Sector and AuSAE News

  • 16 Sep 2020 1:48 PM | Brett Jeffery, CAE (Administrator)

    Associations could learn a thing or two from Amazon. 

    Amazon is one of the biggest membership-based companies in the U.S. In January 2020, more than 112 million Americans belonged to the company’s Prime membership, which offers benefits such as free two-day shipping in exchange for an annual fee.

    But Prime’s famous two-day delivery is far from the only service Amazon offers. As the global company experiments with brick-and-mortar retail, web services and online sales, members and non-members alike can take advantage of the company’s offerings.

    Engaging non-members is something associations could benefit from. Though they’ve traditionally focused on attracting and retaining members, associations that ignore non-members risk falling behind. 

    Is your membership offering enough value?

    Here’s a closer look at steps associations can take to engage non-members:

    Allow non-members to take a test drive

    Have you ever bought a car without taking it for a spin around the block? For most shoppers, a car is a major investment that requires careful thought. A good test drive will allow you to see how a vehicle handles and whether you feel confident driving it. 

    Similarly, joining an association is also a major investment for most members. Membership is not only a financial investment, but a commitment to become part of a community. It’s no wonder some potential members will hesitate before taking the leap.

    Amazon addresses this problem by allowing non-members to shop freely on its online marketplace. Though non-members won’t have access to the full membership benefits, they’ll be able to get a feel for Amazon’s selection, customer service, and more. The more non-members rely on Amazon, the more likely they are to join Prime.

    Associations that offer public content — such as videos and newsletters — offer non-members a chance to see the rich benefits full membership provides. Unless they realize how much value your association truly offers, potential members may simply seek community and content elsewhere.

    Fully commit to your association’s core purpose

    As mission-driven organizations, associations’ decisions should always align with their core purpose. An effective core purpose uses a short, action-packed phrase — typically five to eight words — to inspire and align an association’s forward momentum.

    Associations that ignore non-members might not be living up to their core purpose at all. Like Amazon, Disney is a global company that regularly makes headlines. Disney’s core purpose is just three words: “Make people happy.” 

    Once fans purchase a ticket to a Disney theme park or subscribe to its streaming service, Disney+, it’s natural that the company would work hard to keep them happy. But what about children whose families can’t afford these experiences, or people who only occasionally encounter Disney products in their daily lives? 

    Interpreted literally, Disney’s sweeping core purpose applies to everyone, everywhere. To truly live up to this promise, the company must experiment with creative ways to ensure that anyone who encounters Disney has a positive experience. That means the company might license select characters to external partners, donate to children in need, and create enjoyable retail stores that anyone is welcome to visit.

    In today’s modern world, associations must compete with many other online communities that  promise similar experiences. By serving members and non-members alike, your association will be better able to live up to its core purpose and ensure its relevance for generations to come. 

    BY ASSOCIATIONSUCCESS.ORG STAFF 
  • 16 Sep 2020 1:39 PM | Brett Jeffery, CAE (Administrator)

    Word-of-mouth recommendations and email communications were the two best channels for new member acquisition for membership organizations last year, according to Marketing General Incorporated’s latest Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report

    The report provides important data and analysis on membership organizations and their members, offering insight into new membership models, communication methods, dues increases, best practices and products and services that have improved member participation.

    According to the report, individual member organizations, trade organizations and organizations with a combination of membership types reported that word-of-mouth recommendations and email communications were the two highest channels for new member acquisition: 67% and 52%, respectively.

    With over 860 associations making up the respondent pool, having such a large percentage back up these methods reinforces why others should adopt the same strategies.


    Successful engagement or retention strategy

    When asked to describe a successful engagement or retention strategy, one respondent said they “divide, through data analysis, (their) members into engagement segments.” Depending on the results, this respondent’s organization sends each segment different messages. “Through this strategy, we consistently maintain 83%+ membership engaged in one or more programs,” they continued.

    Not only does personalizing your messaging increase engagement, it also increases the likelihood of your audience passing word-of-mouth recommendations. According to Invesp, “88% of consumers placed the highest level of trust in word-of-mouth recommendations from people they know.” Fostering a personal connection with your audience builds the trust necessary to inspire a good word of mouth review.

    Member Value Proposition study

    Another respondent said that “since completing a Member Value Proposition study, (they) have begun focusing more on marketing content (they) are creating/providing for (their) members instead of the ‘benefits’ of membership and have found an increase in the open and click rates of (their) emails which has led to increased attendance at our webinars and in-person events.”

    Creating bigger, better, newer and nicer content for your membership is not always the right answer. As this respondent found, focusing on the value of content already provided strengthened the relationship between their organization and its existing membership. Taking a step back to conduct a self audit and refocus retention efforts internally could lead to increased engagement and retention outcomes.

