from risk, but you can take steps to make it work for you.

So, I’m thinking that just about every organization around could make do with 45% in reserves instead of 50%. I’m also thinking that the 5% your association invests in innovation will be, in the long run, the best investment it ever made.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
No Comments »

By circumstance, tradition or choice, associations often operate as masters of orthodoxy, the de jure or de facto enforcers of accepted ways of thinking and acting within the industries, professions and fields they serve. Through certification programs, licensing, standards and other mechanisms, associations can create near impenetrable boundaries around what “professionals” in those fields must, should or can know. In some respects, this is an appropriate and vital function, especially in fields in which lives are at stake.

Yet when associations place a higher priority on preserving and protecting what is known above exploring and understanding what is unknown, they may try to thwart the emergence of significant breakthroughs in learning and the creation of new knowledge. Associations operating as masters of orthodoxy may exclude, with or without sinister intent, divergent viewpoints that directly question accepted beliefs and conventional wisdom. But in a time of genuine paradigm shift, when the tools for creating and sharing new ideas and knowledge are in the hands of many–including quite capable creators who are purely amateurs in their fields–associations have no choice but to break down the boundaries they’ve created over many decades and open themselves to ideas that they might otherwise categorically reject, as well as the “dissidents” who propose them.

Heterodoxy is defined as “any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position.” In the 21st Century, associations will need to create new intellectual frameworks and environments that actively and consistently engage the broad spectrum of agreed-upon and profoundly controversial views in their fields. Embracing heterodoxy must become the new association tradition.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
No Comments »

Just a random bunch of intriguing, pointed and challenging questions for reflection and discussion by leaders in our community.

+When will we learn that human beings have always lived in “times of change?”
+When will we learn that today’s genuine “paradigm shift” is deeper, faster and more intense than anything our society has experienced for more than 100 years?

+When will we learn that strategic planning is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER going to help us take our organizations to the next level of success?
+When will we learn that strategic planning is now a profound waste of time and resources, and must be jettisoned in favor of approaches that fit with a new reality?

+When will we learn that the future cannot and should not be predicted?
+When will we learn that our long-term success depends on cultivating a deep capacity for creating the future?

+When will we learn that pursuing innovation costs less than trying to build a strong and sustainable brand?
+When will we learn that being an innovator is a strong and sustainable brand?

+When will we learn that the only way to gain greater influence is to give up virtually all control?
+When will we learn that we never really had control in the first place?

+When will we learn that demographic shift and generational shift are connected but not the same thing?
+When will we learn that appreciating the meaning of generational shift requires us to admit that the life experiences of others are valuable and worth our understanding?

+When will we learn that our old assumptions about associations are already getting our organizations into trouble?
+When will we learn that we must work hard at getting ourselves into trouble by probing and testing these old assumptions?

+When will we learn that what appear to be mere technology tools today are actually the fundamental forces shaping the future of our society?
+When will we learn that we cannot put off embracing the transformative power of Web 2.0/social media technologies no matter how much they challenge what we do?

+When will we learn that risk cannot and should not be avoided?
+When will we learn that it is not possible to really lead without taking risks?

+When will we learn that training and learning are not the same thing?
+When will we learn how to learn, and help our members do the same?

+When will we learn that “we’ve always done it that way” is no longer a sufficient response?
+When will we learn that “we’ve always done it that way” was never a sufficient response in the first place?

Want to make a difference in the association community? Think about these questions. Talk about them with your colleagues. Better yet, come up with your own questions. Drive the conversation everywhere you go. Make people pay attention. Don’t give up and don’t make excuses. Lead by choice. Lead by example.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Professional Development, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
2 Comments »

It has been said that ethics is the choice to do the right thing even when no one is watching. In other words, ethical people and organizations act that way because they are deeply committed to doing what is proper at all times, not simply when such behavior is expedient. The current turbulent operating environment, in which strategic decisions increasingly are made under conditions of incomplete information, limited time and considerable stress, demands that association leaders take a long, hard look at both their personal and organizational ethics and ask some fundamental questions:

+Do I consider the implications of my actions/my organization’s actions for others?
+Do both my organization and I pursue the ethical path at all times?
+Is my integrity/the integrity of my organization intact?

