FLIPPING THE SCRIPT ON REBRANDING: HOW AN ASSOCIATION TOLD ITS STORY
In the association space, we often think that advocacy means fundraising for the organization and lobbying to members of Congress on behalf of the organization’s and members’ mission. Advocacy can also mean telling your organization’s and members’ stories through branding and at the Society For Marketing Professional Services,that is exactly what we did. On behalf of our […]
ASSOCIATIONS NEED TO GET BETTER AT GOVERNING
Every year, thousands upon millions of hours and dollars are wasted and volunteers and staff get burned out all because of boards that are flying blind without a clue on how to really be a board. So why do we have so many poorly performing boards out there especially since so many of them clearly want […]
CULTURE AND PROCESS IN DESIGN THINKING
In my work as an educator and facilitator, I like to use techniques from human-centered design, and design thinking in particular. When I introduce design thinking to people, they are really eager to experience all the benefits, especially the teamwork, the very precise problem identification, and of course the often unique and really effective solutions to […]
ATTRACTING AND KEEPING YOUR MASTER LEARNERS COMING BACK
(a Two-Part Series on Master Learners) How do you know people (staff and members) are Master Learners? In order to get them to come to you for their education needs, and to come back for more, you have to know the attributes of a Master Learner. In Part One of this two-part series on Master Learners you […]
HOW TO RESUSCITATE YOUR EDUCATION
It’s no secret that traditional lecture-style educational sessions are no longer the most effective way to educate.But how do you overhaul outdated learning techniques for interactive and engaging sessions, especially when you’re working on a budget? It starts with lots of pre-planning. Your conference teams, committees, speakers and anybody else who is working on your […]
CULTURE CLUB
It might be defined; it might not. Either case, it’s still there—your company’s culture. More than foosball tables, vending machines and flex schedules, organizational culture hits to the personality of a company. It defines the environment in which employees work, including—but going beyond—company mission, values, ethics, expectations and goals. When talking about corporate culture, it likely […]
HOW ARE YOU CHANGED BY CULTURE?
“But we always did it that way!” If you are like me, that phrase is like fingernails on a chalkboard. How an organization embraces change and evolution has a huge impact on culture. At my last association, the culture had a great balance between tradition and change. I was solidly on the change side for […]
MAKING SENSE OF YOUR CULTURE
Culture change, innovation, and experimentation are all hot topics. But before you go about making changes, you need to have a good grasp on what your culture truly is, not simply what you think it is. As a culture consultant, I encounter a lot of confusion around this topic. What is culture anyway? In a previous article, I’ve defined it to […]
ALLEVIATING THE CULTURE OF CONFLICT BETWEEN FUNCTIONS
What I love about the association world is that we all wear so many hats and develop such a diverse set of skills. However, the roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities are often blurred. In the corporate world I believe there to be a natural state of cultural conflict between Marketing and Sales. In the Association world, I […]
CULTURE CHANGE: IT TAKES POSITIVE TO ACHIEVE POSITIVE
I suppose I’ve always been a catalyst for change, but it took me a long time to realize that it places me in the ranks of the minority. Everyone wants to grow and excel and I’m just helping. Right? However, the reality is that most people don’t want to change, especially in a setting and culture where they’re […]