{"id":6147,"date":"2016-06-30T12:01:55","date_gmt":"2016-06-30T16:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=6147"},"modified":"2018-02-27T20:57:24","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T20:57:24","slug":"learn-something-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/learn-something-new\/","title":{"rendered":"You\u2019re Never Too Old to Learn Something New"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hank
Hank Berkowitz, Association Adviser<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I spoke with CEO of AGC Georgia Michael Dunham<\/strong> the other day about association leadership, career development and mentoring (see his Corner Office<\/a><\/strong><\/span> profile). Since the vast majority of corporate, government and not-for-profit workers in the U.S. are \u201cat will\u201d employees (i.e., not under contract), I wondered if HR folks were worried about investing in employees who could fly the coop for a better offer on a moment\u2019s notice. Dunham\u2019s response? \u201cThe only thing worse than training your people and losing them is not training them and keeping them.\u201d
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s no laughing matter when you\u2019re serving industries like large-scale construction, in which there are five times as many boomers \u201cretiring out\u201d as there are young people stepping in to take their place. While those kinds of demographics can be unsettling, our panel of experts offered concrete steps for attracting and retaining the kinds of talent you need to keep your association growing and relevant.<\/p>\n

\"Tweetables\"<\/p>\n

The only thing worse than training your people and losing them is not training them and keeping them.\u00a0\"LilTweetablesSmall\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A strong mentoring program is instrumental to attracting the NextGen and retaining long-timers.\u00a0\"LilTweetablesSmall\"<\/a><\/p>\n

New leaders should really learn the culture of their organizations before trying to implement changes.\u00a0\"LilTweetablesSmall\"<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a recent grad, experts say your education is just beginning.\u00a0\"LilTweetablesSmall\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Have a robust job board and online career center<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tom Aley, <\/strong>vice president, client management & analytics, Boxwood Career Solutions, said that job boards not only deliver professional advancement opportunities, they drive traffic to association websites. \u201cMost associations think of a job board as a lot of extra work, especially for small staff organizations. But [job boards] have matured and now there are solutions that range from simple job boards (like the Boxwood GO product) to more complex career centers that offer state-of-the-art job board features, content management and search engine optimization,\u201d Aley said.<\/p>\n

Mind your metrics<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Joe Rosensteel, <\/strong>Boxwood\u2019s vice president, digital product development, said if nothing else, make sure you keep an eye on your job board\u2019s pages, sessions, average session duration and new sessions. He said a good benchmark is at least two pages per session and an average session duration of at least two minutes. New sessions should represent at least 50 percent of the traffic, which most likely indicates your site is properly marketed and optimized for the major search engines.<\/p>\n

Aley said you must also focus on job views and candidate registrations because they quantify your association\u2019s engagement with a talent pool. \u201cThat\u2019s what employers buy,” he said. “Without candidates, no job board will be successful.\u201d Aley added that associations can drive high performance in these areas by not only ensuring their career center has premium placement, but also by including job posts in its other important member communication channels.<\/p>\n

Quality over quantity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThe biggest complaint I have heard about the bigger boards (e.g., Monster.com) is the large number of unqualified candidates who apply for each position,\u201d said Boxwood\u2019s Rosensteel. By contrast, associations offer quality over quantity. \u201cEmployers know that when they post a job on an association job board, they are advertising directly to an audience that is already tuned into their specific industry,\u201d Rosensteel added.<\/p>\n

Aley observed that most visitors to association job boards are passive candidates<\/em>. \u201cThey\u2019ve gone to an association\u2019s website looking for other services (continuing education, networking opportunities, etc.) and discovered the job board as an additional service.\u201d\u00a0Since associations attract professionals who are deeply committed to their careers, Aley said employers benefit because they\u2019re engaging with a candidate pool that cares about its professional advancement. \u201cThese folks tend to make the best employees and ultimately go on to become leaders in their respective industries\/fields,\u201d Aley added.<\/span><\/p>\n

A new era of association job titles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whether you\u2019re looking for talented to staff to join your association, or considering a move into the association world, mining the list emerging job titles on association job site can be a helpful indicator of where an association\u2019s highest priorities are (or should be).<\/p>\n

Personally, association leaders have told me about newly created titles such as \u201cVP of member value,\u201d \u00a0\u201cdirector of member experience\u201d and \u201cchief imagineering officer.\u201d Aley said he has noticed titles such as \u201c<\/strong>community manager,\u201d \u201cengagement specialist\u201d and \u201cLMS manager,\u201d which is a byproduct of the online learning trend at many associations.<\/p>\n

Leadership skills that may surprise you<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Association Adviser\u2019s latest reader poll<\/a><\/span> found that skills like decisiveness, comfort with boards and previous NFP experience were what are readers looked for in association leaders\u2014more so than listening skills, empathy, consensus building, etc., that gets mentioned so often in association conferences and workshops.<\/p>\n

\"Print\"<\/p>\n

Aley said the data didn\u2019t surprise him. \u201cThe world is changing faster than ever. Associations need leaders who can make a well-informed decision quickly so their organizations remain relevant.\u201d He also said \u201cculture fit\u201d is increasingly important. \u201cAs non-profit organizations, associations don\u2019t have a lot of leeway to make errors. Making the wrong hire, especially in a leadership position, is an expensive mistake that could take years from which to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

Online career centers: a key communication channel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Naylor\u2019s annual Association Communication Benchmarking Study<\/a><\/span> showed that online career centers in 2016 ranked as the seventh-most valued communication channel (out of 24). That\u2019s a big jump from thirteenth place just a year ago. What\u2019s driving that spike?<\/p>\n