Although framed as clear choices, these questions defy simple yes or no answers. Their intention is to help association leaders surface the underlying decision-making principles that enable consistent ethical conduct in the short term, as well as the creation of an organizational legacy of honesty, integrity and social responsibility that will endure in the long run. Sadly, there are far too many recent examples from both corporate and social enterprises of the kind of irresponsible, unethical and outright corrupt behavior that undermines the public’s trust and confidence in all institutions, including associations. Associations and their leaders will not get a pass from intense scrutiny of their conduct, and if the failure to act in an ethical and responsible manner erodes support among our constituents for the important work that our organizations perform, the historic role of associations in American society may be irreparably compromised.

Meaningful conversations about ethics and social responsibility are not likely to be at the top of the agenda for many association leaders. We are fortunate, however, that these questions are increasingly a part of our community’s dialogue, not as a matter of choice, but of necessity. But simply talking about these issues won’t be sufficient; decisive action is required. The best association leaders of the 21st Century already understand that a vibrant and sustainable future for associations depends, in part, on our community’s unswerving commitment to and full-throated public advocacy for ethics and social responsibility throughout our society. Anything less would be a retreat from the core beliefs that make our organizations great.

Tags: Leadership, Membership, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
No Comments »

Why haven’t more associations figured out that the impact of pushing content out to members is limited? Rather, associations should think of themselves as facilitators of knowledge creation and sharing.

How do we do that? Here are four strategies for “knowledgizing” associations: filtering, feedback, contextualizing and connections.

Filtering is extracting from the information masses only the relevant information for a particular audience. A few examples,

• content compilations of the “best” of the association’s content on one particular subject (pull from recent industry magazines, listserve archives, conference presentations, white papers, books, etc.)
• providing opt-in headliner e-mails that contain current news headlines about the industry that are linked to the actual articles (for broad fields, these can be issue-specific)
• website personalization (providing additional relevant content to members based on identified preferences or actions ““ think amazon.com)
• selling customized versions of your industry research (by industry segment, for example, rather than the full data set)

Bottom line value, save your members time by filtering out the excess or irrelevant.

Providing feedback means offering a constructive and informative response to the results of an activity. Examples include:

• coaching or mentoring programs
• self-assessments with guided learning (that is, that provide the correct answer and a detailed rationale)
• learning quizzes with guided learning within publications and courses
• template checklists and evaluation forms for members to use with their supervisors or peers to gather feedback on their performance

Bottom line value: members don’t always know what they don’t know; help them to discover it.

Contextualizing is adding meaning to content by relating it to specific circumstances. Examples include:

• an online interactive practice journal where specific cases are described and questions are presented within a chat or discussion forum.
• plan coordinated curriculum learning events (as stand-alones and as conference tracks)
• provide pre-conference recommended readings to attendees to set the stage for the material they are about to learn
• encourage speakers/e-learning faculty to build meaningful case studies and problem-solving activities into their sessions/courses
• build opportunities for both structured and unstructured peer-to-peer sharing into events

Bottom line value: Help members turn content into knowledge.

Facilitating connections is bringing together individuals with common interests, issues or expertise. Examples include:

• coaching or mentoring programs
• communities of practice
• online group collaboration (wikis, chats, discussion lists)
• social networking systems
• incorporating connection time and activities in association events

Bottom line value: Connections enable shared context and build community, both key to establishing a knowledge sharing environment.

Tags: Professional Development, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
5 Comments »

The value of continuous learning is unquestionable. It is how our members become aware about new developments and technologies and acquire different or more advanced skills. Almost all associations offer learning opportunities to members. But very few do much beyond programming courses or packaging content in books. Very few actually help members become effective learners. Yet, research has shown that many of our members aren’t skilled learners and that learning becomes more effective when individuals engage in several coordinated activities:

(1) reflecting on current practice to establish professional direction and goals
(2) identifying the gap between current and desired/needed knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
(3) developing a learning plan based on identified gaps
(4) selecting and participating in learning activities that address goals and targeted KSAs
(5) evaluating how/if learning has been integrated into practice and what progress has been made in meeting professional goals

Associations can and should play an important role in providing support and tools in these areas to help members become more effective learners. Programming education just isn’t enough.

