Catching Up to Nordstrom—Deliver Member Delight
Nordstrom is famous for their return policy. They’ll accept an item that may not even be from their store. For this courtesy, they have gained a die-hard fan base. Before Netflix was an idea, Nordstrom knew a thing or two about the value of personalized service. Since 1901, the company has been committed to providing a […]
Culture, Community, and Technology—A Successful 2022 Convergence
Our Year in Review The .orgSource and .orgCommunity teams send our best wishes to our clients and friends for a happy and productive 2023. But, before we welcome a new year, let’s toast 2022! We got our tribe back from the flatland and into three dimensions. Visiting with clients and colleagues in person was a […]
Find the Athletes You Need to Innovate
Don Dea and Hugh Lee, the co-founders of DigitalNow, are colleagues I look to as voices from the future. In an interview for our book, “Association 4.0: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Risk, Courage, and Transformation,” Don made this prediction. “In order to help workers adapt, associations will need to find and hire terrific athletes. Talent who can […]
Diversity Can’t Stand Alone—It Needs Equity and Inclusion To Matter
Like a string of beads, it is our unique differences and intricacies that make us so appealing and attractive. We would not be as beautiful if we were all the same. It’s the contrast and asymmetry that makes us worthwhile.— Lindsey Lunsford, M.E.M., eXtention Foundation, 2019 Impact Collaborative, DEI Fellow One of my early jobs was […]
Heroes Shaping the Future of Education Technology
I’d like to introduce you to a group of unsung heroes. While the pandemic was making kids cranky and parents crazy, members of the California IT in Education Association (CITE), were on the frontlines restoring order. They worked tirelessly, often putting their health at risk, to ensure that every child in grades K through 12 […]
Good Culture Makes Good Sense
Smiley or sad—which describes your culture? Some people work on a dream team. Others are ready to be a statistic in the Great Resignation. What makes the difference? If your answer was people, go to the head of the class. When I want to explore interpersonal dynamics in the workplace, I look to .orgSource consultant […]
Association 4.0™ – Find the Sweet Spot in Digital Markets
Is anyone else tired of dystopian predictions? Today, I’m going to consider perfection. This may not be what most people imagine as utopia. But the realm of Association 4.0™ is pretty close to my ideal for my clients and their organizations. Several years ago, .orgSource coined the phrase Association 4.0 to describe the approach needed […]
Good Governance Makes Data the Asset It Should Be
Is a hacker haunting your future? Or is your data dilemma more like a recurring headache? Data shouldn’t be a challenge. It’s an asset that should work for you. Two-point-five quintillion bytes of data are generated online daily, according to SaaS Scout Research Group. Data is the meta product of every sale. With each transaction, […]
Grow Your Team’s Skills, But Don’t Forget Yourself
Smart CEOs understand that the quickest path to success is the one where the team travels with you. Skill-building across the organization isn’t just good leadership, it’s good for leaders. Professional development is a wise use of resources. Just be sure to make yourself part of the group. Your own growth shouldn’t be stunted because […]
Customer Experience Lifts Service to the Stratosphere
These comments from McDonald’s CEO, Chris Kempczinski to New York Times journalist David Gelles describing how the pandemic would change the company’s business resonated with me on a couple of levels. “We had to pivot to basically being an entirely drive-through, delivery, and curbside pickup business, and I think that’s going to still be an enduring […]
Diversity Rules the Global Economy, Step Up to Success
We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now. Martin Luther King, Jr. The proof that we are citizens of the world, no matter how fiercely we choose to localize, was one of the pandemic’s profound lessons. Technology has created an interdependent global economy. What happens in a province […]
Labor Shortages Loom—Learn to Hire and Manage Freelancers
Anyone who has spent time here in Chicago knows that the weather can turn from sunshine to flurries in the time it takes to stroll a block down the Mag Mile. This fickle about-face seems to be happening everywhere. We spent the last year urging people to stay home. Now the focus has abruptly changed […]
Send Culture to the Door When Trouble Comes to Call
I frequently write the words digital and success in the same sentence. Technology is important. A weak infrastructure at the beginning of 2020 meant it was a very hard year. As much as I value electronic connectivity, culture or the human side of business will always be the imperative. We may never experience another global […]
10 Traits of an Innovation Mindset for Your Association
Associations can’t fulfill their missions without innovation. Innovation helps organizations create and improve processes, products, services, and experiences for their members, customers, staff, and audiences. Technology helps us turn innovative ideas into reality, but innovation is powered by organizational cultures that support and nurture an innovation mindset. 10 elements of the innovation mindset to nurture […]