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After the planning retreat: A strategic plan without implementation is…
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementBoard retreats create enthusiasm. Ideas are written on a flipchart and groups make recommendations. The result is a menu of priorities. Everybody feels good about the time they spent creating an envisioned future for the organization. Soon after the exercise, the daily tasks become the priority. The ideas get placed in a drawer to collect dust. Later in the year you might hear a volunteer ask, "Whatever happened to our strategic plan?"
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Avoid unnecessary layers of governance
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementRestaurant menus offer ways to enhance a plain hamburger. Would you like cheese? Want to add tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and pickles? Smoked bacon is tasty. Don’t forget ketchup and honey mustard. The more add-ons, the messier the burger. Does your governance model resemble a stacked burger? Have layers been added that require a bigger board, lengthy processes, unnecessary filters, or stifle progress?
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4 COVID-19-related changes that could outlast the pandemic
Amanda Ghosh Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementCOVID-19 is changing the landscape of daily life. While some changes are minor and easy to adopt, changes like working from home create significant shifts in our social lives. Masks, virtual learning, ghost restaurants, and increased use of hand sanitizer are just a few of the pandemic-related changes that could stick around after the health crisis ends.
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The leadership style that turned Ford Motor Company around
Dr. Marilyn Gist Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIt’s no secret that many businesses are hurting in 2020. Transportation, hospitality, and brick-and-mortar retail outlets selling nonessential goods and services have been hit the hardest. The last time we were in a similar situation was during the Great Recession of 2008. Although the causes were different, both situations flattened revenues so much that business as usual led many companies to failure. How are leaders supposed to navigate such tough challenges? One way is with humility.
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Go low (tech) to make your building more COVID-safe
Andrew Witkin Facilities & GroundsFor the last five years, it seems that every conversation that I’ve had has included the word "disruptive." At one point, the term may have actually had some meaning, but today it’s so overused that it has pretty much faded into background noise. The thinking behind it is sound: old ways of dealing with problems need to evolve into new approaches. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, operators of commercial properties are faced with unprecedented challenges — and in many cases, the bright, shiny, new solution is not the best way to solve problems.
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How micro actions produce big changes
Victoria Fann Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementA few years ago, I came across the life-changing book, "The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success" by Darren Hardy, an author and the former publisher of Success magazine. He writes, "The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices." He also says, "It's not the big things that add up in the end; it's the hundreds, thousands, or millions of little things that separate the ordinary from the extraordinary." Accomplishing big goals can be daunting, so we’re told to break things done into chunks. Even though that’s great advice, it can still feel overwhelming, which is why it’s best to break goals down into micro actions.
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5 data protection trends of 2020 that will define security next year
Richard Conn Science & TechnologyAs more businesses move online, the field of cybersecurity has grown in importance. Workplace digitalization has led to many changes, including a move to new platforms and strategies. Many companies are adopting a cloud-first strategy, requiring new methods of protecting data. Consumers are more empowered than ever — and they demand transparency and security in how their data is stored and used. Data protection will become vital to an organization’s success.
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What you should know about the virtual strategic planning process
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementVirtual strategic planning should be as effective and comfortable as an in-person retreat. As associations consider their position and value to members, communicating a strong plan is critical. Members want to know a strategy for recovering and rebound exists. Working virtually, the steps are a little different than an in-person meeting. Ideally, through research, input, and analysis, up to 70% of the work will be done before the online retreat.
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Conducting a virtual board orientation
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementFall and winter months are prime season for board transition and orientation. Because of the pandemic, most board trainings will occur virtually. Rather than postponing orientation, do it online. A frequent question about orientation is whether to include only new directors or the entire board. The answer is the full board. If there is resistance because they’ve already had the training, position it as "refresh and blend."
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Seniors and the neurodiverse: 2 pools of exceptional talent you need to…
Tim Ringo Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementEven before the coronavirus pandemic brought the world economy to a virtual standstill, people productivity was in its longest period of decline since records began. Since 2010, there has been steady downward pressure on productivity, stumping economists on what exactly is causing this trend. With all the increasingly intelligent and abundant technology available to workers, why are people not more productive in the workplace? There are a variety of reasons for why this is happening, including organizations overwhelming people with new technology that is more "IT-centric" than “human-centric."
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