\"Top<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aley pointed to a dearth of experienced, qualified talent. \u201cMost economists will tell you the retiring boomers are going to leave a gap in the workforce, some saying we\u2019re on the verge of a 15-year labor shortage. Robust association career portals deliver a gateway to jobs, content and learning in the context of professional advancement. For employers, job boards provide access to qualified talent that they can\u2019t access elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Career advancement top of mind with members<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our research also found that \u201ccareer\/professional development\u201d is now the third-most important topic to members (out of 15 choices).<\/p>\n

\"Most<\/p>\n

That may not seem surprising, but consider as recently as 2012, career\/professional development was barely in the top 5. What\u2019s driving that trend? Sharon Kneebone,<\/strong> membership director, Institute of Food Technologists, is not surprised<\/a><\/span>. According to IFT\u2019s recent member satisfaction survey, Kneebone said the top three reasons members joined IFT were career-related: (a) to advance their careers, (b) to build their professional networks and (c) to build on their professional knowledge.<\/p>\n

Aley said innovation and legislation are the two main drivers of the career-content trend. \u201cIn nearly every profession and industry, the pace of advancement has accelerated exponentially over the last 10 years, and all signs point to a continuance of that trend. We all need to get more proactive about our careers to maintain our competitive edge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Policies and regulations impacting association career dynamics<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dawn Rose<\/strong>, past executive director, American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, said ASHHRA is focusing on diversifying membership beyond the mid-level to upper-level HR executive and expanding training into more non-hospital healthcare settings<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

She agreed that new policies are requiring many organizations to change the way they do business. \u201cHealthcare is a prime example. The Affordable Care Act has had monumental implications on the way hospitals and health systems deliver care,” Rose said. “Job consolidation, implementation of new roles and emergence new standards result in people wanting more help navigating their career paths. Associations are a logical place to look for career and professional resources.”<\/p>\n

Importance of tech training for all age members<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rita Chen Fujisawa, <\/strong>vice president\u00a0<\/strong>and VOO, California Association of Health Facilities, said CAHF members tend to be late adopters of technology<\/a><\/span>. Her organization is trying to get more comfortable them online. \u201cRight now with social media we\u2019re out there on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter,” she said. “However, it\u2019s not enough just to be out there on those platforms. It needs to be an integrated strategy.”<\/p>\n

ASHHRA is expanding its certification programs and leveraging technology to help members \u201clearn, connect and build their own careers,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n

In our Corner Office profile<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, Michael Dunham describes AGC Georgia\u2019s training programs as helping contractors up their game when it comes to online project delivery systems, 3D animation and the responsible use of drones. It\u2019s also about tailoring continuing education programs for each member\u2019s preferred way of learning. \u201cA 62-year-old plant superintendent still wants to come to a live class for 10 hours to get his OSHA training. He\u2019ll tell me, \u201cI\u2019m not going to watch 10 hours on a video screen. On the other hand, Dunham said a millennial will tell him, \u201cI don\u2019t have time to sit in a 10-hour class, I\u2019m going to watch this thing every night for an hour on video until I knock it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mentoring as a competitive advantage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jenny Matthews, <\/strong>executive director, Tennessee Society of Association Executives,<\/strong> observed that boomers often joined associations because they felt it was the right thing to do<\/a><\/span> and an honorable way to stay involved in their industry or profession. By contrast, Matthews said it\u2019s more value-based and transactional for the younger generation that always wants to know, \u201cWhat am I getting for my dollar? Show me that benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

While job boards, professional training and certifications have long been staples of attracting and retaining members, associations are realizing that formalized mentoring programs can provide them with a significant competitive advantage. As we explain in our new piece, Can Mentoring Programs Bring Younger Members to Your Association?<\/a><\/span>,<\/em> more than 94 percent of respondents to a Horizons survey of 4,000 business leaders, consultants and association leaders believed that associations should adopt mentoring programs in order to attract younger people.<\/p>\n

Dunham said he was \u201cblessed\u201d to have so many veteran members and AGC chapter leaders mentor him throughout his career. He credited AGC\u2019s formal and informal \u201cride together in the pickup truck\u201d culture that makes so many members want to share their knowledge with others and \u201cpay it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I speak to university students about construction and architecture, I let them know that just because they\u2019re graduating from school and getting their first job, their learning is just getting started,\u201d chuckled Dunham. \u201cFolks who\u2019ve been out there and doing it for a while have so much to share about how things work. That opportunity to share best practices is a lot of what we do in our educational training programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To that end, psychologist and author Angela Duckworth <\/strong>had a great column in The New York Times<\/em> this month about career advice for recent graduates that folks of any age should follow<\/a><\/span>: \u201cFoster your passion\u201d rather than simply \u201cfollow your passion,\u201d she advised. Why? Because it takes time to develop a direction that feels \u201cso in-the-bones right\u201d that you never want to veer from it. That\u2019s a feeling that associations have been providing to all-age members for over a century.<\/p>\n

Hank Berkowitz is the moderator-in-chief of <\/em>Association Adviser eNews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I spoke with CEO of AGC Georgia Michael Dunham the other day about association leadership, career development and mentoring (see his Corner Office profile). Since the vast majority of corporate, government and not-for-profit workers in the U.S. are \u201cat will\u201d employees (i.e., not under contract), I wondered if HR folks were worried about investing in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":6153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,31],"tags":[467,597,784,176,290],"class_list":["post-6147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","category-features","tag-association-careers","tag-cahf","tag-career-center","tag-careers","tag-tnsae"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYou\u2019re Never Too Old to Learn Something New - Association Adviser<\/title>\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\/learn-something-new\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"You\u2019re Never Too Old to Learn Something New - Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I spoke with CEO of AGC Georgia Michael Dunham the other day about association leadership, career development and mentoring (see his Corner Office profile). 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