Tags: Membership, Professional Development, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
No Comments »

Many associations have identified the body of knowledge of the fields they represent and used them for specific purposes, such as developing training or certification programs. However, often the body of knowledge is used only for that specific and independent purpose. And, associations may have even identified several different bodies of knowledge for unrelated projects. As a typical example, the professional development division creates a knowledge matrix for tracking its curriculum, the certification division formally identifies a body of knowledge for its certification examination, the publications division compiles a topical index for its books and magazines, and the communications division identifies an index for its Web portal. All are created at different times, using different methods, by different units, for different purposes. These often informal and unplanned knowledge efforts can be valuable to the association and its members, but they could have much more impact if they were coordinated as part of an association’s overall knowledge strategy.

If you haven’t identified the current body of knowledge of the field in which your members work (or a portion of that field), consider:

• How do you determine what knowledge and skills are currently and will be needed by your members in the next 5 years?
• Then, how do you determine what to teach members in your educational programs?
• What do you use as your basis for selecting content for your publications?
• How do you prioritize research efforts to advance the field? (How do you advance a field if you don’t know its current status?)
• What is the foundation of your certification program examination?

It’s time for associations to get strategic and purposeful about how they will advance the knowledge of their members and/or advance the fields in which their members work. Identifying the body of knowledge can be an important first step. It may, but does not have to be an elaborate research project. How sophisticated the approach depends upon the identified uses for that body of knowledge. Certification, for example, does warrant a sophisticated approach ““ usually a formal job analysis. However, if you are trying to identify the gap between what members currently know and what they’ll need to know in 5 years (so that you can be purposeful in getting your members there!), qualitative research of key employers may do the job fine. So, that takes us back to strategy. Associations need to identify what their knowledge goals are first and then identify the strategies and action plans to get there.

Still questioning the value of a knowledge strategy? The Project Management Institute has been purposeful in its knowledge efforts and it has paid off: its Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge book is currently on the BusinessWeek Best Seller List!

Tags: Membership, Professional Development, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
No Comments »

I had an encounter with an individual over a decade ago that made a lasting impression. I was describing to her a tool that would assist her in objectively determining her learning needs, developing a learning plan and guiding her to appropriate learning resources in her area of practice. After agreeing that the tool seemed valuable, she indicated that perhaps she would buy it next year when she starts a new recertification cycle because she doesn’t need any more hours this recertification cycle. What? Rather than spend $65 on a learning tool that could help prioritize her learning pursuits and locate relevant learning activities, she declined because she had already fulfilled her required learning quota.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated incident. For many fields with certification, the accompanying mandated continuing education (MCE) has devalued learning. The effects are widespread and the negative ramifications of MCE can be found throughout adult learning literature. Here are just a few:

• One concern is relevancy. Professionals become overly concerned with “getting their hours” and because usually only the traditional education delivery modes are acceptable (conferences as the most common example), they are essentially forced to participate in activities that are convenient or affordable but sometimes irrelevant to their needs.
• Another concern is that MCE devalues many types of learning, especially those types that are more informal and self-directed. Since these activities, such as reading, receiving mentoring, or conferring with colleagues are not usually accepted as acceptable learning activities under an MCE system, individuals may question the value of these approaches and assume the traditional approaches are better.
• Another criticism of MCE is that it creates a punitive attitude towards learning. For those professionals who would regularly engage in learning with or without the mandate, MCE becomes punitive in that it places sanctions on activities that are already occurring. And, for many, it forces them to participate in activities they otherwise wouldn’t simply to meet the requirement.

Am I suggesting we scrap all mandated CE? No. But the systems need to change. For one, we should eliminate or at least lessen the excessive judgmental and limiting rules of MCE. Before creating any rule (deeming some learning methods acceptable and others not, limiting amount of time spent in one type of activity, requiring participation in certain types of activities, etc), ask yourself: Does this rule help professionals learn or does it actually hinder learning?

The bottom line: we want certificants to be competent. To be competent, they must engage in continuous learning. But, the truth is that we cannot mandate that someone learns. And, it’s time we realized that requiring “butts in seats” at our conferences is a limited and ineffective approach. Far more effective an approach is to make a concerted effort to foster the value of continuous learning and to provide tools and guidance to professionals to help them be more effective learners.

