In addition to a hard-working staff, associations are most often run by a board and committees made up of volunteers. These volunteer leaders are association members, and are no different from the rest of the membership. I am a volunteer radio DJ at a campus radio station, which is [...]
For an association leader, the daily responsibilities tend to fall under a wide jurisdiction. Committee reports and board meetings require preparation and follow up, as well as many other duties-the list goes on. The many needs of an association’s membership can seem daunting, and it is paramount that these [...]
Milestone anniversaries are a time to reflect on the past and to think about the future. I’ve recently reached the milestone of 20 years serving as the Chief Executive Officer (originally Executive Director) of my first association management client, the Pedorthic Association of Canada. I am proud to say [...]
If you are an athlete, a sports fan, or played in a rec league as a child, you know that each sport requires a different number of players, different types of positions, and use different equipment. You cannot expect to excel at one sport and jump into another without [...]
As a young professional working in today’s economic climate, I have experienced the struggle to find my way on the career path I have chosen. This is a challenge that most people experience at some point in their career, and for many, it can be a disheartening hurdle to [...]
Associations operate on trust between the CEO, Chair, and board members. In our new virtual world, we are losing that in-person connection opportunity. How can boards build trust the trust in each other that allows them to make decisions based on the expertise that each board member brings to [...]
Between your “day job”, and your volunteer commitments to your association’s board and/or committees, you are pulled in many different directions throughout your day. While it may seem like you have no time, making the time to listen to members can further develop your leadership role significantly. Moreover, you [...]
In the association world, executive directors/Chief Staff Officers come and go. Sometimes it does not make sense to continue a relationship with an Executive Director for a variety of reasons and other times an association realizes the potential for excellence by making a change. In this article I’ll be [...]
It has been over a year since association board members from around the country have been able to hold in-person board meetings due to the pandemic. Boards are growing fatigued from the lack of interaction among members and are missing out on important aspects of association leadership. For example, [...]
In an everchanging world, it’s important that an association’s board of directors prioritizes adapting to change. Creating an ethically sound process for board rulings, whether minor or major, is vital. I will be breaking down a strategy of using an ethical decision-making framework highlighted in the Directorprep.com article, “Ethics [...]