  • 16 Sep 2020 1:36 PM | Deleted user

    Bringing in new members with a health crisis in full swing and the economy reeling sounds pretty daunting. But it is possible, according to an expert who sees hope for associations amid adversity.

    A couple of weeks ago, I reported on some good news from Marketing General Incorporated’s Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, which showed promise for ongoing membership growth, even in a pandemic.

    In a session at ASAE’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting & Exposition last month, MGI’s Elisa Joseph Anders followed that report with some action items associations can consider right now to increase membership growth—or to set the stage for growth once the economy rebounds.

    “Investing in membership recruitment should be a top strategic priority,” she said.

    The years following the 2009 recession produced the best new-member recruitment numbers to date in MGI’s research. In 2013, associations reported that new-member acquisition was at an all-time high. While many associations are seeing a drop in membership now and anticipating challenges going forward, the historical data following the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression provides hope for the future, Anders said.

    BE A GO-TO RESOURCE

    What can associations do now to minimize membership loss and rebound as quickly as possible? Anders recommends doubling down on marketing efforts as much as possible.

    “Organizations that stay active in the marketplace during tough economic times are among the first to come out on the other side,” she said. Understanding member needs and showing how you can meet them will create mutually beneficial short- and long-term relationships that will increase loyalty and value.

    Anders touted the American Nurses Association as a prime example of an association that has focused on informing and supporting its members during the pandemic. ANA’s strategy has been to conduct research to understand its members’ needs and engage as many members as possible. ANA is delivering trusted information and free COVID-19 resources to help nurses stay informed and help them do their jobs better during an unprecedented health crisis.

    It’s a good time to do research so you can understand your prospects’ challenges and what you can do to support them, Anders said. Knowing what obstacles prospects are facing will allow your organization to position itself as a reliable, trusted place to come in a difficult time. It will also make your messaging more meaningful and resonant because it will be targeted and informed.

    STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE

    “Without innovation, membership stagnates,” Anders said. Sometimes that means broadening your tent. She cited the National Retired Teachers Association, which was founded in 1947 and a decade later expanded its membership to all retirees. That huge market expansion created AARP. In 1984, AARP lowered its membership eligibility age from 55 to 50, boosting its membership again.

    Does your association have market expansion opportunities? For example, Anders said, if your association represents doctors, could nurses join? If your organization is domestic, could it expand internationally?

    New membership models are also worth investigating, she said. Creating a tiered membership that offers a low price point could be particularly inviting to professionals and organizations experiencing financial hardship. Prospects have different needs and budgets, so a tiered membership structure would allow associations to meet those varying needs with greater flexibility.

    What if all of this seems too overwhelming to consider right now? Anders recommends setting the stage now in anticipation of better times ahead. Being a go-to resource for members, developing new membership models, and expanding your market are among some good options to consider and plan for once things do improve.

    “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “There is hope for associations coming out of the pandemic and the recession.”

    This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Lisa Boylan.

  • 16 Sep 2020 1:24 PM | Deleted user

    Member surveys can help you make good business decisions, but poorly worded questions can create misleading or biased results. Here are a few mistakes associations should avoid when crafting member surveys.

    Associations surveys can produce a wellspring of data that can be used to better understand member needs and take decision-making beyond the gut. But poorly considered questions and careless phrasing can lead to member surveys that are exclusionary, biased, leading, or repetitive—undermining the usefulness of the results.

    How can you avoid these traps when asking your members relevant questions?

    Cynthia Simpson, CAE, manager of member services at the National Society for Histotechnology, has focused on the role that survey questions play in member engagement over her roughly three decades in the association space. Read on for her insights on what to watch out for in the way you structure your questions.

    DON’T MAKE RESPONDENTS THINK TOO HARD

    Survey questions need to be easy to respond to. Concise, clear wording is key, but so is structure. For example, offering too many answer options for a multiple-choice question reduces respondents’ ability to focus on what you’re asking. A long list of choices can naturally bias respondents toward the ones that appear last on the list, Simpson says, especially if the survey is conducted over the phone.

    She also warns about questions that lead the respondent down a certain line of thinking. She cites the example of a question stating that a website “isn’t easy to use unless I use the search function.”

    “Having that word ‘isn’t’ in there implies that the website isn’t easy to use to begin with. Well, for some users, it may be easy to use,” Simpson says. “So you’re already misleading them and using that double negative to frame their response.”

    To weed out potential biases, she recommends asking the same question in multiple ways. If one version of the question confuses or misleads respondents for a reason you haven’t considered, another version may capture the respondent’s true answer, preventing skewed results.

