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The association is not your father’s Oldsmobile

Robert C. Harris Association Management

"It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile" was an advertising slogan from the 1980s. Its purpose was to communicate that the company’s vehicles had improved considerably from their perceived image. I use the statement with volunteer leaders to help them understand the need for boards and associations to evolve. There are external influences that suggest associations should adapt. Yet, many boards think the status quo is OK.

Finding motivation without a raise

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Once upon a time, there were clear career paths. Show up, learn the job, take courses, start managing, take on more complex projects and continue to earn increasing responsibility, with pay raises each step of the way. Yes, sometimes the other guy would get the promotion, but it was clear there was a promotion to get and it was clear what could be done for the next opportunity. Work has changed. Staying at a job for two years is no longer considered job hopping, and staying for more than five years can look like you are stagnating.

Reshoring hits rough domestic waters

Delany Martinez Manufacturing

Some call the moves bold, others brash, but no matter which way you perceive the recent trade-related moves of the current administration, they're making some large, potentially negative waves for manufacturing. One of President Trump's key talking points in the run-up to the 2016 election was an optimistic promise of reshoring the large amounts of manufacturing jobs that had set sail in search of more favorable foreign waters. For a time, it looked like it might have been a self-fulfilling prophecy, but in June, simmering trade tensions with China seemed to explode virtually overnight.

Successful strategies to multitask more effectively

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

You're laser-focused on preparing for tomorrow's presentation — but the phone won't stop ringing. And the emails keep pouring in. Your staff members are popping in, one after another, to report fires you have to put out right this second. Yep, you're distracted. Juggling essential tasks doesn't have to result in chaos, though. Use these easy, science-driven multitasking tips to accomplish everything on your plate, without sacrificing accuracy or quality.

What the Time Well Spent movement means for your business

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

Recently, new research found adolescents who spent more time on digital media were more likely to have ADHD symptoms. While that’s the latest, it’s not the first study to detail the negative effects of digital and social media. Many, many others have found startlingly similar results. A handful of those most entrenched in the tech world saw this happening firsthand and strove to do something about it. In 2016, they founded the nonprofit Time Well Spent to combat the digital attention crisis.

Do agile projects need risk management?

Thomas Wuttke Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The Agile Manifesto was published in 2001, but agile is still a hot topic in project management. In theory, agile project management is supposed to reduce risks by design, so that ultimately there are no risks any more. As a result, alongside backlogs, user stories and velocity in the agile approach, there seems to be no place for risks. For example, there is no risk backlog. So, where are all the risks in agile projects? Have they really disappeared?

How the incredibly high cost of a bad hire affects your job search

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

First impressions are lasting impressions. So, your first few seconds in a new job, meeting a new client, or networking in person may be much more critical than you think. Most interviewers will tell you that they have already made up their mind about a candidate within scant moments of meeting him or her for the first time. Even before a candidate opens his or her mouth, the interviewer has mentally recorded hundreds of impressions of the candidate.

The patient experience: How you can know

Kent McAllister Healthcare Administration

How you can know. This is not a question; it is a statement. Albeit, it is the appropriate question to ask in most industries where any management discipline is applied. Let’s examine patient experience and how you can know what is actually happening from the patient’s perspective in your health system. There are serious challenges to measuring patient experience, and these challenges have recently taken on increased significance as the industry tide shifts.

2 succession planning rules for unique roles

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Single points of failure can instantly disrupt any business. Institutional knowledge is great unless it is locked inside one head. Having a team member that can rock multiple roles is awesome, unless the role becomes a purple unicorn that can never be replaced. Just as rock star employees can elevate the team, the productivity and acceleration they provide a business is tenuous if they cannot be replicated. Follow these two rules to create a succession plan for even the most unique role.

The right way to use your professional intuition

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

You probably know the value of trusting your gut in your life — often, going with that instinct is the best course of action to take. Yet, when it comes to using your intuition professionally, things can seem a bit trickier. You don't want to make a hasty move without backing up your hunch with concrete facts and data; but at the same time, ignoring your intuitive feelings, which are often honed through years of experience, is unwise if your choice becomes too technical. Use the following science-based strategies to utilize your instinct most effectively.

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