The Hourglass Blog

JANUARY 2, 2012

I started this adventure with the intention of exploring the impact of generational shift on the leadership of our organizations and, while we have certainly done that, we have explored a number of other topics as well. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture.

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The Hourglass Blog

DECEMBER 20, 2010

Thanks to Wikileaks, you can now expect that day to come when your most private and candid communications will appear for all to peruse. Which begs the question--how well would your association survive a "Wikileaks dump" of its private communications? Labels: Communication , Leadership , Social Media. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

AUGUST 1, 2011

On September 14 he will be gathering together a group of association and other thought leaders for a half-day session on how organizations across our community can collaborate to accelerate the overall pace of innovation. Many of our organizations face common challenges. Association Management. Baby Boomers.

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The Hourglass Blog

MARCH 17, 2011

One who does it, Forrester CEO George Colony , diagnoses the problem like this: As time has passed, I have come to see fear as the greatest barrier to overcome — whether its in my decision-making, communication, tennis game, or in the setting of strategic direction. Id say those numbers hold true for association CEOs as well.

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The Hourglass Blog

AUGUST 29, 2011

Theres a really critical lesson for association professionals in this guest post on Hugh MacLeods blog from Kathy Sierra. In it, she challenges the traditional wisdom many organizations have for customer loyalty programs. Reading the post made me think about my own association and my members. Association Management.

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The Hourglass Blog

OCTOBER 17, 2011

Rory Sutherland persuasively makes the case that organizations dont spend enough time working on the small stuff. That, in fact, there is a bias in most organizations that big problems have to be met with big solutions--solutions that have to be conceptualized by powerful people and executed with lots and lots of money. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

JANUARY 6, 2011

And what impact will that have on how you run your organization? If I ran my organization, I would utilize social media and YouTube extensively as a way to communicate with a huge constituency that is neither the member nor an unrelated, uninterested public. One is about communication. Association Management.

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AMR Management Services

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Associations serve as platforms, vehicles for like-minded people with specialized interests to interact and learn. And association models are designed around the idea that the non-profit, membership-based organizations are the best at delivering connections to similarly situated professional people and learning opportunities.

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The Hourglass Blog

DECEMBER 26, 2010

Its another post on the HBR blog, and its written by and for business executives who are running organizations that make and sell goods in a competitive market. Wait a minute , I thought, I run an association, sure, but am I not also a business executive running an organization that makes and sells goods in a competitive marketplace?

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The Hourglass Blog

MAY 11, 2011

As recently discussed on the Innovation Hub for Associations, innovation is fundamentally about change, and Schrage is asking us to consider not the change we would make within our own organizations to be more innovative, but the change we can create in our marketplaces to better accept our innovative products. Association Management.

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The Hourglass Blog

JUNE 23, 2010

Haque says more for-profit organizations are figuring this out and are getting better at delivering meaningful social experiences instead of just products and services. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture. Like Sands Through the Hourglass. About This Blog.

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The Hourglass Blog

AUGUST 10, 2010

Like the SocialFish commenters, we spent some time there talking about trust in associations, especially as it relates to creating and sustaining a culture of innovation. The CEO of an innovative association doesn’t just decide which ideas win and which ones lose. Association Management. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

MAY 1, 2011

If you were to consciously use Commanders Intent for a specific situation in your association, what would it be? And what Intent would you communicate to your subordinates? They start measuring their success by their numbers and not by the objectives of the association hosting the meeting. Association Management.

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The Hourglass Blog

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

This is another one of those posts challenging the assumption that as Millennials storm their way into the workforce theyre going to radically change the landscape and force organizations to adapt to their idiosyncratic ideals in order to harness their power and survive. Association Management. Communication. Umair Haque.

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The Hourglass Blog

JUNE 17, 2010

Hearing everyones name and the organizations they work for is not enough. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture. Im not questioning your competency by asking questions. Socializing is important. Why are they here? What do they want to accomplish? at 11:49 AM.

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The Hourglass Blog

AUGUST 16, 2010

I couldnt help but notice the similarities between this list and the Principles of Innovation recently drafted by the WSAE Innovation Task Force, including "an innovation culture led from the top of the organization" and "the commitment of resources to a process of innovation." Association Management. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

JULY 5, 2010

Listen to how Erickson describes the new equation that she says will form the basis of trust between corporations and workers in the decades ahead: The organization will provide interesting and challenging work. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture. Baby Boomers.

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The Hourglass Blog

AUGUST 8, 2011

Unfortunately, from my point of view, only some of those lessons are good for the association community. Govindarajan describes the truism that it is the rare organization that lacks the ability to produce new and creative ideas. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Umair Haque.

