FOCUS NORTH September/October 2021
Building Equality The American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota promotes a culture of inclusion through state and national initiatives. PG 5
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Focus North is published 6 times a year by Associations North 1970 Oakcrest Avenue, Suite 100, Roseville, MN 55113 Phone: 651.647.6388 Fax: 651.647.6416 Website: www.associationsnorth.com Email: info@associationsnorth.com
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The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of Associations North. Editorial contributors in any area of association management are welcome. Articles accepted for publication are subject to editing by Associations North. Advertising is accepted on a space availability basis. Contact angela@associationsnorth.com or call 651-647-6388 for further advertising information.
Staff Angela Kisskeys, Co-Director VP of Operations & Communications
CONTENTS
Sarah Ruzek, Co-Director VP of Finance & Education Steffanie Berg Project Coordinator
5 Building Equality
Mission
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota promotes a culture of inclusion through state and national initiatives.
To advance and serve the association management profession in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Leaders: 7 Advancing Fuel For ForwardThinking
Five Reasons Strategic Plans Fail to be Strategic
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Moving Forward Together
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What’s CO-ing On?
18 Conversations 19 Calendar of Events 20 Brain Power 24 Et Cetera
Vision Associations North, our members and their associations will thrive and grow.
Diversity & Inclusion In principle and in practice, Associations North values and seeks diversity and inclusiveness within the association management industry. Associations North advocates for and promotes involvement, innovation, and expanded access to leadership opportunities that maximize engagement across underrepresented groups in the Associations North membership.
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Advancing Engagement + Recruitment: Moving Membership
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25 Spotlight: Member in Motion Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details Game On! Returning to Face-to-Face
Move from ROI to VOI
16 Advancing 15 Advancing Communications: The Essentials: 11 Advancing Diversity & Inclusion: Stay Connected Invaluable Insights Journey Forward
How to Tackle Transformational Change in a Disruptive World
Pronouns in the Workplace
Public Organizations Vs. A Global Pandemic Business Untethered
Board of Directors If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which would you pick? David Siegel, CAE, IOM (2021 Chair) Housing First Minnesota
Calm, Spotify + Evernote
Angela Kisskeys Associations North
Maps, Amazon + Instagram
Robbie Thompson (Past - Chair) The PLUS Connect App of course, ESPN + The Atlantic Professional Liability Underwriting Society
Justin Bieganek Mercury Creative Group
Clara Albert, CAE (Chair - Elect) Electrical Association
WhatsApp, Google Maps + Shazam
Carrie Chang Minneapolis Area REALTORS®
Janel Fick (Secretary / Treasurer) Global Management Partners LLC
Travelzoo, Waze + Spotify
Mary Detloff, CAE Crescendo Consulting Solutions, LLC
Sarah Ruzek Google Maps, Camera + Messages Associations North
Safari, Spotify + Messages
Email, Google + Spotify
Google Maps, Weather + Instagram
Matt Gruhn Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
Maria Huntley, CAE, MANM Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians
Banking, Waze + Twitter
Karla Keller Torp Minnesota Shopping Center Association Christi Kokaisel, CAE, MBA American Academy of Neurology Shannon Thomasser Visit Roseville
Spotify, MapMyRun, and a tie between Amazon and Starbucks!
Life360 + WhatsApp
Campendium, Camera + Music
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Moving Forward Together: Associations North Partners
YEAR LONG SPONSOR: Community Brands
Why we partner with Associations North… YourMembership AMS partners with Associations North to help put their members first. Our goal is to help small-staff association leaders like you more efficiently manage membership activities, build engagement with members, and increase revenue so your organization keeps moving forward.
A memorable moment that YourMembership has with Association North is the level of personalization and commitment they have to advancing their members. Associations North provides a robust variety of meetup groups on different topics to connect association professionals on such a regular basis. #Kudos to Associations North
THANK YOU! TOGETHER, WE ARE MOVING PROFESSIONALS FORWARD.
Fargo-Moorhead CVB | Kahler Hospitality Group | St. James Hotel | Visit Duluth 3
What’s CO-ing On?