Tags: Professional Development, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
No Comments »

Many association staff are interested in adding blogs to the mix of communication efforts they employ. However, just coming out and pitching a blog as a solution to anything can often raise eyebrows among staff and leaders who haven’t gotten on the Cluetrain yet. You need to be a bit more subtle and start by pitching the benefits of blogging rather than blogging itself.

For example, go to your boss and say something along the lines of:

“I have found a way to easily develop new content for our web site every day that is highly compelling to our younger members. In fact, it would require very little investment in software or design and could be up and running almost immediately. I would need to spend about 5 or 6 hours each week working on it. I would like to start a pilot next week to test it out.”

It should be hard for anyone to respond to that with anything other than “Let’s do it!” This same approach should work for any technology you wish to use so long as you have identified the valuable outcomes it will achieve for the association (assuming it will do so!).

Tags: Innovation, Strategy, Technology by David
No Comments »

Let’s try a thought experiment….

After numerous complaints from members over a three-year period, your board concludes the association’s dues are simply too high. They are so high, in fact, they have become the number one reason why even very good prospects don’t join. After extensive deliberation and discussion of the issue, the board votes to get rid of dues permanently, even though these payments represent at least 20% (and sometimes more) of your association’s revenue each fiscal year.

If confronted with this situation, what would you do differently?

If you don’t know, why? If you do, why aren’t you already doing it?

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
2 Comments »

Associations love to copy the work of other individuals and organizations. Best practices are a big thing in our community, probably because the scarcity and constraints culture of associations leads us to conclude that best practices will be easier to implement and more cost effective over time. Unfortunately for us, there is overwhelming evidence that you cannot and will not build a truly great and successful organization simply by copying others. True success and true greatness come from daring to do what others can’t do or won’t try.

Personally, I loathe best practices, but I do recognize that some people like them, so I’ll hold off on further critique for now. But I still would like to challenge those association leaders enamored with best practices to consider the truly radical and counterintuitive notion of not duplicating what others do before first. Instead, be original. Rather than constantly “tweaking” someone else’s existing solutions to your context, open yourself up to fresh, different and even plainly absurd ways of thinking. (In this vein, remember the words of Albert Einstein, “If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”) Take the time to consider the unique and creative contribution you, your team and your organization can make to addressing both new and long-standing challenges in surprising ways.

Best practices stifle meaningful innovation and embrace status quo thinking. (Oh, did I write that out loud?…;>)) But I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Leadership isn’t about driving our associations down toward the lowest common denominator. Haven’t we had enough of that? Genuine leadership values and demands authenticity, creativity and originality in the work of every contributor and from the organization as a whole. Seize the opportunity to become a true pioneer, and let the laggards copy you. Before long, they will be eating your dust!

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
3 Comments »

The association community needs a credible advanced degree that offers association professionals an educational pathway other than the CAE. An even more important reason to create such a degree program is the dearth of executive-level learning and development that actually helps association leaders operate effectively in a time of profound, accelerating and intensifying disruption and discontinuity. Let me put it another way: there is good reason to question whether today’s association leaders are adequately prepared to deal with the realities of the genuine paradigm shift that is already taking place in our society. Can we really afford to do nothing to address this issue?

To initiate a dialogue on this topic, let me offer the following specific thoughts about how I would design an executive master of science in association leadership (EMSAL) degree program:

+EMSAL would be a 20-month, cohort-based program organized into five four-month learning modules with intensive course sessions conducted once per month on Friday and Saturday.

+Each cohort would include no more than 25 participants, but multiple cohorts could be in the program at once, with groups entering in September, January and May if necessary.

+During each module, cohort members would be organized into five different project teams, so that each participant would have the opportunity to collaborate with everyone else in the cohort. Each module would conclude with a team project.

+The five module topics would be (1) The Historical Evolution of Associations, (2) The Role of Associations in a Global Society, (3) The Role of Associations in Industry and the Professions (4) The Role of the Individual in Associations and (5) Leadership of Associations in the 21st Century.

+The global society module would include a study mission of some length (perhaps 10-14 days) outside of North America.

