-
10 signs of a well-honed association
William D. Pawlucy Association ManagementAn association president said, "we will never again be so unprepared as we were when the pandemic hit. Our newly formed strategic plan has a new goal named, 'Well-Honed Association,' dedicated to being as prepared as possible for any future disruption to our association. At the root of our plan are strategies and performance measures identifying the top areas of preparation." The following are the top 10 signs of a well-honed association that require strong role-model leadership.
-
You can’t step into the future with one foot tethered to the past
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhen contemplating a major change in your life, have you tempered the risky future by offering yourself some variation of a return to the past? You’re focusing on what you’re leaving behind, not the future. You’re planning to revert before you’ve even gone forward. Can you set yourself up for failure? Absolutely.
-
How to waste a good board meeting
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementBoard meetings are a time to receive information and make decisions. Directors who do not take their roles seriously can waste a good meeting. For example, by not preparing, you’re more likely to make inquiries off the top of your mind, frequently starting sentences with, "I just have a question." A skilled board chair will urge that everybody come prepared as a fiduciary duty.
-
Digital natives are more likely, more eager to go back to the office
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementMany employees who started working at home during the pandemic have adjusted nicely and several recent surveys reveal that the majority of employees prefer remote work. In fact, a PwC survey from June reveals that 83% of office workers want to work from home at least one day a week. However, digital natives (under the age of 26) who used to work in an office, store, worksite, or other physical workplace and are now working remotely are eager to return to work.
-
Did you prepare for a pandemic?
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementOn March 11 I was with the Sacramento Association of REALTORS®. The same day, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. I worried the meeting room was too small and breakout groups were a bad idea. I was glad to get home to Florida. It is almost 150 days since I have been on an airplane to visit with associations. In the Body of Knowledge for association management, you won’t find a chapter on “Preparing for a Pandemic,” nor is it on the CAE exam.
-
My team outperformed expectations amid WFH — but we’re still heading…
Jonathan Cherins Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhen I became the CEO of PuppySpot a few years ago, one of my first projects was bringing our team closer together, both figuratively and literally. When this current pandemic arrived in the U.S. this March, it called into question right away all the improvements we'd made for our company culture. I wasn't concerned about our ability to move home and to remain in touch; what worried me was that people would fall back into bad patterns and focus exclusively on their rigid areas of the business and lose the curiosity and creativity that they'd established from working alongside others. My apprehension proved to be unfounded, though.
-
Ways to communicate value in a crisis
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementI listened to Mary Byers, CAE and author, speak to the Associated General Contractors of America on the "Next Normal." She explained, "We’ve heard a lot about the new normal — this is what happens to you. The next normal is what you choose to happen." To design the next normal, make time to assess and communicate value during a crisis. This article suggests eight ways to improve member awareness through existing platforms.
-
Dealing with the loss of interpersonal respect and repairing strained relationships…
Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementTrust is the foundation for all interpersonal relationships, personal and professional. Trusting and respecting another person cannot be rushed. Trust necessarily develops over time where a pattern of predictable integrity can be established. How long does that take? Sometimes months, sometimes years. It is not an overnight quality to bestow. And yet a quality that takes so long to be earned can be easily lost in one interaction. Loss of respect occurs when someone doesn’t behave in the manner you have been led to believe.
-
How the pandemic is changing employees’ summer vacation plans
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementMost employees use a huge chunk of their vacation time during the summer months. COVID-19 has certainly increased stress levels, making a summer break even more important. However, employees are also reconsidering their vacation time as a result of the pandemic. Recent research by Robert Half reveals how those plans have changed. According to the report, 37% of employees aren’t planning on taking a break during the summer; they plan to take it later in the year — and hope they’ll be able to travel by then.
-
Wasting hours on minutes
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementThe directors griped, "We start the meeting with the first order of business being approval of the previous minutes. An hour is wasted talking about what we did at the last meeting and whether the information is accurate." Losing the first hour of a board meeting is deflating. The directors arrive enthusiastic about achieving results. Instead, their eyes roll when they hear, "I don’t think that’s what I said in the minutes." Here are some steps to prevent time wasting at board meetings.
All Association Management Articles