A Catalyst for Success CEOSync launched at a critical time when leaders were navigating the demands of a changing association landscape and the unity and support of peers proved invaluable. We’ve heard many times that it can be lonely at the top; CEOSync is a platform for dialog with respected peers, confidentiality for difficult leadership conversations and accountability for continuous improvement. Over the past ten months, the Associations North CEOSync pilot program has evolved into a collaboration hive where leaders in the association community are invested in each other’s success. “Having immediate access to a team of colleagues that can verify you’re headed in the right direction or, on the flip side, help you course-correct is so valuable,” said Cassie Larson, CAE, Executive Director of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association. “Also, the sharing of resources during this program has saved our own association both time and money ̶ what works for one typically works for others,” she continued. No topic is off-limits, from operations and financials to designing the future of work, board composition, governance, and marketplace disruptions. CEOSync is a gateway to game changing information and resources from leading experts in a variety of subject matter areas. Strategy for leaders today is about finding a balance of new and old while navigating a spectrum of how we serve. How can leaders be proactive vs reactive, not go back but have a future-forward strategy with a sustained commitment and energy to reinvention? CEOSync is committed to elevating top leadership and organizational performance. “I’m truly grateful for the experience I’ve had in this cohort and the relationships I’ve made. CEOSync has helped connect me with people and perspective-shifting ideas that have made me a stronger leader,” noted Andrew Leitch, VP of Operations, Greater Public. Matt Gruhn, President of the Marine Retailers Association of the America shared, “There’s no one part of CEOSync, in my opinion, that I find most beneficial. Each month, it is the structured approach to tackling the most relevant and timely topics that has helped me guide our business. One month, it may be the golden nuggets we take from the expert presenter, a best practice that one of our colleagues shared or a simple idea presented during a strategy seat conversation. No matter what, every single month of CEOSync has given me some insight or idea that I have applied to our organization almost immediately.”
CEOSync is a model for strengthening and challenging yourself as a leader, finding unity among a group of peers, and dedicating time to work on your organization - not in it. “This isn’t just value, this is real, applicable value. You want value, CEOSync is for you,” stated Mark Neeb, CEO at ACA International. Want to be part of CEOSync in 2022? Let us know. The Associations North Board of Directors recently participated in a strategic planning session with Mary Kay Delvo, INspiring SIGHT, where we identified key priorities based on member interviews, data and trends. We’ll share more highlights in the next issue of Focus North, but one thing you can bet on is the return of CEOSync. As Mark said, if you want real value, this program is for you. Learn more and find key details at: associationsnorth.com/ceosync. Speaking of cohort groups, we launched our pilot Creating and Advancing Equity, Diversity + Inclusion (EDI) program with 15 participants last month. Feedback was unanimous – it was great to meet in-person! Top-takeaways included contemplating the definition of equity, asking the question ‘who is missing from the table when determining these definitions?’, and identifying bridges and barriers that hinder measurable improvements. Meet the cohort committed to furthering EDI at associationsnorth.com/EDICohort. We look forward to seeing many more members in the upcoming months at the Moving Meetings Forward event (see page 27) and NEW Celebration (with education) event in December.
Co-Directors, Associations North
Meet some smilin g faces of CEOSync 2021!
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Building Equality The American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota promotes a culture of inclusion through state and national initiatives.
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota (ACEC/MN) knows that its members help engineer and design the vital infrastructure that allows society to operate. But they are also invested in building relationships too. As a trade association, one key function of ACEC/MN is connecting people and bringing them together. That mission is lived out in a tangible way through the group’s Women in Engineering professional development series and collaboration on the national ACEC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. 5
“Both of these efforts aim to encourage and inspire underrepresented groups within our industry,” said ACEC/ MN executive director Jonathan Curry. “We want all sectors of employees to feel welcome in the engineering industry and know they have a place in our association.” ACEC/MN is well positioned to take on these tasks. With 125 member organizations and 7,200 consulting engineers across the state, ACEC/MN represents interests in transportation, water resources, energy, construction, natural resources, renewable energy, and more – every aspect of engineering and design that you could imagine. One of the association’s three strategic goals, known as “transformation,” includes embracing and expanding a diverse and capable workforce, which seamlessly aligns with its Women in Engineering initiative. Held four times a year, ACEC/MN’s Women in Engineering professional development series is popular with its members. Bringing together women of all levels – from entry level through senior c-suite professionals – the initiative offers business development, professional career coaching, inspirational speakers, and the valuable opportunity to network and seek support from peers. Participants share ideas, discuss what they’ve learned, and apply it to their jobs. Presentation topics for the series have included challenging gender bias in the workplace, focusing on system-level and cultural changes to encourage inclusion, strengthening the workforce, and encouraging employee retention. Although the Women in Engineering professional development series has been hosted virtually through the pandemic, attendance has still been high. The association is planning to move back to in-person events in 2022, which is in line with many of the public sector clients that ACEC/MN member firms work with. “We have participants that range from high-level executives to new engineers just beginning their careers,” explained John Krapek, ACEC/MN’s education and outreach director. “It’s a group that’s extremely motivated, shows up early to participate, and shares their successes and struggles in the field.” While ACEC/MN’s Women in Engineering initiative takes place at the state level, the organization is also involved in diversity and inclusion efforts at the national level. It is one of 52 member organizations of the ACEC, which is a federation
“We want all sectors of employees to feel welcome in the engineering industry and know they have a place in our association.”