+The course curriculum would be multidisciplinary, drawing on a variety of fields including anthropology, business and management, economics, education, future studies, history, leadership, natural and physical sciences, political science, psychology, sociology and technology.

+Both individual and team assessment would be a part of determining whether a participant successfully completes the program, including individual learning portfolios, peer evaluations and team projects.

+Learning facilitation would be conducted by both faculty from the university partner and senior leaders in the association community.

I realize this is an ambitious program design, and that is entirely intentional. Some in our community appear believe that what we do in associations isn’t important enough to merit the most forward-looking and intensive learning and leadership development opportunity possible. I strenuously disagree. We need to give association leaders today and tomorrow every opportunity to build their understanding of the forces of paradigm shift so they can elevate the quality of their leadership going forward. We have a deep responsibility to these leaders, their organizations and members, the professions, industries and fields their associations serve and to society as whole to make this kind of innovation a priority. I hope we will soon be prepared to act on making it real.

Note: A version of this post originally appeared on the Principled Innovation Blog.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
2 Comments »

When confronted with a problem, human beings instinctively want to solve it. Most of the time, that instinct serves us well, especially when it comes to both routine difficulties and matters of life and death. But more often than we might suspect, there are golden opportunities not to follow our instincts and, instead, let the problems we face “solve us.”

Solve us you ask? It is an insight that I took away from my graduate work with Professor Robert Kegan in the late 1990s. As Professor Kegan says, “Each of us does the best we can coping within the world of our assumptive design.” To put it another way, the assumptions we make everyday about every aspect of our life experience shape the way we make sense of and interact with the world. In effect, our assumptions allow us to design the world in which we want to live, one that is often at odds with the “realities” experienced by others. We cope by resolving this dissonance, which is why we are very intent on solving problems.

But what if we had sufficient awareness to recognize that our problems might not be the actual problem? What if we could see that sometimes the problem is simply an indicator of flawed or, at least, untested assumptions? What if we could step outside of the problem and look at our relationship to it so that we might understand it in a new way? Without a doubt, it is easier to ask these questions than it is to do what they ask. Nevertheless, I believe what I am writing about here is an absolutely critical capability that both staff and volunteer association leaders must develop going forward.

Let’s think briefly about how letting problems solve us might influence our work on strategy. Strategic planning is clear-cut method for solving the problems we have with ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty. In strategic planning, we identify mostly what we know we know today, and we do a little bit of elaboration on it to give it a future feel. Then, we pre-determine the outcomes we want to achieve and work fastidiously toward reaching them. No mess, no fuss. This approach may be clean and neat, but it is neither authentic nor pragmatic, given what we know is true about the current strategic landscape. In contrast, letting the problem solve us challenges our assumptions along multiple dimensions, especially our commitment to knowing all the answers even before the questions are asked. Letting the problem solve us focuses instead on learning as we go, exercising judgment and constantly testing our assumptions. From this process, not only will we achieve different results, but our approach to strategic leadership also will be different.

So, the next time you confront a problem in your work, consider stepping back from trying to solve it immediately. Instead, see if the problem can solve you.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Membership, Professional Development, Staff Issues, Strategy, Technology, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
2 Comments »

In a post last month on the Principled Innovation Blog, I wrote about the need for better vision from governance. Of course, I believe we should expect even more from our boards, as well as their members, and so I thought I would share some further perspectives on the kind of boards our associations really cannot afford either today or going forward.

+We cannot afford boards that are paralyzed by denial, nostalgia, myopia or intransigence. We need boards that recognize and accept the emerging reality of profound, accelerating and intensifying disruption and discontinuity, i.e., genuine paradigm shift. We need board members who understand the new drivers of growth and success in this uncertain environment.

+We cannot afford boards that defer difficult choices to the future in the interest of keeping the peace today. We need boards that will confront divisive issues, even if some people might be angered or offended by the result. We need board members who accept the necessity of conflict if it serves a larger, strategic purpose.

+We cannot afford boards that willingly revoke their public commitments in the interest of expedience or political pressure. We need boards with integrity. We need board members who understand that it is more important to make and stand behind smart decisions than it is to be popular.

