After nearly 30 years leading the event development and execution at the Society for Human Resource Management, I took the leap earlier this year to join the remarkable VCC team and focus on helping associations and organizations improve their annual events. The work we do has reignited my deep appreciation for the role associations play in society and the importance people attribute to their affiliation with a profession or business vertical. I have learned more about the importance of … [Read more...]
The 21st Century Meeting Professional: Act Strategically, Think Both Functionally And Strategically
What’s the role of the 21st Century meeting and conference professional? In the past, the answer was easy. Perform very straight forward, transactional, functional tasks related to the logistics of conferences, meetings and events. S/He fulfilled the same types of tasks on a daily basis. When asked to make improvements, s/he focused on efficiency and cost savings. Today however, many meeting professionals are being asked to balance new strategic roles while still managing their functional … [Read more...]
You Choose: Bloated Painfully Slow Blimp Or Stealth Agile Fighter Jet
Recently I saw the Goodyear Blimp circling a major Dallas freeway. It bounced up and down with the intensity of a bobble-head-frenzy. Several times it plunged nose-first in a new direction. It was clunky and off target—at least it looked like it was astray. It was also painfully slow.Some association governance structures have bloated into blimps, frustrating everyone but the historians, legalists and nostaglists. Blimps In A World of Stealth Fighter Jets Some associations have outdated … [Read more...]
Feeding A Zombie Project And Getting No Results
Is your organization stuck maintaining and nurturing a zombie project? A zombie project is one that continues from year to year regardless of its effectiveness. It sucks the very life and resources from your team and organization says authors Scott Anthony, David Duncan and Pontus M.A. Siren. Often many people feel these zombie projects have a birthright and should always be delivered regardless of the outcome. The organization and its leaders have strong emotional ties to its spawning, … [Read more...]
Attitudes That Separate Growing, Healthy Conferences From Declining Ones
So what’s the difference between a growing, healthy conference and a declining one? Well, there are a lot of differences. Leadership—boards, committees, volunteers, staff—of growing, healthy conferences share some common attitudes. And leaders of declining conferences share similar outlooks as well. These mindsets have a huge influence on a meeting’s outcomes. Here are five leadership attitudes that impact conferences. Which ones do your leaders have? Hat tips to authors Carey Nieuwhof … [Read more...]
Conference Education Sessions Must Override Attendees’ Need For Predictability
We are hard-wired to be like the Fraggles. But we are better off being like the the Doozers. Be A Doozer Not A Fraggle If you’ve ever watched the 80s tv show Fraggle Rock, you know the Fraggles and Doozers. The colorful, fur tuft tipped tail Fraggles only have a 30-minute work week. They dedicated their time to carefree enjoyment and play. They don’t like to think or work. The small green ant like Doozers spend all their time building things. They are dedicated to work and their … [Read more...]
Four Objections To Changing Conference Education And Experiences
Change freaks many of us out! We fear it. We ignore it. We refuse to accept it. It’s really not change that freaks us out. It’s the unknown of the outcome. It’s so much easier to keep things the same because we know the results. Defining Change According to psychologist and therapist Roger S. Gil, change is “…A modification to a person's environment, situation, or physical/mental condition that results in circumstances that challenge their existing paradigms. …It implies that humans … [Read more...]
Practicing Strategic Thinking To Strengthen Intellectual Capacity
It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that. ~ The Red Queen, Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass Strengthening Strategic Thinking Muscles Becoming a strategic thinker is not as difficult as it sounds. Although if we’re not careful, it may mean running-in-place, twice as hard. It just means practicing different behaviors than what you probably already do. Being more strategic … [Read more...]