based in Washington, DC that represents more than 5,500 engineering firms and 600,000 employees around the country. As part of a push from local, state, and national government entities and private companies to encourage a diverse workforce, the national ACEC established a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee in the past year, of which Curry serves as a member. The committee’s purpose is to encourage ACEC members throughout the U.S. to look within their organizations and determine how they can set up success for underrepresented groups. “My job on the national committee is to represent all 52-member organizations and bring new ideas and share success stories, like our Women in Engineering professional development series, to focus our efforts and grow and benefit the members,” Curry said. “We want to send the message that underserved markets – like communities of color, immigrants, and women – are welcome and can achieve successful careers.” Even though ACEC/MN focuses on the engineering industry, diversity and inclusion are issues that affect all associations. The tools that the group is building can be shared with likeminded organizations to make everyone stronger and move forward. Especially as the world grapples with the lingering effects of COVID-19, where careers and entire industries were turned upside down, it’s a way to help people recover and look for new jobs and career paths. It represents the heart of what the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee is designed to do. To learn more about ACEC/MN’s Women in Engineering professional development series and the association’s participation on the national ACEC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee, visit www.acecmn.org.
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Advancing Leaders: Fuel for Forward-Thinking
Five Reasons Strategic Plans Fail to be Strategic Mary Kay Delvo, INspiring Insight
Many organizations create a strategic plan, but they fail to implement because the plan doesn’t reflect or align with their day-to-day reality. As a result, staff struggle to report meaningful information to the board, lack of meaningful information does not allow board members to make sound governance decisions and the board often doesn’t know how to ask the right questions for ensuring the plan is on track and still aligned. On top of all that, we now live in a complex, rapidly changing world with more complicated scenarios and more unknowns few can keep up with and decisions need to be made at a pace faster than the average news cycle. Over the course of my 25 years of working with organizations, I have discovered that just because one has a strategic plan, doesn’t mean it is the right plan, and certainly doesn’t mean the organization will follow it. My experience and observations have led me to the five reasons strategic plans don’t produce desired results. 1. Strategic plans are rarely based on honest feedback and complete information. When in a room together, board members and staff are often reluctant to be completely forthcoming when talking about the organizational needs or blind spots. Power differentials, politics, territory, pet projects, fear of retaliation and personality clashes often play an intervening role in preventing the reality of the organization’s culture from surfacing.
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2. Inefficient use of the full board’s time. The executive director, who nearly always struggles to get the board in a room together, has so much information that requires discussion, the agenda is over-packed and rich conversation is cut short. Typically, boards spend the morning doing some form of information gathering / SWOT Analysis. By time they get to decision-making, it is afternoon and board members have lost focus and are restless to get back to their paying jobs, making decision-making rushed and not very strategic—reducing their return on investment for the strategic planning process right out the gate—a huge disservice to the executive director and ultimately, the organization. 3. Role confusion and blurred lines between vision and mission. Board members and leadership teams often lack understanding of the difference between governance roles and management roles, one of the major reasons executive directors walk off the job. Equally confusing, is the small but important difference between what vision and mission each mean and how each contributes to the success of the organization. Utilized together, the vision, mission and strategic priorities serve as a guide or ‘litmus test’ for decision-making across the entire organization from the board room to the break room. Additionally, a strategic plan done right creates a framework for your organization’s talking points and marketing materials. Most strategic plans are written in narrative form over
10 or more pages. I help organizations create a one-page Strategic Alignment Map© so it is accessible and utilized in every discussion and decision.
“Many visions and missions are the length of an abstract vs a headline—making them uninspiring, not repeatable, and lacking clarity. If you can’t visualize it, you can’t realize it and if you can’t repeat it, you can’t live it.” 4. Strategy doesn’t align with the organizational reality and lacks the employee voice. The strategic plan is often created without solid knowledge of how the organization operates. A vision and mission without meaningful connection to the actual work will never be realized. 5. Staff and board members lack the muscles required to keep the plan alive in their day-to-day. Asking strategic and awareness-raising questions is a developed skill and mindset which most employees and leadership teams don’t possess. Having a plan does little for you if you don’t know how and when to ask the necessary questions for digging deeper, assessing, and connecting everyday actions and decisions to broader visions and purpose. This is an essential component of plans that work. This skill connects directly to accountability.
Advancing Engagement + Recruitment: Moving Membership
Move From ROI to VOI Cathi Hight, Hight Performance Group
How often have you heard a member ask, “What’s the ROI of membership?” Members who ask this question want to know, “How much are we going to save?” or “How much are we going to make ($$)?” or maybe it means, “What does this do to my bottom line?” I caution associations about engaging in a ROI debate to define the value of membership. ROI literally means “return on investment” and in these debates, you would need to prove that members received the same amount of money back, or more, than they invested. Sometimes, that may be a hard thing to prove.