+We cannot afford boards that value the superficial over the substantive. We need boards that deeply embrace their leadership responsibilities, while eschewing the accompanying perquisites. We need board members who embrace the privilege of board service as its own reward.

+We cannot afford boards that interfere with or prevent the pursuit of innovation. We need boards that are guided by a strategic mindset, and imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit. We need board members who understand the preeminence of value creation for members, customers and stakeholders.

In short, our associations need and deserve stronger, better boards. Not every association board fails to meet the standards I’ve outlined above but, unfortunately, many do and that is a situation our community can no longer tolerate.

Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
No Comments »

I recently met a former flight attendant who knows a great deal about my preferred carrier, United Airlines. (She did not work for United, but for one of its partners.) As a 1K flyer on United, I was interested to hear the story behind the airline’s decision to offer Channel 9, the on-board audio channel that gives passengers the opportunity to listen to communications between the cockpit and air traffic control. As an anxious air traveler, I have come to rely on Channel 9 as a tool for relaxing during my flights. I frequently tell others that listening to the cockpit, while it might sound quite boring, is actually really great because the exchanges between the pilots and ATC are always so polite and professional, and reflect genuine competence. It is such a refreshing change of pace from typical workplace conversations, which often are laden with hidden meanings and political agendas, and sometimes try to cover up incompetence. In contrast, when a pilot is told by an air traffic controller to “descend and maintain 1-5-0″ or 15,000 feet, the response is always, “1-5-0, United 540″ or whatever the specific flight number might be. No arguments, no politics, no crap.

But things apparently were quite different before Channel 9. In the aftermath of President Reagan’s firing of air traffic controllers in 1981, there was significant vitriol between pilots and air traffic controllers at United. From what my acquaintance told me, I gather that yelling and cursing were commonplace in communications between planes and ATC. In fact, by the late 1990s, when Washington, DC’s National Airport was renamed for President Reagan, pilots calling ATC using “Reagan” would simply be ignored by the tower, creating a remarkably unsafe situation.

United management tried many approaches to ameliorate these problems without success. Finally, there was a brainstorm, and a decision was made: all of these conversations would be made available to passengers! The airline secured the necessary approvals and the whole game changed. Now, the air traffic controllers and pilots had a choice: clean up their act or face the wrath of the flying public. Obviously, they chose the former, because if they hadn’t, United certainly would not exist today. (Not that it’s out of the woods by any means…)

This story compels me to ask association leaders a question: what would your members hear in your HQ office or boardroom if they could listen in to their own association-specific Channel 9? Would they admire the professionalism and competence of your staff or board, or would they simply wonder what the hell is going on? Quite obviously, transparency has been a very powerful tool for shifting both thinking and action at United, and it can be for your association as well.

Tags: Leadership, Membership, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
4 Comments »

(Note: the idea for this post was generated by Ben Martin over at the CAE Blog. Thanks Ben! Is this what you had in mind?)

Association executives are understandably results-focused (pardon the jargon). The CEO of an association answers to the Board””a group of people who are not expected to be experienced in running nonprofit organizations, and are expected to change positions or rotate off the board every year. If you want to keep your job in this context, then you had better produce visible results.

With this focus on results, however, comes a tendency to ignore the very powerful impact of the means used to produce those results. There are always several paths to the results we seek, and the choices we make along those paths have real consequences for staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders as well. While the attitude of “I don’t care what it takes, let’s just get it done” is in fact admired in our culture, it can get you into trouble.

For example, several researchers in the area of emotional intelligence in the workplace have noted that the “pacesetter” style of leadership is only effective in the short term. Leaders that drive people hard””and in the process run roughshod over emotions and relationships””may produce results in the short term, but over the long-term the negative impact of that behavior on other people in the office takes its toll. Systems cannot sustain themselves in that kind of environment, and long-term results are better supported by environments marked by understanding, compassion and empowerment.

It doesn’t need to be a harsh, pace-setting environment, however, for the focus on results to become a problem. Too many associations, for example, end up putting too much pressure on their senior staff to get things done (and done “right”). Out of a desire to get things done, senior staff in associations often end up hoarding work to themselves. It’s easier to just do it themselves, they argue, than to include other staff in the process or delegate parts of the work to others in the organization. While it is true that when they do it themselves they generate good results, they also create an environment where talented younger staff learn that they are not trusted to do substantive work. This will sap initiative from these younger workers and likely lead to higher turnover. The time saved and the decreased risk of quality problems are often offset by overall productivity and turnover costs.