    BE WARY OF GENDER BIAS

    Sometimes, phrasing may unintentionally reflect gender bias. Simpson, who wrote about this topic for Association Success in 2018, says it’s important to consider which descriptive attributes are used in a question.For example, using ability-focused terms such as “brilliant,” “capable,” and “analytical” may subconsciously skew male for respondents; “grindstone” terms such as “hardworking” and “meticulous” may carry a female connotation. Using attributes traditionally associated with men or women can skew the response, she says.

    “You need to be careful to not include those types of gendered questions because the picture that the person gets in [their] mind reflects back on the question,” she explains. “The best type of questions are free of that type of language.”

    AVOID UNNECESSARY IMPLICATIONS

    Sometimes wording can reflect other forms of bias and result in leading questions.For example, in a survey about COVID-19 attitudes, asking whether “concerned citizens” should wear a mask creates an implication about what the researcher believes.

    “That implies that if you aren’t wearing a mask, you’re not a concerned citizen,” she says. “And so using that word, ‘concerned,’ already implies that only concerned citizens wear masks and that other citizens don’t wear masks, are not concerned, and that may not be true.”

    This can go the other way as well: Survey results may be skewed by social desirability bias, in which the answer to a question—say, about a controversial political candidate—is affected by the respondent’s desire to be liked. For example, a participant might respond to the question “Who do you plan on voting for?” with the answer they believe the pollster wants to hear. “You want to be liked, whether [your answer is] true or not,” Simpson says.

    When phrasing a question, remove words that imply value judgments, and ask yourself in what ways a respondent could potentially be misled by the question. If asking questions over the phone, take care to monitor your responses—for example, avoid offering encouragement when a respondent expresses an opinion you agree with.

    DON’T RAISE EXPECTATIONS YOU CAN’T MEET

    Survey questions can sometimes set subtle (or overt) expectations in respondents. For example, if the phrasing of a question hints at a new member offering, it could put you on the spot for something you weren’t actually planning to do. Even general questions about improving the member experience can lead to unfulfilled expectations.

    “Be very careful what you ask,” Simpson says. “If you’re unwilling or unable to make change [implied in the question], then it doesn’t do any good, and in fact it leaves a negative thought in the respondent’s mind.”

    Ultimately, Simpson says, “if you aren’t able to implement the answer, then really think hard about asking the question.”

    This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith.

  • 16 Sep 2020 1:20 PM | Deleted user

    There’s a lot going on in the political realm, but zeroing in on your raison d’être—your members—can help your association’s advocacy messaging stand out. Learn how the National Restaurant Association put this strategy into action by tapping into its grassroots core after the COVID-19 crisis hit.

    It’s a strange time in a strange world, and that means there’s a lot of competition in the advocacy space at the moment. One way to stand out and score some key advocacy wins: Maintain a narrow focus on the people you serve—your members and others in your industry.

    Mike Whatley, vice president of state and local affairs for the National Restaurant Association, says his group has leaned into that strategy in recent months in its effort to support restaurants deeply affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

    “To a certain extent, every single industry has been impacted negatively, for the most part, and so everyone’s out there talking about it—everyone’s out there with an ask of government,” Whatley says. “So the big challenge becomes: How do you break through that noise? How do you make an impact?”

    The answer for the restaurant association came down to grassroots advocacy: By engaging its network of restaurant workers around the country who could speak to their experiences on the ground, Whatley and his team were able to build an effective case to government leaders.

    Last fall, the association began work on the Restaurants Act, which emerged as a focal point for collective action during the early weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, drawing responses from more than 100,000 people in the restaurant industry. As major stimulus bills began to move through Congress, the association took a prominent place on the White House’s COVID-19 recovery task force.

    Whatley notes that restaurateurs are usually busy, leaving them with little time to devote to advocacy. But the pandemic created a rare opportunity to engage the grassroots—even if the situation that led to it was unfortunate.

    “They’re in the type of business where you might not necessarily be in front of your computer for long periods of time. You’re in the restaurant, you’re working, you’re out there on the go,” he says. “Battling COVID, especially in March, a lot of them happened to be in front of their computer because restaurants were closed, and so there was a little more time for advocacy.”

    The mixture of timing, messaging, and response allowed the industry to gain advocacy momentum at just the right time.

    KEEPING THE LIGHT ON YOUR MEMBERS

    Given the constant demands on lawmakers’ attention amid COVID-19, narrowing your approach can help your industry stand out and can keep the grassroots motivated, Whatley says. He offers these tactics for staying focused:

    Share real stories from real people. This is all about quality over quantity. “I don’t think just a record volume of emails is going to get you there,” Whatley says. “I think it’s having emails that are stories of individuals happening, and then explaining the impact of COVID to them, combining that with really useful statistics.”