• Interaction—We provide opportunities for members to make connections, share information, and learn best practices from a community of their peers. • Instruction—We offer timely, industry-appropriate, and costeffective educational opportunities so members can sharpen their skills, stay compliant, and compete locally and globally. • Insights—Members gain valuable knowledge, best practices, and learn from other members and industry experts. • Integration—Members can apply what they have gained to their own organizations to meet their goals.
Rather than defining the benefits of membership using ROI, I’d prefer to explore the VOI. The VOI concept was first introduced by Gartner, the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. VOI, or Value on Investment, is defined as “intangible assets that contribute heavily to an organization’s performance. These intangible assets include knowledge, processes, the organizational structure, and ability to collaborate. Where ROI is the measure of the tangible benefits of a project or activity, VOI is the measure of the intangible benefits of a project or an activity. VOI includes ROI.”
As associations, we deliver on VOI, which includes both financial and intangible benefits for our members!
VOI Means Much More than Money We can definitely apply the Value on Investment concept in the association world as a way to define the often overlooked and unexpected benefits of member investments. Let’s expand on the VOI concept and explore the intangible benefits of membership. Let’s substitute “Investment” in VOI for other intangible words that start with “I” and explore how membership delivers value for: • Information—We provide timely and relevant information our members use (e.g., newsletters, publications, blogs, updates on issues and outcomes). • Initiative—On behalf of our members, we take a stand on issues and ensure that a business voice is included before decisions are made. • Impact—Our initiatives create impacts that benefit our members, the business community, and industries we serve. • Influence—Because we proactively monitor business issues and take actions where needed, we are seen as one of the most influential organizations in our community, state, or nationally.
How Do We Communicate Our VOI? When I peruse association websites and membership marketing collateral, it seems that much of what we want to say is “lost in translation.” We use marketing-speak words and not those of our members, which means other members and prospects don’t really understand the value of membership. If you want to make sure your VOI is communicating benefits effectively, ask your members to toot the VOI horn and listen carefully to how they define the value. Here are a few you could use: • Which sources of information provided by us do you access on a regular basis and how does it benefit you or your business? • Describe one initiative that we took a stand on and how it positively impacted your business. • What do you like best about interacting with other members? • How have we helped you to develop new or stronger relationships with others in the community? • Describe something new you learned as a result of a program or other educational opportunity. • What best practices or ideas gained from being a member have you integrated into your business or personal life? Capture VOI statements offered by members and use their exact language to craft your value propositions—happy members say it best and in ways that will resonate with others. Here’s an insight I’ve developed along the way: members who question the value they are receiving ask you about their ROI and members who “get it” tell you about the VOI! So when members question their ROI, you want to shift the conversation to what VOI they received.
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Advancing Meetings + Events: In The Details
Game On! Returning to Face-to-Face Lisa Block, Velvet Chainsaw
With many organizations actively planning for an upcoming in-person conference or tradeshow, now is the time to make firm decisions for your attendee-experience, staffing and safety plans. We recently held a webinar featuring leaders from two large associations that have held face-to-face events in recent weeks. Here are five of the top takeaways that can help other associations navigate their new journey. 1. Increased and Transparent Communications Most Q3 and Q4, 2021 conferences are reporting attendance numbers that are 40 – 60% below 2019. Events with greater international participation are seeing the steepest declines. Expositions, while attracting fewer buyers, are consistently reporting high satisfaction rates with the quality and interest of the buyers: quality over quantity. The emerging best practice is to communicate lower attendance expectations weeks or months before the conference. Where you are able, also provide insight on the quality of attendees by job title and firmographics. 2. Hybrid, or Not We’re seeing a split down the middle for conferences offering a virtual, synchronous conference option. Just because the event media says the future is hybrid doesn’t mean that you need to go all in. Organizers are weighing cost vs. benefit options for hybrid.
Nearly everyone, however, is finding a way to better capture and amplify the conference in other ways – recap videos, articles, podcasts and scheduled replays. If you do plan for hybrid, make sure that you have dedicated staff and trusted vendors to focus on delivering that experience. 3. Business Model Exhibit space is down 25% or more. Sponsorship revenue, however, is holding its own–and in some cases– growing. If you have not adjusted your sponsorship menu to include more thought leadership and attendeeexperience elements, make it a high priority. 4. Staff and Vendors If your association is conducting board and committee meetings virtually, there is a good chance you can send fewer staff members to your large annual. If you’re like most, quite a few of your team members have not traveled since the beginning of the pandemic. They may have concerns regarding their personal participation. Be patient, listen to their issues and consider filling in with other staff members or contractors. Enhanced communication with your trusted vendors has never been more important. In some cases, they have experienced high turnover and may have fewer team members who know and understand your event. Plan for daily touch-base meetings or huddles with key players to ensure each day runs smoothly.