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The Hourglass Blog

DECEMBER 8, 2010

I think wed all agree that theres value in educating your association Board about how much things actually cost so they can make better decisions about the organizations competencies and capabilities. Labels: Association Management. That's an interesting take on association members, Eric. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

Maybe because of the way my brain works, I really like the mathematical model he uses to make his point: We like to think of an organizations capacity for innovation as creativity multiplied by execution. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture. Has anyone read it?

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The Hourglass Blog

MAY 16, 2011

Ill bet youve heard the same words said in your organization from time to time. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture. How can we launch something thats only half done and not working properly? What will the members think of our capabilities? About This Blog.

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The Hourglass Blog

JUNE 12, 2011

In part one I talked about how the primary challenge for associations in innovating is a cultural one, and how organizational priorities need to move away from established structures and towards whatever mechanisms help the organization deliver better value for its members. Association Management. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

JUNE 11, 2010

It is, in fact, Ludwigs practicality--his willingness to discuss with others in the organization what really stands in the way of them achiveing their goals and then working with people to find practical ways of addressing those barriers--that sets him apart in Beers analysis. Association Management. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

MARCH 27, 2011

Listening up means empowering as many people inside your organization as possible to spend time talking to your customers to have those conversations, and empowering them to talk to one another openly. How many people are there in your organization? Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006.

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The Hourglass Blog

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

The boards dont ensure that the organization has a sound strategy, they tolerate mediocrity in management, they dont hold the organization accountable for results, and they dont ensure that resources are adequate to accomplish goals. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006.

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The Hourglass Blog

MAY 26, 2011

In part one I talked about how the primary challenge for associations in innovating is a cultural one, and how organizational priorities need to move away from established structures and towards whatever mechanisms help the organization deliver better value for its members. Association Management. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

MAY 21, 2011

In this regard innovation can be viewed as another association business practice—like program management or marketing—something that all organizations can do, albeit with varying levels of expertise and success. The innovation problem for associations is not about process. How about the organization itself?

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The Hourglass Blog

APRIL 26, 2011

Trying to put myself in the shoes of our typical association member, a realized that a thoughtful response--the kind on which we would like to base our action--would require them to gather information from different parts of their organization and give some thought as to how to compose that information into the format we were seeking.

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The Hourglass Blog

JUNE 29, 2010

The group of Board members who were there when I started--and who really set the tone for what the Board is and how it will govern the association--are bit by bit rotating off, and the new people coming on--while well-intentioned and experienced in their own businesses--understandably have more questions than answers in this regard.

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The Hourglass Blog

APRIL 16, 2011

The better strategy is to focus on what your association is trying to achieve and do it the best you can, recognizing that those who appreciate what you do and want to beneift from it will join--those who dont wont. Like a lot of association leaders, I do a fair amount to welcome and on-board new members into our organization.

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The Hourglass Blog

MARCH 12, 2011

Leadership is not a skill to be learned by an individual, it is a system that is to be established by an organization and successfully implemented over the multiple comings and goings of individuals. But they have to exist across your organization, not just in your leader. Association Management. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

FEBRUARY 20, 2011

A couple of posts ago I mention a post from HBRs Andrew McAfee about how the connected habits of Millennials are benefting organizations. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture. Sunday, February 20, 2011. Truth and Equality in the Workplace. Its worth a read.

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The Hourglass Blog

JUNE 5, 2011

I had a fantastic opportunity this past Friday—an opportunity to take the principles and ideas about innovation that are being developed through my work with the Innovation Task Force of the Wisconsin Society of Association Executives , and apply them in a real-world situation with a real-world organization.

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The Hourglass Blog

AUGUST 22, 2011

A workshop, in my mind, is for discussion and experiential learning, and too many sessions that are billed that way (whatever the organizer chooses to call them) wind up talking at people for a vast majority of their time. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture.

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The Hourglass Blog

DECEMBER 14, 2010

But I want to focus in on the underlying concept--that for an innovation process to succeed, it must align with the organizations culture and way of thinking. Thats an important lesson for any association executive interested in increasing the ability of their organization to generate and execute innovative ideas. Communication.

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The Hourglass Blog

OCTOBER 24, 2011

At the end of it, we made the following commitment: Each of us will commit to a specific objective in our own organization that increases our use of co-creation or participatory decision-making in program development of strategy setting. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. We will then: 1.

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The Hourglass Blog

NOVEMBER 26, 2010

A conference planning committee is currently being assembled to help organize this event, and we hope to attract association executives from around the nation to participate. Association Management. Communication. Daring to Lead 2006. Association Subculture. Like Sands Through the Hourglass.

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