    Keep your advocates up to date. It’s one thing to draw your members’ interest to grassroots participation, but it’s another to keep them involved—a challenge the National Restaurant Association is facing now that restaurants are reopening. Whatley says it’s important to offer periodic updates and to avoid bombarding your members with requests to take action, which he warns can dull the effectiveness of your communications over time. Working with the association’s executive vice president, Sean Kennedy, Whatley has been helping to produce a series of 90-second video clips discussing what’s happening in Washington, with a focus on the restaurant industry. “I think having that, the advocates understand what’s happening in the process and aren’t just constantly being asked, ‘Take action, take action, take action,’” he says.

    Tell your grassroots something they aren’t hearing elsewhere. Another benefit of the 90-second clips, Whatley says, is that they offer information that members may not be hearing from mainstream media outlets. While TV networks are likely to cover issues relevant to your industry, the coverage often lacks industry-specific information that may be essential to understanding the issue. “None of those sites are going to explain to you as a restaurant operator, or a different industry such as a gym operator, ‘What does it mean for me?’” Whatley says. “So having that content is what makes it valuable to your advocates.”

    This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith.

  • 16 Sep 2020 1:09 PM | Deleted user

    With a recession, a pandemic, and a tough job market, some associations are looking to target Generation Z with new member offerings. It can work if you prioritize their engagement, one expert says.

    We’re starting to get past the point where millennials are at the center of the discussion around younger members. The focus is shifting to Gen Z—but how can you convince people born after 1996 to join your organization? Is a new membership tier worth discussing?

    Sarah Sladek, CEO of XYZ University and a generational engagement researcher, says yes—in part because of the current environment, driven by a recession and a pandemic. And Gen Z is feeling it more than most.

    MORE ON GEN Z

    On Tuesday, September 15, Sarah Sladek is hosting a webinar called “Membership According to Gen Z,” from 2-4 p.m. EDT, as part of the Save the Associations event series. The program will cover how to engage youth members, increase student membership, and emphasize advocacy among younger members.

    That might be why discussion of member tiers is picking up again. Sladek compares this period to the 2008 recession, when associations created low-cost tiers for younger members.

    “In many ways, we’re seeing a repeat of that market environment now, as associations are scrambling to figure out ways to appeal to young people,” Sladek says, adding that retirements and career changes among older members might also be a factor.

    NEW GENERATIONS, NEW HABITS

    However, 2020’s younger members aren’t like those of 2008.

    For one thing, everything is virtual at the moment—which could be a virtue for omnivorous content consumption that drives many in Gen Z, but that requires a more open-minded approach to content creation that emphasizes visuals and user-generated content.

    “Gen Z actively consumes and creates content in a variety of forms on a variety of platforms. Associations need to do the same,” Sladek says.

    Another, more fundamental problem? In a world where people spend heavily on monthly subscription-based services, annual memberships may be going out of style.

    “This points to a bigger issue for associations, which likely need to reconsider their dues structures,” she says. “In addition to price being a common barrier, young people are also more accustomed to having the option to pay bills monthly rather than annually, yet few associations offer this option.”

    Younger generations may also want more purchase options. For example, think of how streaming services offer an à la carte alternative to cable bundles. Likewise, younger members may want flexibility to pick and choose their services. For associations, the forthcoming generation offers a reset opportunity.

    “The time is now to be rethinking dues as well as value,” Sladek says.

    GEN Z’S SHIFTING VALUES

    Sladek says that Gen Z has a unique perspective compared with other generations. She notes that Gen Z-ers tend to be highly informed visual learners with a strong focus on creativity and an eye toward broader horizons.

    And there’s a distinct focus on advocacy that hasn’t been as pronounced in older generations. That means younger members want to speak up—and if they aren’t being heard, they might not renew.

    “Gen Z has been raised in a world where everyone is treated equally and everyone has a voice,” Sladek says. “When the reality is different, they disengage. They will expect a seat at decision-making tables, and for your association to be intentional about outreach and giving a voice to the marginalized voices.”

    THE RISK OF THE “SUMMER CAMP” TIER

    These changing habits might lead some associations to build membership tiers with a distinctly younger focus. But Sladek warns against separating the tiers too much, as it may create a declining value proposition over time. It’s a situation she likens to a summer camp.

    “The student and young professional chapters tend to be more focused on fun, led by peers, and there is a feeling of inclusion as well as responsibility,” she explains. However, when young members move into regular membership, this inclusive environment can be lost. “As a result, the young members ‘graduate’ into an organization where their participation is overlooked or minimized.”

    Instead, Sladek suggests that member tiers be in tandem with the organization’s goals while also taking Gen Z insights into account.

    “If an association wants to engage young people, it has to be a real commitment throughout the entire organization,” Sladek says. “The associations which struggle to engage young people tend to be those which don’t prioritize engaging them.”