“Expositions, while attracting fewer buyers, are consistently reporting high satisfaction rates with the quality and interest of the buyers: quality over quantity.” If you plan on enforcing protocols, like wearing masks, it’s best not to put that responsibility on your staff. Instead, select a contractor or company that can focus their energies there. Work closely with your venue partners to explore options. 5. Observation More than ever, track and monitor behavior activity on-site to determine the mood and vibe of your audience. Does it feel like a reunion? Is attendance on the show floor or in education sessions as expected? Are people utilizing the spaces you’ve created to network or have downtime? Your audience may be excited or nervous (or both). So far, loyal attendees are appreciating and engaging in the familiar aspects of the event. They are also expecting you to offer new, fresh content and experiences. Don’t be afraid to take more risks. If you have small glitches, attendees will be more forgiving than ever…this time.
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Advancing Diversity & Inclusion: Journey Forward
Pronouns in the Workplace By Katie Campbell (they/she), Professional Liability Underwriting Society
I was nervous about putting my pronouns in my Zoom name for the first time. It was nothing my coworkers had done, but I’d seen negative reactions in society at large, and the anxiety was there all the same. But not only was it not a problem, it was a good thing. My manager reached out after that meeting, asked when I preferred she use which pronouns, and thanked me for sharing them. It made me feel appreciated and cared about on a personal level. We had a great conversation and it made me feel comfortable as both an employee and as a person. Pronouns are a balance of intimacy and performance. They are a personal part of identity, but are also used in a way where others are addressing you. Many cisgender people don’t think about their own pronouns— cisgender meaning that they identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth. For many transgender people—those who don’t necessarily identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth—pronouns are a constant consideration. I’m nonbinary, which for me means that I don’t fully identify with the gender that I was assigned at birth. I’m fine with she/her pronouns, but lately they/them pronouns have felt better. (If I had a nickel for every time I thought about gender, I’d be able to retire right now). For me, I do have preferred pronouns. I note my pronouns as “they/she” in my email signature and in my Zoom name, showing a preference for they/them but letting people know I’m fine with she/her. For many people, however, pronouns are not preferred: they just are. Your pronouns are what you say they are, and you should be addressed by those pronouns. My manager refers to me with they/them pronouns in emails and meetings, as casually as any other colleague. It’s a little thing, but it makes me feel happy and comfortable as the person I am. She added her pronouns to her Zoom name as well as her email signature, and a few other coworkers have,
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too. It makes me feel safer expressing who I am when I know I have colleagues willing to outwardly support me. There is a balance to be struck when it comes to the professional workplace and pronouns, however. Forcing people to list their pronouns can lead to trans people unwillingly having to out themselves, or having to misgender themselves for their own safety. Often the best thing that you can do is create a safe, welcoming atmosphere where people feel comfortable sharing their pronouns. This is where cis people can be allies. Putting your pronouns in your Zoom name can show support and normalize the practice. It can seem “obvious” what someone’s pronouns are, but that’s part of why they’re important. Looking at me, it would be easy to assume that I use solely she/her pronouns: I present femininely and often wear feminine clothes. But they/them are my preferred pronouns, and feeling comfortable sharing that is important to me and lets me feel supported and appreciated. If you misgender someone, the best thing to do is offer an apology, use the correct pronoun, and move on. Lingering on the apology puts the onus of forgiveness on the misgendered person, which quickly gets uncomfortable. Repeating the sentence with the correct pronoun helps train your mind to use that pronoun in the future, and moving on lets the conversation continue. This is not blanket advice. Trans people are not a monolith, and many people have differing opinions. At the end of the day, creating a safe and supportive work environment benefits everyone, and sharing pronouns is a way to create this. I appreciate my workplace and colleagues who’ve shown their support of me, and I hope to do the same for others. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable and appreciated no matter what pronouns they use.
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Advancing Communications: Stay Connected
How to Tackle Transformational Change in a Disruptive World Seth Kahan, Visonary Leadership
There is so much going on in and outside of work these days, everybody’s bandwidth is compromised. For the first time my clients are telling me that we need to take into consideration the pressure people are under outside of work when we design executive retreats. Prior to the pandemic people were expected to put their day-to-day concerns aside and don their organizational hats for a day or two while they crafted the way forward for their organization. But, today it is different. A very prestigious client told me recently, we need to make sure that we consider the stress of our leaders. Everyone has someone in their family or knows someone who has died of COVID-19, the presence of systemic racism is being felt and weighing heavy on the hearts and minds of many, and the economy is not just making it hard for our work, it is making it challenging for mundane activity to get done as manufacturing and supply-chains continue to suffer. These demands are the very same forces requiring organizations to undergo transformational change. It is useful here to distinguish between incremental and transformational change. Incremental change is about adjusting or tweaking current ways of doing things, taking the status quo and shifting it a bit so that it is a better fit with the current environment. An example would be moving from face-to-face to online for regularly scheduled business meetings. Or, adjusting the price structures for yesterday’s offerings to keep them apace with changing customer expectations. Transformation, on the other hand, is about replacing the things you do today with a completely different set of options. Transformational change is radical in the sense that it opens up new possibilities that were not even available before, or it overhauls core functions from top to bottom. An example might be moving to a digital content strategy that requires assignment of metadata to every piece of content published, or utilizing blockchain to remove an intermediary that was burdensome and costly for your customers. These require whole system changes, which means that many parts of your business will be impacted simultaneously in order to achieve the hoped-for benefits.
