Turn Panic into Purpose—Lead Through COVID-19 with Confidence
My email and phone are burning with questions and concerns from leaders facing the tough decisions that COVID-19 is forcing upon us. Choices that plunge a budget deep into the red and threaten member engagement are gut-wrenching, but the difficult decisions are easier when you have expert advice. We looked to our colleagues Adele Cehrs, […]
The Best Solution Begins With a Beautiful Question
What do you think these three questions have in common? “How might we survive and flourish amid tensions and contradictions?” “What is it about your business today that you can’t answer?” “What if competitors worked together?” In the eyes of author/journalist, Warren Berger, each of these questions is beautiful. Berger describes a beautiful question as […]
Innovation Summit Highlights Strategies for Success in a Digital Future
If you’ve been wondering whether your organization is ready for the digital future, .orgCommunity’s Innovation Summit was the right place to find answers. We hosted some of the association industry’s most thought-provoking leaders at the February 20th event. The American Society of Anesthesiologists provided a sleek venue for a day of creativity, dialogue and connection. […]
Anticipate the Unexpected—For Entrepreneurs Business as Usual Is not an Option. Learn About Our New Book!
Introducing Association 4.0™: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Risk, Courage and Transformation. Of all the experiences involved in writing a book, and there are many—both frustrating and fascinating, what you learn is the most rewarding. Association 4.0™: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Risk, Courage and Transformation, which I wrote with my business partner Kevin Ordonez, is my […]
Fast Track Your Way to Innovation
Is your association innovative enough to survive in the roaring twenties? Before you answer, name three strategies you use to promote creative thinking. If they don’t roll off your tongue, consider this: Blockbuster— had a chance to buy Netflix and didn’t. Toys R Us—let a contract with Amazon derail their ecommerce opportunities. Xerox—never capitalized on […]
To Succeed in Industry 4.0 Become an Association 4.0™ Leader
Deploying a smart factory may not be in your future. But association CEOs who are looking for success must embrace attitudes that keep them in front of these, and other trends associated with Industry 4.0. By 2021, one quarter of the top 100 consumer goods companies will be using 3D printing to create custom products […]
Industry 4.0 is a Rocket—Don’t Let a Strategic Plan Designed for a Bicycle Leave You in the Dust
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clark Industry 4.0 is killing science fiction. With each new technological miracle, the window of time and imagination between fantasy inventions and real products and services grows smaller. Here are some examples: Doctors in the United Kingdom recently created an artificial cornea using human cells […]
Style Grabs Attention/Substance Wins Hearts—A Website Content Strategy Makes It Happen
Animation, riveting images and a contemporary color palate get you noticed. But a content strategy is the secret to giving your audience a more meaningful relationship with your website, your brand and your organization. A website redesign is a significant investment in resources. The temptation to take shortcuts is understandable. But even Ferrari-sleek graphics, won’t […]
Marketers, Promote Yourselves! Get the Buy-In You Need for a Successful Content Strategy
We’ve all experienced the meeting from hell. The chair lost control. People were frantic to have their say, and nobody got heard. The same kind of communications nightmare happens when you don’t impose order on your content. A thoughtful content strategy ensures that the message you deliver will be one that makes people listen. It’s […]
Arrested Development? A Strategic Approach to Technology Reboots Association Growth
Somewhere back in the Dark Ages of IT- say two years ago, because that’s how fast the electronic world moves now ¬- we thought about technology as a tool to do business. There has been a profound shift in that concept. Technology has made the leap out of the toolbox. It is become integral to […]
At CHEST Innovation Is Called Business as Usual
The opportunity to participate in my clients’ stories is one of the reasons I love being a consultant. To write our book, Association 4.0—Positioning for Success in an Era of Disruption, we interviewed leaders who strive to stay a step ahead of the future. CHEST is one association that doesn’t shy away from bold moves, […]
Hiring a Consultant Can Be a Make or Break Relationship—Here’s How to Court Success
When you sign a consulting contract on the dotted line, the stakes are high. You’ve called in the experts to guide a project that will have a significant impact on your association’s future. It’s almost always a highly visible, big-ticket item. People across the organization are invested in a positive outcome. None more so than […]
Give Your Team Something to Shout About—Move Strategy to Execution
Watching the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team beat England, it occurred to me that the game was a perfect example of strategy in action. A great team was testing their skills and tactics on the pitch, fully prepared to meet unexpected challenges. Granted, business will never have the flash of World Cup soccer. But strategic planning […]
Liftoff or Crash Landing? Prepare to Launch a Successful Digital Transformation
The Digital Transformation Series, Part Two Reading your monthly membership report is like getting a bad diagnosis—over and over again. The meeting registration is no bowl of cherries either. But there is a bright spot. The board has agreed that it’s time for action. That tired, old AMS that’s been limping through its paces is […]
The Human Face of Digital Transformation
You installed a new LMS, CMS and AMS; redesigned the website; migrated to the cloud; and purchased the latest computers, printers and tablets for your staff. Was it a digital transformation? Sorry, you’re only about halfway there—maybe not even. You’ve got the technology covered. It’s the transformation process that’s trickier to understand. Googling digital […]