    This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith.

  • 16 Sep 2020 1:06 PM | Deleted user

    A new study shows an empathy disconnect between workers and executives. A stronger focus on skills development might close the gap.

    How are you doing? Also: Remember when that was a rhetorical question?

    There’s no need to rattle off the many stressors that 2020 has brought upon leaders and their employees. But it might be worth noting that, even before COVID-19 became a part of our public consciousness, there has been a substantial disconnect between how leaders think their people are doing, and how they actually are.

    The fifth and most recent edition of Businessolver’s State of Workplace Empathy report was conducted in February, and it demonstrates, as usual, that there’s a lot of enthusiasm in the C-suite for the concept of empathy, defined as “the ability to understand and experience the feelings of another.” Every year since the study launched in 2017, more than 90 percent of CEOs and HR heads have said empathy is important. But that doesn’t mean employees think leaders are putting their hearts into that sentiment. While 86 percent of CEO say they think their organization “is openly discussing mental health,” according to the new survey, only 58 percent of employees agree.

    Moreover, leaders seem to be missing the connection between empathy and retention. While 76 percent of employees said they believe empathy plays a role in turnover rates, only 40 percent of CEOs said so. Executives neglect this disparity at their peril, especially with Gen Z workers. According to the report, 83 percent of Gen Z respondents said they’d opt for an employer “with a strong culture of empathy” over one offering a slightly higher salary—more than the average of 75 percent among all employees.

    Again, all of these findings reflect how people were feeling in February. Since then, there’s ample evidence that the pandemic has boosted employee engagement, but that may be a function of people eager to demonstrate their value in a down economy on top of a crisis. Which is to say that, between Zoom fatigue and more caregiving responsibilities, the risk of burnout is substantial. All the more reason to take that empathy gap more seriously. As the Businessolver report puts it, “benefits based on values were important for employee well-being before the pandemic, but now they’re even more critical.”

    The report suggests that today’s CEO needs to behave more like a “chief empathy officer,” a leader who is more adept at communication and creates more opportunities for one-on-one engagement. But a listening tour alone isn’t going to cut it; the report also recommends that organizations put a stronger emphasis on wellness benefits and, more substantially, on career development for employees. Ninety percent of all employees surveyed said they equated workplace empathy with being allowed to “participate in career development courses on company time, rather than PTO.” But employees are four times as likely as CEOs to believe their organizations don’t provide enough skills development.

    The last recession suggested that employer support for that kind of skills development softens in a downturn—for instance, companies were less likely to cover the cost of employees’ association dues or conference travel. Investing in skills training during a crisis may seem like one of those things that just isn’t done. But in February 2020, few were convinced that remote work was practical either. Despite that, organizations have stubbornly, stumblingly, glitchily figured out how to make it work.

    Everybody wants an empathetic workplace environment. But a genuine investment in workers’ skills and abilities is more likely than lip service to keep those workers engaged, and sticking around.

    This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Mark Athitakis.

  • 10 Sep 2020 10:25 AM | Deleted user

    “Our business is coming back faster than I had ever imagined. That’s really good news, so I should be thrilled. But why am I not feeling relieved?” a senior leader asked me recently.

    When governments relax restrictions and begin stimulating economic growth, the recovery phase of the Covid-19 crisis starts unfolding for businesses. On the surface, this phase is about returning to normal, restarting operations and getting back to offices, production lines, and shop floors. In Europe, where I live and where many countries are reopening, many leaders I speak with are surprised both by the speed of the recovery and how rapidly everyday life has come to resemble the way it was before.

    Below the surface, however, there is still turmoil. Intuitively, I would have expected leaders to be driven by the victory rush that naturally follows when the tension of the regression phase is released. But many report having mixed emotions. Their sense of optimism and clarity is laced with withdrawal, loss, and doubt. Even among leaders who have weathered the crisis well, the absence of relief is the rule rather than the exception.

    Recovery presents new challenges for leaders and teams. What can you expect and how can you navigate?

    Facing the New Reality

    Speaking with leaders and their teams in recent weeks about their experience with managing the recovery, three themes emerge:

    The unexpected high points brought on by the crisis are waning. Quick decision-making. Efficiency of meetings. Honest, concise, and frequent communications. Freedom to organize your day and work from home. Informal and authentic team interactions.

    Several teams mentioned that they actually miss the stimulating rush of the emergency and the profound feelings of significance and community that they experienced during the lockdown. They wanted to sustain these new ways of working and maintain the urgency and intimacy of the crisis. But any good intentions slipped through their fingers as 9-to-5 back-to-back meeting days have made a surprisingly quick comeback. The “new normal” is not so new after all — and that feels like a lost opportunity.