Even at the Board level, the means are just as important as the ends. Too many associations hire consultants to deliver complex strategic planning processes that focus almost exclusively on the ends: an elegant and detailed strategic plan. In most cases, they are successful in generating those results (the plans are quite nice!), but in the process they have failed to develop the capacity of the Board or the staff to think or act strategically on an ongoing basis. How you develop the plan is as important (if not more important) than the plan that emerges. With increased attention to the means, you can still generate a clear strategy, but you can do it in a way that will actually increase the chances of an organization being able to leverage the strategy for long-term results.

In the long run, knowing that the means to an end is an end in itself is a far more efficient and effective management principle than the ends justify the means.

Tags: Staff Issues, Strategy, The Way We Execute, We've Always Done It That Way by Jamie
2 Comments »

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard an association executive say their field or association is “unique”, this Gen Xer would be retiring soon. Not that there aren’t unique elements about all our organizations, but often associations feel they are sooooo unique that they won’t even consider examining other organizational strategies and models and trying to learn from them.

Associations are different than corporations; does that mean we should not even try to apply corporate experiences to our industry? Forget The Tipping Point. Forget The Medici Effect. Forget Crucial Confrontations. Forget The World is Flat. The authors didn’t directly study associations so the concepts surely can’t apply to us, right? Not right.

Bask in your uniqueness, but don’t let it stifle your willingness to learn from others.

Tags: Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
No Comments »

So the story goes: Sony held a focus group to determine if they should make their new boom box yellow or black. They invited in their target demographic (teenagers) to ask their opinion. The focus group was unanimously in favor of yellow– as it was “hip”, “edgy”,”cool”. As a thank you gift for participating, all were offered a new boom box. There was a table covered with yellow and black boom boxes. Everyone took a black one. So, Sony made their new boom box black.

While I’ve not been able to find out if this is urban legend or truth, it has stuck with me for years and illustrates a good point: customers don’t always know and/or articulate what they really want or need. Yet, how often do associations base decisions solely or primarily on survey or focus group results? We ask members to choose topics for the next conference from a long list of possible topics, we ask if they would value some vague concept of a program we are considering, we ask if they would buy a certain product a year from now, and we ask what would increase the value of membership. But sometimes our questions are loaded and members tell us what they think we want to hear or they just don’t tell us anything at all. Sometimes our questions are are just too vague for meaningful responses. Sometimes members just don’t know what they want. Sometimes they don’t know how to communicate their needs to us.

It is important to recognize the inherent flaws in the research methodologies we often use to gather the data on which we base decisions. We need to figure out ways to gather more authentic data from members — through better questions in our research, but also through:

1. observations of their actions,
2. listening to their conversations, and
3. engaging in meaningful conversations with them.

Tags: Membership, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
2 Comments »

I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a past president of an association. She recalled her first meeting with the association CEO who asked her what her agenda would be for the upcoming year. The president was confused. “My agenda?” she asked. “My agenda is to meet the strategic objectives of the association.” Ahhh, how refreshing…and dare I say rare? I sometimes wonder how some associations get anything done, much less the right things done, with this revolving door of leaders and priorities.

Do the priorities of your association change with the annual installment of new officers? Now, honestly ask yourself: Do you in any way encourage this ridiculous presidential rite? Consider the scenario described earlier. That CEO started out each year asking the president what his or her agenda was going to be. Talk about handing it to them on a silver platter! Even if the president didn’t have an agenda before, you better believe he or she would create one. What type of initial conversation do your have with your incoming leaders? What a difference could be made by starting out with a discussion of the association’s current strategic priorities and asking what particular ideas the president has to move these forward. And, notice I said ideas, not mandates. The ideas leaders have should always be scrutinized to the same extent that any potential project or program idea.

Volunteer leaders want to make their mark, and to be fair, given their dedication, they probably deserve it. But, association CEOs need to establish a culture in which the leaders understand that the appropriate way to make their mark is to advance the association, its members, and the field it represents.