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Keys to tackling this type of change include (1) distributed leadership, (2) transparency, and (3) empowerment. Distributed leadership pushes agency to wherever it is needed. Transparency provides the necessary knowledge and information to whomever needs it when they need it. And empowerment removes obstacles and yields accountability to those who are engaged in supporting the transformation. Distributing leadership is much more than promoting or assigning people to take care of a set of issues. It requires experiential training to build the capacity to lead. People do not appreciate the pressures of leadership until they have been exposed to these forces in the immediacy of the moment. If an organization wants to grow more leaders, it needs to provide their pipeline with practical contact; that is, give them the opportunity to go through the kind of events that build character. And then they need to provide a way for the emerging leaders to reflect on what they have learned and how they might put it into practice. Transparency sounds easier than it is. The first part of transparency is storing relevant materials where your people can get their hands on them without undue obstacles. But, more than that you have to make it easy for them, so they don’t have to know the search terms or the obscure location of the materials. It has to be as easy as to become second nature for those who rely on the information. Empowerment is challenging because it involves both letting go for those who have held the power, and picking it up for those who you want to wield it. Neither is guaranteed. To help people let go, they need to see the benefit to themselves. You have to answer the question, Why? in ways that they not only understand, but find compelling. For those who you hope to enroll, there must be a strong attraction to accepting the power and doing the right things with it. The long and short is that to tackle transformational change, the organizational leadership has to first transform itself. It does this by distributing its leadership, instituting transparency, and empowering other players. With these in hand, you are ready to take on a vision of a radically different future.
Advancing The Essentials: Invaluable Insights
Public Organizations Vs. A Global Pandemic Business Untethered William D. Pawlucy, CAE, MPA, IOM
Over the past year, the pandemic has challenged public organizations perhaps more than any modern-day crisis. Undoubtedly each organization has faced its unique challenges over the past century among economic downturns, market competition and advancements in technology, yet the pandemic left organizations collectively untethered to business as usual. As the country locked down, state by state, organizations had to determine what operating in a world outside of a conference room or business building looked like. Even worst, what did a world void of commerce have in store for public organizations and the communities in which they support. What we saw at Association Options, were organizations from diverse industries grasping onto new technology, adjusting budgets and realigning strategic plans to meet the changing needs of their communities. It wasn’t easy, yet they persevered. Now, as the Nation slowly begins to reopen, organizations face a new question: What is the future of public organizations in a post-pandemic world? Deciding how to embrace the unique changes they discovered as they reattach their harness to the comfort of board rooms, office buildings and a resurging commerce, many organizations are navigating a post-pandemic world where “business as usual” looks a little different.
We used our network of public organizations to ask CEO’s what lasting organizational changes the pandemic has brought about for their communities and they coalesced are two key objectives: First, communicating member value is as an integral part of organizational success than it has ever been before. Members will need to be reassured that the resources your organization offers to the industry will continue to be direct benefit to their company. Often, one of the most valuable benefits associations offer to their members is a collective voice and direct line of communications between them and their legislators. Continuous and effective means of communications is critical to helping members maintain confidence in their practice. Second, there is no substitution for the value of in-person meetings and networking events, however, there will continue to be a place for the virtual capacity in which they have learned to do business. Leveraging technology will continue to increase member engagement in between the face-to-face opportunities they can provide. Some also saw the value of hybrid meetings moving forward as technology continues to advance, with members participating both in-person and virtually.
“Communicating member value is as an integral part of organizational success than it has ever been before.” we suggest the following steps to keep your organization’s vision and mission in sight: • Review and update your strategic plan. • Organize a complete review of program, benefits, and services to ensure high impact in providing membership value. • Conduct a member value and needs assessment to see how your community’s needs have changed. • Restructure meetings and events around the innovations of advancements in technology. • Develop new streams of revenue to reduce reliance on income from meetings and events and create stability with a mix of revenue sources. Which one of these steps have you completed? What else would you add? As we move into a post-pandemic world, what does it look like to your members and how has it reshaped your organization? How will your organization maintain its leadership position in the industry or profession?