    Further, even though it is an overstretch to compare the emotions of the recovery phase to post-traumatic stress disorder, there are similarities. One of the most common reactions from soldiers returning from battle is that everyday life seems absurdly inconsequential and insignificant compared to the combat situations they have left behind. Standing in line in the supermarket or listening to people complain about the weather can be provocatively ordinary when you have been dealing with emergencies for weeks.

    The unresolved tangle of emotions. The leaders I talk to report that they have learned so much new about themselves and their closest colleagues: Who rises to the occasion, who loses faith, who supports, who snaps, who dares, who falls silent — and how do these behaviors evolve as the crisis unfold?

    A leader in the media industry stressed how proud he was of his coworkers. “I don’t think I ever appreciated my colleagues this way before. When corona, hit we all stepped up and covered for each other. We were all fired up by the greater cause and churning out new reporting faster than ever. We had to be brutally honest about our own capacity and energy. Frankly, it was really exciting.”

    Indeed, it’s like the “emotional operating system” of many teams has been reset. Such a reset is psychologically intense: it exposes both strong ties and weak links in the team, and all this requires recalibration of both your own self-image and team dynamics when things return to normal.

    The burden of the work ahead. It’s dawning on leaders and teams that the lockdown phase was in fact just the acute part of the crisis. Now they need to engage with more profound and adaptive challenges in their businesses and the way they lead.

    The paradox is that during the emergency, the sense of purpose seemed crystal clear: Act now. Safeguard the business. As the recovery unfolds, more fundamental and nagging questions arise: What comes after? What parts of our business and organization will even be relevant in the future? What must we do to prepare for a second or third wave? What is the new big picture?

    How Can Leaders Tackle the Recovery Phase?

    The absence of relief is a telltale sign that you have vast psychological work to do as part of the recovery phase, too.  As a leader, you need to be aware of what is going on in your team and on the front line in the recovery phase and adapt your leadership accordingly.

    First, the recovery marks the onset of a broader challenge, not the end of the crisis. One of the hard things about the Covid-19 crisis is that there is no liberation day when it’s gone and done with. It’s not gone and done with in most places, and the aftermath can be longer and harder than turmoil of the first response. Leading with this aftermath in mind is key and you need to confront yourself and your team with this somewhat harsh reality.

    How? Don’t think of recovery as just going back to work and adopting your old habits. Create new meaning. Ask questions: “What was the point of this crisis? What will we do if this happens again? What did we learn from this case? How can we move faster next time?” Find a realistic sense of optimism — “What should we change?” Priorities need to be reset, plans must be adjusted, and resources must be redirected. “Renewal, not return” has become the rallying cry for leaders like Siemens Chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe. That’s the essence of recovery leadership.  

    Second, recalibrate your team. A crisis often reorders the informal hierarchy of a team, both because what’s urgent and who’s important changes, and because new heroes emerge and new relationships are forged. While the formal structure may be unchanged, the informal structure has been disrupted under the surface and needs to be realigned or rethought. Think of the recovery phase as an inflection point for the way your team cooperates, not as a U-turn that leads back to familiar routines.

    Here’s an example of how one team moved forward. The CEO of a company that had been hit very hard by the lockdown summoned his leadership team to reflect on what they had learned during the months of emergency, lockdown, and early recovery. The CEO capped off the session by asking: “Would you rather have been without this experience?” Surprisingly, the overwhelming response from the team was “no.” The crisis had been costly from both a business and personal perspective, but on balance the benefits outweighed the cost.

    One team member summed up the paradox of the crisis. “Looking at the numbers, our business has been set back years. But culturally, we have been catapulted ahead to a future we could not have imagined, and strategically, our transformation has gained a momentum we could never have created on our own.”

    A central lesson of why this happened was that the crisis revealed hidden talents and unseen qualities. And the final outcome of the leader’s session was a formal reset of the roles and responsibilities of the executive team based on the new business needs that the crisis surfaced, but also based on the particular qualities that individual team members had demonstrated.

    True, not every team or leader will reach the same conclusion. But all teams can benefit from conducting a targeted search for the positive outcomes of the crisis and reflecting on how their relationships with each other and their work has changed. Carving out time for this kind of debriefing can both be therapeutic for the team and propel the forward motion you need.

    Third, reopen with attention to the small stuff. Many leaders are realizing right now that reopening is harder than shutting down. Coming back to the office is trickier and requires more finely grained choices and decisions than asking people to work from home. Why? The issues related to reopening don’t really concern abstract problems, acute crisis intervention, or big strategic moves. Instead, it’s about practical and everyday stuff, a radical change of scenery for many leaders. It feels like having to tidy your room after having fought a major battle.

