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 [...]
Associations thrive and grow when members are interested in the actions of its board and association. That is why it is so important to always be looking for new, creative, and engaging ways to ‘entertain’ association members. Whether membership in your association is voluntary or required for a profession/industry, [...]
Over the past year we have all adjusted to working in the virtual space. We made refinements to how we collaborated with colleagues, association boards, committees, or task forces. The transition from in person meetings to the virtual space was not easy. Now that the pandemic is winding down, [...]
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 [...]
What does it take to be a good board chair? What skill set do you need and who do you partner with to fulfill the Vision & Mission of your association? The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) provide training sessions [...]