As public organizations continue their free fall into the post-pandemic world with these two key outlooks in mind,
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Meetup Group Day Associations North Virtual Meetup Group Day is back November 12. All members are invited to participate in complimentary discussions in the areas of: Advocacy, CEO, Communications, Diversity + Inclusion, Meetings & Membership. Details + Register: associationsnorth.com/calendar
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Conversations: In Focus | Different viewpoints. Different solutions.
What is one communication or collaboration tool you would recommend to others?
Ryan Flaherty Director of Communications Surface Mount Technology Association
The marketing team at the MRAA has found Trello to be an awesome collaboration tool. We use it for all of our marketing projects and content calendar. We created a Google Form for our team members to fill out and submit to our team and it goes straight into our Trello board. We then discuss each project and assign accordingly. It’s helped our processes so much! For my own individual projects, I recently got a Rocketbook erasable notebook and I’m amazed at how I can save notes that I take and send with a breeze.
Joseph Satter Senior Director of Communications Minnesota State, Hennepin County + Ramsey County Bar Associations
Google Drive has a lot to offer for collaborating on project files (sheets or docs) with committees and staff to ensure you always have the most up-to-date version, provided it doesn’t contain sensitive data.
Katie Eichelberger Marketing Specialist Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
When planning brainstorming sessions with staff or members, I like to share project/program specs in advance and to include starter questions in the meeting invite. This approach supports the communications styles and comfort of both introverts and extraverts and allows for everyone to add value. Too often, brainstorming is done with the element of surprise to see what surfaces on the fly, which supports just one style of participation.
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Calendar Of Events: Mark It + Make It For more details and to register, visit: www.associationsnorth.com/calendar
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WEDNESDAY OCTOBER
3
WEDNESDAY
NOVEMBER
Webinar: Connect Mission and Money At Your Desk 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Moving Meetings Forward Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
What is Impact investing? How can you customize Impact investing to be reflective of your Mission? How can you incorporate IMPACT investing into your Investment Policy Statement? How can you connect your mission in ALL aspects of what you do, including your endowment, foundation, and Long Term assets pools? Learn how you can customize where your dollars are invested to connect to your mission and make a difference.
Join us, in-person as we move meetings forward with fresh perspectives, creative reinvention, resiliency and thoughtful inclusion. Uncover solutions to overcome new complexities in the meeting planning industry regarding contracts, delivering high-value content - whether it’s inperson, hybrid or virtual, and crafting engaging experiences for meetings of the future.
Education when you need it.
Associations North e-Learning
View over 140 on-demand educational sessions from your desk, remote office or on the go. Search by CAE credit, subject area, or speaker. Education when you need it. associationsnorth.com/e-learning
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NEW! Education Added
BRAIN POWER Acid Test Frames Board Discussion Bob Harris, CAE
The board convenes to listen, discuss, and decide on organizational issues and programs. How is it decided what should come before the board? Help directors address recommendations by providing a framework for discussion. Without framing, groupthink may take over, distractions occur (Squirrel!), or directors dive into committee and staff responsibilities. Mission Statement The mission statement is the principal framer of all discussions. Display the mission on the conference room wall, board table or printed on the meeting agenda. Some groups read the mission at the start of every meeting. Frequently ask, “How does this recommendation advance our mission?” Frame the Discussion Develop an acid test for board discussions. The phrase “acid test” got its name from the historic use of acid to test metals for gold. If acid was applied to a metal and didn’t corrode it, that meant it was real gold. Some organizations have crafted standards against which to measure motions on the board table.
At the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce in Florida they developed five questions: 1. Does the issue relate to Chamber’s mission? 2. Does the issue relate to community goals? 3. What is the economic impact on the community? 4. What is the economic impact on the business community? 5. Is the issue or action recommended, consistent with other chamber procedures and policies? The Texas Medical Association used to display a sign on the board table to position discussions, also with five questions, with a preamble that read: To make best use of our resources and staff time, please consider these questions before you initiate a project: 1. What is the objective of this project? 2. Which goal(s) does this project support? 3. What resources will the project require? 4. What is the return-on-investment? 5. How will we measure success? To develop your organization’s “acid test,” have the directors determine how they want to analyze the ideas that come before the board.