    Even though the “how to reopen the office” discussion can feel like a chore rather than a challenge, you should take the small stuff seriously and be clear about the details: Respect ground rules for social distancing in the office – people have very different ideas of how “close is too close.” Make clear commitments, and keep up your online presence when working from home, so it doesn’t become odious when some people do and other don’t.  Make sure that you continue easing into the new digital routines that your partners, coworkers, or customers have found useful. Try to find joy in routines again and invest in the informal settings

    Avoid the actions of a highly charged leader in the financial sector who, fed up with discussing when their coffee and juice bar would reopen, burst out: “Who cares about coffee and juice now?” In fact, the free haven that the bar represents had never been so important: People need places and spaces and opportunities to reconnect, share experiences, and have all those little conversations that rekindles social life at work. This is where you ask your colleagues what they are going to do in their vacation and how their spouses or children are coping? Who has children graduating from school? Who has sick relatives?

    The “back to the office” move should not feel like musical chairs or a logistics maneuver. Instead, think of the process as if you were onboarding new members to the team with similar attention to (re)introducing the company culture and stimulating professional social life. In some sense it’s a unique chance to get to do the first 90 days all over again.

    Getting Through the Recovery Phase

    Crisis leadership is a double-edged sword: The same skills and reaction patterns that allow you to perform well in an emergency may become destructive when you try to return to (something resembling) normal. The unequivocal determination that made you effective at first can develop into uncompromising micro-management. Constant watchfulness can generate tension and even hyper-vigilance. A prolonged productivity boost can slide into to uncurbed impulsivity. It’s crucial to know when enough is enough.

    At the same time, leaders cannot follow the natural impulse to withdraw, lean back, and just assume that the team will reset itself smoothly when the sea starts calming down. There is a need for continued visibility, purposeful reorientation, and sustained attention to detail

    As a crisis evolves, your leadership approach needs to change. In the emergency phase, leaders must move to the frontline and fight the fires. In the regression phase, leaders need to step back and contain the emotional turmoil of their teams. In the recovery phase, leaders must strike a new balance between guiding a smooth return to normal while keeping up the pressure to renew and rethink the future.

    That’s why you are not feeling relieved: Your work as a crisis leader is not done yet.

    This article was sourced directly from Harvard Business Review here, and is written by Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg.

  • 10 Sep 2020 10:20 AM | Deleted user

    Association pros take inspiration from literary sources—both expected and unexpected—to do their jobs. Here are just a few books that inspire Associations Now readers.

    Association staff members may be busy managing and leading their organizations, but when they’re not hard at work, they just might be reading.

    In honor of National Read a Book Day on September 6, we asked our readers which titles have given them unexpected career inspiration—with an eye toward books beyond management tomes.

    Our audience took inspiration from all kinds of sources. Multiple readers cited the Bible. Nods to modern book series (Harry Potter) were just as likely to show up as classics (The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton). Fiction (such as The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho) was heavily cited; so, too, was nonfiction (‌The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown’s 2013 book about a rowing team that won a gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin). And given the audience, business books (like David Allen’s ‌Getting Things Done) naturally also got mentioned.

    Read on for a few standouts among those who responded to our recent survey.

    WENDY-JO TOYAMA, CEO, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

    The story of No-No Boy by John Okada takes place during a period in American history that is not widely covered. It centers on a Japanese American man living in an internment camp during WWII. He chooses not to denounce his Japanese heritage nor join the U.S. Army. Those who answered “no” to two questions were deemed “No-No Boys.” As American citizens, they felt that by answering “yes,” it implied they were not loyal to begin with, and they were unwilling to fight for a country that did not treat them as citizens.

    The story captures events that inform my motivation and deep desire to be involved in work on diversity, equity, and inclusion—reinforcing my values of justice, courage, and family. Also, as a sansei (third-generation) Japanese American, it is powerful to read a work written by another Japanese American—sparking a lifelong dedication to include Asian authors and topics on my reading list.

    MARIA MATTHEWS, Grassroots Advocacy, ‌American Society of Civil Engineers, Inc.

    For me, it’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss. I remember reading it as a child and loving it because it was Dr. Seuss. I now love how it conveys that your future is yours to design, with the caveat that you have to accept it all to be really successful—the good and the bad. My dad gave me a copy when I graduated from high school, which is now part of my kids’ library. I hope that they’ll appreciate it as much as I do one day!

    MICHELE DRIVER, ‌Training Coordinator, Society of Petroleum Engineers

    It’s actually a series: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I began by reading The Hobbit in my fourth-grade class and have read the trilogy every year since then. I also read most of the associated books often. It reminds me that we have more courage than we think we have, that commitment to an honorable task must be kept, that what looks most beautiful can be most dangerous, that friendships are invaluable, and that the darkness in life is ultimately overcome by light.

