{"id":12433,"date":"2023-05-17T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T06:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=12433"},"modified":"2023-05-12T16:06:45","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T16:06:45","slug":"why-association-leaders-need-a-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/why-association-leaders-need-a-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Association Leaders Need a Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

Republished from Associations Now<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Associations face an increasingly competitive market for members, attendees, and education. Experts recommend finding a \u201csuperpower\u201d\u2014and building a culture that supports it.<\/p>\n

Time was, the association value proposition was pretty simple: \u201cWe\u2019re the only ones who care about you.\u201d If you were a member of a profession, the association serving it was often the sole option when it came to training you, credentialing you, connecting you with your peers, and advocating on your behalf when legislation could affect your work.<\/p>\n

Now, of course, it\u2019s not that simple. The internet can provide community and education, and a broader array of associations means professionals can pick and choose which group best serves their interests. And as more professionals change jobs and careers more often, even the so-called \u201cgolden handcuffs\u201d of credentialing aren\u2019t a guarantee that people will stick around.<\/p>\n

The value proposition now is more like: \u201cWe provide X like nobody else can.\u201d What\u2019s X? That\u2019s up to you, of course, but it\u2019s a tricky business. A recent McKinsey & Company article stresses the importance of finding an answer. Five experts from the consulting firm argue that every organization requires a \u201csuperpower.\u201d<\/a> Or rather, you need an \u201cinstitutional capability,\u201d something you do \u201cconsistently \u2026 better than competitors,\u201d the article stated. \u201cIt must involve work that is integral to the company and the industry; it can\u2019t be a gimmick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most ambitious and successful CEOs outline a vision of what they want to be known for.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These capabilities can be functional\u2014one particular thing that you\u2019re known for doing well. Or they can be enterprise-wide\u2014cultural elements like innovation and decision-making that help the entire organization thrive. Regardless, success demands identifying, supporting, and perhaps expanding those capabilities. To do that, the authors propose a process it summarizes as VECTOR\u2014that is, vision, employees, culture, technology, organization, and routines.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m as skeptical of forced acronyms as I am of comic-book metaphors. But there are two points within the concept that make good sense. First, is the importance of starting with a vision. An organization\u2019s targets have to involve more than just finances, the authors explain. \u201cThe most ambitious and successful CEOs go further and outline a vision of what they want to be known for,\u201d they wrote. The first job is identifying that vision, getting people behind it, and staying flexible while they pursue it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdaptation never ends,\u201d they wrote. \u201cThe capability needs to continue to evolve and grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second point involves culture. Because a new vision and shiny new mission statement aren\u2019t enough; a commitment to change requires creating an environment where new ideas are welcomed and the tools of the change are welcomed. Leaders will need employees, members, and volunteers to support the effort. \u201cWhen building or enhancing a capability, a mindset shift is required,\u201d they wrote. \u201cWhat is often missing, however, is the stamina and consistency to make the change stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The association world offers plenty of examples of rising to the moment. Because they\u2019ve recognized that membership and engagement isn\u2019t a given since the pandemic, they\u2019ve changed their meetings, created new education modalities, introduced new products and services, and otherwise refused to stand pat. Sometimes that shift was a function of the urgency of the moment: The mission became not so much, \u201cWe provide X like nobody else can\u201d as \u201cWe\u2019re keeping the doors open.\u201d But the experience has taught a lot of associations about what works, what members truly need, and how best to provide it.<\/p>\n

Connect that to a meaningful vision, and you have a value proposition that can last well beyond a crisis.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
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About The Author<\/h3>\n\t\t\tMark Athitakis<\/strong> is a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel.<\/i>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Republished from Associations Now Associations face an increasingly competitive market for members, attendees, and education. Experts recommend finding a \u201csuperpower\u201d\u2014and building a culture that supports it. Time was, the association value proposition was pretty simple: \u201cWe\u2019re the only ones who care about you.\u201d If you were a member of a profession, the association serving it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":287,"featured_media":12434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-association-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Association Leaders Need a Vision - Association Adviser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Associations face an increasingly competitive market for members, attendees, and education.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/why-association-leaders-need-a-vision\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Association Leaders Need a Vision - 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