Tags: Leadership, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Mickie
No Comments »

Let’s be clear about something really important: the members don’t really own the association. The overwhelming majority of associations are structured as non-profit organizations and there can be neither individual nor group ownership of such entities. Non-profit organizations exist for the public good, and not for personal or private aggrandizement.

I think all association professionals should keep this in mind the next time they are asked to defer their day-to-day experience, marketplace insight and strategic judgment to the myopic decision-making of volunteers who, more and more, lack the time, energy and attention to properly attend to the business of their organizations. I am deeply concerned that if we continue to buy into the old saw that it is “the members’ association,” we will be complicit in driving our organizations down the pathways of extinction.

I’m not suggesting that the members don’t have a say or a critical role to play in what occurs within the organizations to which they belong. Not at all. The active involvement of members is crucial to long-term success. But just as important is the active and direct involvement of staff, partners and other stakeholders on a co-equal basis. Associations are not manufacturers of widgets, but creators of knowledge, experiences and context. These typically intangible resources cannot be effectively cultivated and nurtured in command-and-control hierarchies in which some lead and others follow. Instead, they demand highly diverse and collaborative environments in which leadership and followership are shared by all in equal measure.

No one owns the association, but everyone involved in its work takes ownership of its success or failure everyday. Our community is long overdue in recognizing this fundamental fact.

Tags: Leadership, Membership, Staff Issues, Strategy, We've Always Done It That Way by Jeff De Cagna
3 Comments »

Every association divides its work into departments. This is not unique to associations, of course, but associations seem particularly good at it. There are associations with less than ten staff people that are able to maintain six or seven departments! Division of labor is a rational thing to do, of course, and the department structure is not evil, but it does tend to generate a serious morale-buster: silo wars.

Even with one- and two-person departments, you will find people complaining about how the other departments are not pulling their weight, or are getting too much of the budget, or lack professionalism, etc. Nearly everyone complains about the “other” departments, and the complaints come from every level in the hierarchy. People waste time complaining about the silos, and they often end up constricting information flow because of unnecessary competitiveness. We’re all on the same team, people, why can’t we just get along?

Unfortunately, it is not just about getting along. No matter how strongly you urge your employees to cooperate and work cross-functionally, if you don’t take care of some important issues at the top of your organization, the silo wars will continue. It sounds counterintuitive, but working on issues among the senior management team is the best way to get the complaining at the staff level to stop. There are three key areas that require attention, all of which are areas that associations typically undervalue.

Focus your strategy
Silos will cooperate when they get clear messages about priorities. Association strategic plans typically break down by department, allowing each department to focus on their own goals, but also generating unending debates about whose goals are more important. All departments have importance, but your strategy still must have a focused rallying cry to guide the short- to medium-term. Everyone is important, but right now we’re focusing on this. When that is communicated clearly and consistently, people will more readily work together towards that goal.

Tighten your senior team
You must include accountability around silo competitiveness as a component of senior team effectiveness. Many associations do not. They overemphasize technical expertise (after all, government relations and meeting planning are fundamentally different things), allowing Vice Presidents to focus primarily on their own department. Issues of competition between departments then become “personal” (which means they are ignored, and fester). This dynamic needs to be nipped in the bud. Issues that generate competition need to be identified and resolved quickly and visibly at the very top of the organization. Without that behavior modeled, it will be too easy to start a campaign of justified complaining at the lower levels. When members of the senior team fail to do this, there must be consequences.

Make the time to do things together
You do not have to restructure into a “matrix” organization or send your people to an off-site to get them to work more cross-functionally. What they need most is a better understanding of what the other departments really do. To learn that, they need to spend time with their colleagues in other departments, working with them, talking to them, asking questions. This takes them away from their own work, and that is perfectly fine. The time you save in inter-departmental cooperation will more than make up for it. But the leadership must support this time investment and manage workflow accordingly. That might even involve modifying deadlines within your own department, if necessary. You must demonstrate your commitment to supporting cross-department cooperation if that is what you really want.

Tags: Staff Issues, Strategy, The Way We Manage, We've Always Done It That Way by Jamie
1 Comment »