All Association Management Articles
  • Letting go of costly mistakes

    Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Everyone makes mistakes. As long as humans are involved, mistakes are a part of life. We should try to minimize them, but the fact remains that someday, someone, will make a mistake. How do you, as an employer, forgive and let this go?

  • Survey: 1 in 5 managers unprepared to lead remote teams

    Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Remote work has become essential for many organizations. However, it appears that some employees and managers are ill-equipped for this type of work arrangement. According to a new survey by leadership training company VitalSmarts, 21% of employees don’t feel their team members have good enough collaboration habits to work effectively from home and 20% of leaders are either unprepared or very unprepared to manage remote teams. Additionally, a VitalSmarts survey conducted before COVID-19 found that remote workers were already experiencing challenges when issues arise.

  • Adjusting budgets impacted by crisis

    William D. Pawlucy and Robert C. Harris Association Management

    These are the words of association executives panicked by the pandemic's financial havoc. "Our conference is canceled, accounting for a 50% loss of revenue; what do we do now?" "We may lose 25% of our members and that will put our finances in the red for 2020 and beyond!" "We won’t make it through this." Hopefully your association's 2020 budget will hold tight and your value proposition is strong enough to survive. If not, convene your finance committee to assess the damage.

  • Infographic: Tech to help you work smarter, not harder

    Brian Wallace Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    For the past few decades, technology has changed how we work. In 2016, 85% of global business was done by virtual teams. And while distance workers have increased by 115% since 2005, 1 in 4 struggle with interacting solely through technology. Work-at-home expert Leslie Truex says, "Many managers and workers haven’t had training in how to communicate and coordinate in a virtual world." But there are also myriad tech tools that can help boost your productivity while working virtually. Find out more with this infographic.

  • Managing the new normal: Working from home amid COVID-19

    Candice Gottlieb-Clark Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Be careful what you wish for. Many have long wanted more flexibility or work-life balance, and to sleep in or avoid traffic. Well, now you have it. But all kidding aside, this change presents both a new challenge and an opportunity to make the case for this shift in work-life balance. Below are several ideas for making this shift a successful one.

  • Infographic: Remote work in the coronavirus economy

    Brian Wallace Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    The period from 2005-17 saw a 159% increase in Americans working remotely. By the beginning of 2020, there were over 4 million people who work from home. Now with COVID-19 officially a pandemic and almost the whole world encouraging social distancing and self-quarantine, more people will be working from home than ever. While the boom in remote work may be temporary, operating away from the traditional workplace even in the short term is going to dramatically change the tools, support, and management styles needed in the workplace.

  • What to do, when there’s nothing you can do

    Candice Gottlieb-Clark Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    We're all in a state of shock, or maybe it's confusion or concern. For some, possibly quarantine. What was in China is now everywhere and it's affecting everything. What we thought we could weather, or even pay only mild concern, is now overwhelming us and impacting our every thought, decision, and plan. And, we don’t know what’s next. What does one do, when there's nothing you can do? First, remember there is always something you can do. You can make good choices. You can look at the big picture and evaluate what matters to you, and what doesn't.

  • Demonstrate strength in uncertain times

    William D. Pawlucy and Robert C. Harris Association Management

    Now is the time to demonstrate strength, leadership and strategy. Members expect to hear confidence and solutions from their association. Associations have always been resilient during wars, recessions and crisis. Boards and staff should portray a positive, "can-do" attitude. Position the chief elected officer and executive director as primary, trusted communicators for the sector. Convey an authentic, reassuring message for members about steadfastness.

  • Tips on secure remote working during the coronavirus outbreak

    Daniel Markuson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    The coronavirus has triggered the world's biggest work-from-home experiment. Millions of people have been asked to self-isolate to stop the virus from spreading. Entire regions in China and Italy were put under full or partial lockdown. With the virus spreading, major companies in the U.S. and Europe, including Facebook and Amazon, are also asking employees to stay at home. The current situation has reignited the discussion on the effectiveness and security of remote work.

  • Small businesses search for solutions amid crisis

    Kevin Reynolds Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    With each succeeding daily briefing from White House and governors’ offices across the country, small businesses are taking more and more of a blow. As sweeping new safety measures are enacted to curb the coronavirus pandemic, businesses have been left to wonder what comes next. A business environment that was very recently reaching 50-year-lows in unemployment, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, is now teetering on the edge with the economy grinding to a halt.