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CREATING AND ADVANCING EQUITY, DIVERSITY + INCLUSION Our EDI pilot cohort kicked off their program journey on September 21st at the Minnesota Humanities Center. The half-day training session focused on an introduction to the program and building measurement and analysis competencies. Participants were challenged to define the term equity – based on mutual understanding of terms like equity, diversity and inclusion, organizations can operationalize it. Additionally, the group explored bridges and barriers to measurable improvement as well as practical ways to gather and incorporate data for EDI. This four-part series aims to continue growing a network of Equity, Diversity + Inclusion (EDI) leaders and increase the capacity of member organizations to measurably improve EDI. Associations North is proud to introduce this year’s cohort: LEFT Ann Kirby, Hospitality Minnesota Erica Forman, Minnesota Association of REALTORS® Geen Hong Mui, Minnesota State Bar Association Susan Brinkhaus, CAE, Salon & Spa Professional Association James Louis, CAE, Best Meetings Inc Becca Stickney, CAE, Pique Monique Thompkins (facilitator), CultureBrokers LLC CENTER Stacey Bonine, MEA Energy Association Joe McKinley, Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS® Makela Liggins, Global Management Partners Lisa Tabor (facilitator), CultureBrokers LLC RIGHT Leah Sweet, Jaffe Management Ashlee Hartwig, Minnesota Builders Exchange Margot Meyer, CAE, Ewald Consulting Megan Nadeau, MVMA Bobbi Hahn, ISSWSH John Krapek, American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota Earl Ross (facilitator), CultureBrokers LLC
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Et Cetera: Association Extras
WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS! Sukhjeet Ahuja
American Academy of Neurology
Amira Almujahid
American Academy of Neurology
Tiffany Birkeland
American Academy of Neurology
Matt Brandel
American Academy of Neurology
Jorri Carter
NACM North Central
Sara Clausen
Experience Rochester MN
Pat Colbert
US Tennis Association/Northern Section
Zach Cramer
American Academy of Neurology
Tessa Dahlgren
American Academy of Neurology
Emily Doheny
Housing First Minnesota
Ron Eiden
NACM North Central
Brooke Eikenberry
American Academy of Neurology
Fred Essis
American Academy of Neurology
Todd Fenton
American Academy of Neurology
Curt Follman
Creative Graphics
Max Goldman
American Academy of Neurology
Adria Gottesman-Davis
American Academy of Neurology
Geneva Johnson
American Academy of Neurology
Shannon Kellen
Care Providers of MN
Kenzie Krueger
American Academy of Neurology
Max Linder
American Academy of Neurology
Aristotle Mante
American Academy of Neurology
Zeny McCoy
US Tennis Association/Northern Section
Haley McNiff
American Academy of Neurology
Ben Meier
American Academy of Neurology
Esther Ndemo
American Academy of Neurology
Julie Neidt
American Academy of Neurology
Christine Nelson
Ingenuity Marketing Group LLC
Riley Northcott
Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes
Allison Perales
American Academy of Neurology
Seth Retzlaff
American Academy of Neurology
Marianne Sadee
American Academy of Neurology
Joy Stephansen
Global Management Partners, LLC
Deepak Subbaiah
Millennium Minneapolis
Leah Wallgren
American Academy of Neurology
John Wright
Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area
Aubrey Zalewski
American Academy of Neurology
Reminder: Review Profile If you haven’t visited your member profile, check it out to see past event history, outstanding invoices, select communication preferences, indicate which Meetup Groups you want to join and view other pertinent information to your membership. If you don’t remember the last time you logged in, now is the time. Log in to your profile at: associationsnorth.com and click on Manage Profile. Questions? Need additional help? Contact us at: membership@associationsnorth.com.
Retain + Recruit Top Talent Associations North has partnered with Association Societies Alliance to bring Real-Time Compensation + Benefits custom reporting 24/7. Compare your organization’s key operational metrics to others across the industry, including new diversity, equity and inclusion data, evaluate valuable KPI’s, including salaries, benefits, positions/departments, and more! Create your account and access custom reports at: associationsnorth.com/ realtimecomp. 24
SPOTLIGHT: MEMBER IN MOTION Get to know industry movers and shakers.
Abbey Bryduck Executive Director Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association
My favorite tradition... Zimmtkuken (German cinnamon sugar bread) on Christmas morning. My grandmother taught me how to make it.
I’d like to max my credit card out at...
Did you know?
Restoration Hardware. I might need two credit cards though.
India has 1 billion MORE people than the US? Perspective.
Best purchase I’ve made...
Words to live by… “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Paying for house cleaning every two weeks.
What is your favorite place? North Shore Oahu, North Shore MN, family cabin and Italy.
Song or artist that pumps me up... Lissie, Metric, Livin’ on a Prayer.
Most un-organized and organized parts of my life... Unorganized -family photos Organized- family trips
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Early bird or night owl? These days, neither.
What I would rate 10 out of 10... The Crown.
Favorite meal to cook or eat… Pasta Carbonara and Insalata Caprese.
S G N I MEET
Together, let’s move meetings forward with fresh perspectives, creative reinvention, resiliency and thoughtful inclusion. Uncover solutions to overcome new complexities in the meeting planning industry regarding contracts, delivering high-value content whether it’s in-person, hybrid or virtual, and crafting engaging experiences for meetings of the future.
MOVING MEETINGS FORWARD November 3 // Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington associationsnorth.com/meetingsforward 26
TOGETHER YOU, our members are the heart of our organization and the reason why we do what we do. Thank you for inspiring us and continuing to ignite our passion to serve you. Without you, we would not be.