    LAURA NORTHERN VENHAUS, Certification Coordinator, American Association of Professional Landmen

    Always Room for One More, a somewhat obscure but Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book by Sorche Nic Leodhas, is a book that I think of almost every day. With singsong text and gentle illustrations, the author tells the story of Lachie MacLachlan, who lives in “a wee house in the heather” (with his very large family!) who is determined to share whatever he’s got with travelers on a stormy night. It’s a lovely message of generosity and inclusivity, and “there’s always room for one more” has become our family motto.

    TARA BARKER, Staff Liaison to Volunteer Committees, Institute of Management Accountants

    My mother gave me a book early in my life titled How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. It was one of her go-to books, and it has become one of mine. It was copyrighted in 1944, and it still stands the test of time, as it is filled with practical advice that can be used in personal and professional life. A powerful line for me was, “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” So, keep thinking positive, especially now. I have given copies of this book as gifts to family and friends.

    SARAH COOK, ‌Development Manager, CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois

    Not only did I read [The Hunger Games series] in two days, I feel like it taught the long-running story of rising up during terrible times, but in its own way. When all odds are against you, what else can you do but try your best to succeed? In terms of work, I channel the mindset that no matter how bad/hard/rough things can get, my effort to do my best or do better will make a difference. And it has. As a side note, during the pandemic I have been running more because I once had a terrible dream that we were in The Hunger Games. So I guess you could say it applies to all aspects of life!

    TIP TUCKER KENDALL, ‌Director, Member Services, International Society of Arboriculture

    Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is the one book that I go back to again and again for inspiration and philosophical direction. I know that I can open it up to any page and find something in the text that moves me and reminds me how to be more present and how to live a more meaningful life.

    This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith.
  • 10 Sep 2020 9:44 AM | Deleted user

    COVID-19 has made face-to-face communication with members nearly impossible. The American Forest and Paper Association is thinking outside the box and upping its YouTube game to reach members and other stakeholders.

    While YouTube has been around for many years, it hasn’t always been high on the list of tools that associations use to communicate. But one group is turning that notion on its head. As the pandemic has stopped most face-to-face interactions, the American Forest and Paper Association is leaning into its YouTube channel to make video a stronger part of its communication strategy.

    “AF&PA has maintained a YouTube presence for several years, highlighting the industry, our members, and our advocacy efforts, but we’ve been pushed to use video in new ways more recently,” said Heidi Brock, AF&PA President and CEO. “Since we cannot be with our members or stakeholders in person, I wanted to find a way for people to see and connect with me and the great work of our association virtually. Video helps fill this void.”

    To do that, Brock has been recording videos from her home office since the pandemic began. “It doesn’t replace face-to-face engagement, but these videos, I believe, deliver a personal touch, emphasize a key message for a particular point in time, and offer support and reassurance through what, I think, has been a very challenging time for many people,” she said.

    The videos have been used showcase both short-term messages and long-term projects, like AF&PA’s Better Practices, Better Planets 2020 sustainability initiative.

    “My recent video address reported on the progress we’ve made on our comprehensive set of sustainability goals,” Brock said. “It was a moment to reflect on accomplishments and goals we’ve either met or exceeded, including reducing workplace injuries, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving energy efficiency in manufacturing facilities.”

    And while the videos are on YouTube, AF&PA also shares them on other platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. “That’s helping to amplify the reach of each video message, and it’s easier for our members to view and share with followers,” Brock said. “These videos also get shared in our member e-newsletter, Topline. Using video in this format is an excellent way to add variation and creativity to member communications you’re sending by email.”

    For example, Brock said a video was shared widely that thanked workers at paper plants this spring, as it “came at a time of unprecedented demand for paper products, including toilet paper, paper towels, and tissue products.”

    YOU CAN DO IT, TOO

    For those looking to ramp up their video use, Brock had a few suggestions. “I’ll admit there is a learning curve to video,” Brock said. “You want to plan out what you have to say and make sure you—or whoever is in front of the camera—feel comfortable. That might be something you have to ease into and practice before hitting record.”

    Associations should also be mindful of how long their videos are. “Many people are short on time and overwhelmed with content,” Brock said. “We try and keep our videos brief to quickly engage members from whatever device they’re on, wherever they are.”

    As the videos can help amplify that personal connection during this time of separation, Brock suggested making sure you convey your organization’s heart and authenticity.

    “The key to any video you create is to make sure it conveys a human dimension,” Brock said. “I look at each video as an opportunity to engage, but also to connect with peoples’ feelings and emotions. Use words that resonate with your audience and seek to build connection and understanding. Be as transparent and candid as possible, seek to inspire, and layer in a compelling call-to-action to keep your members and stakeholders engaged and energized by the message. The bottom line is to be authentic.

    This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Rasheeda Childress.


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