Association Big 3:Board Leadership

Association StrategySuccess Trends

presented byRyan Underwood

@TeamTRI_CEO

TEAMTRI.COM

Joint Association Executive InstituteBeyond Borders

Vancouver, BC Canada

The Association Big 3

•Board Leadership•Association Strategy•Success Trends

Ryan Underwoodryan@teamtri.com

Goal:Change/Add 1 Thing

to the Way You Lead and Serve Your Association

Sign Here

Coach John Wooden

• How good can you be?

• Play to your potential.

LEADERSHIP DEFINED• “Our understanding of how to

positively influence people and situations to create valueand growth.”From Personal Leadership Insight

Speak in to Board (and staff) in terms of ways to:

• Grow Influence• Not reduce Influence• Create Value• Create Growth

Adjust Your Leader Language

• Adapt from Super Leader• Adopt Builder of Super Leader Mindset• Personality Type Yourself, Board and

Staff—STUDY IT, Then USE IT• Humbly Immerse Yourself Leadership

[e.g. GiANT Worldwide]

Increasing YourLeadership Influence

Here’s What You’ll Find…

Best Fit Overview

Extrovert 19 Introvert 12

Energy: Prefer to direct and receive energy from external world of people, ideas, and activities

Energy: Prefer to direct energy and receive energy from internal world of thought, reflection, and ideas

Intuition 18 Sensing 13

Processing Information: Prefer to hear the big picture first, if they find it compelling they will work back toward the details

Processing Information: Prefer to take in and process information precise and exact manner

Thinker 13 Feeler 18

Decision Making: Prefer logical, rational, impersonal, truth-based decisions

Decision Making: Make decisions based on their own core values and the effect of decisions on relational harmony

Judging 29 Perceiving 2

Lifestyle: Prefer closure and a clear plan of action once a decision has been made

Lifestyle: Even after a decision has ben made they like to keep their options open for as long as possible

TeamTRI’s Best Fit Leadership Styles | 5 Voices* OverviewAs of October 2014

ISTJVoice: Guardian

ISFJVoice: Nurturer

INFJVoice: Creative

INTJVoice: Pioneer

Rhonda Amy, Summer Kayla, Rosy, Dawne, Danielle

Curtis, Raul, Brian, Josh, Laura

ISTPVoice: Guardian

ISFPVoice: Nurturer

INFPVoice: Creative

INTPVoice: Creative

Ryan

ESTPVoice: Guardian

ESFPVoice: Nurturer

ENFPVoice: Connector

ENTPVoice: Pioneer

Zach

ESTJVoice: Guardian

ESFJVoice: Nurturer

ENFJVoice: Connector

ENTJVoice: Pioneer

Aanal, SeanKyle, Trent, Mike X, Becky,

Carrie, Brycen, Hayley, Michelle

Karissa, Sarah Brent, Mike K, Teresa, Anne Marie, Chris

*Undeveloped Natural Voice

http://ww

w.16personalities.com

/personality-types

http://ww

w.16personalities.com

/personality-types

Then You Can Be The Super CEO

CEOChief Enthusiasm

Officer

You’ll be the Leader Among

Leaders!

Pause for the Cause

Association Leadership takes

StrategicThinking / Acting

Strategy is the #1 Job of the

Association Leader & Board

Strategy

“If your senior leaders can’t tell you the organization’s top 3 priorities, you aren’t leading very well.”

Jeff Immelt, CEOGeneral Electric

So, what is strategy

again?

STRATEGY DEFINED• “The skillful, creative, and disciplined use

of an organization’s resources to achieve its objectives.” – Race to Relevance: 5 Strategies for Competitive Associations

• “Key member issues to be addressed.” – The Future of the Competitive Association

If strategy is the #1 job of leaders, then

ensuring positive productive culture

is the first key strategic step

Culture BarometerIf I came to visit your association board meeting,

how much “explaining” would you have to do to describe how your

Board acts?

5 Key Strategy

Questions

Where Have You Been?

What’s in Your Cargo Already?

What Gives You Lift?

Who is Navigating?

Where Are You Headed?

Types of Strategic

Leadership

Sunrise: America & Canada

Sustain: Katrina

Sustain: The Marshal Plan WWII

Shift: Toyota

Shift: Bombardier

Shift: Walt Disney

Sunset: Microsoft Office 2013 to 365

Types of StrategySunriseSunset

Shift [Pivot]Sustain

Fundamental Questions that

Leaders Need to Answer for their

Followers (…and Board Members need to answer for the Members)

What are we doing?

Why are we doing it? What is

my role?

From Andy StanleyGiANT Leadercast 2013

Board Leadership is the Cornerstone of Successful Strategy.

The heart of Successful Strategy is

Structure.

QUICK! Who was the First President of the United States?

• Historical Note: 17 Founding Fathers could actually make a claim for this honor…

1781 1789

Association Management 1787 RULELook at Your Structure Every 10 Years

Structural Considerations

Policy vs Working BoardLarge vs Small Board

Policy vs Working Board

POLICY WORKING

Policy vs Working BoardPOLICY WORKING

Benefits:Decision Based

Quicker MeetingsEasier to Recruit

Wider InputsEmpowered Executive

Great Diversity

Benefits:Work Based

Shared & Quicker WorkLonger Meetings

Experience is the ReportEmpowered Volunteers

Consequence:More Data Collection Needed

Budgeting for StaffingRequires More Trust

Board’s Becomes “Judges”Failure to Reward/Reprimand

Consequence:Difficult to Recruit to Work HardBoard Member Follow Through

Awesome Board Members Collect PowerOpen for Role Confusion

Many “Executives”Less Diversity [Workers v Thinkers]

Board’s Don’t Judge Themselves Well

Large vs Small BoardsLARGE

SMALL

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only

thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”

Helen Keller

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large

groups.”

“Too many Chiefs. Not enough Indians.”

Motivational Demotivational

Large vs Small BoardsLARGE

SMALL

Benefits:Lots of Input & IdeasLeaders in Waiting

Easier to Find Specialized SkillsGreater Representation

Work is QuickerGreat Ability to Delegate

Quieter Leaders Feel SaferShared Responsibility

Benefits:Decisions are Quicker

More Nimble / Faster ResponseGreater Clarity & Cohesion

More InclusiveEasier to Administer

Stronger RelationshipsVisibility: Leaders Can’t Hide

Greater Accountability

Consequences:Cliques! Cliques! Cliques!

Harder to Organize & SynchronizeGreater Dictator Potential

MiscommunicationEasy to Get Lost

Harder to Meet PeopleEasy to Avoid Work

Challenging to Reach AgreementLoud Seem LOUDER

Less AccountableConsequences:

Less Knowledge to ShareLess Skills to Draw From

Can’t Hide as EasilyNot as Many to Share the Work

Work Harder Requires More Trust

Less Democracy

Finding Your Board Mix

POLICY WORKING

LARGE

SMALL

CONGRESS/PARLIAMENT

SUPREME COURT

DEFENSE

EXECUTIVE / CABINET

Tools for Looking at Structure

134 BoardMembers

34 BoardMembers

131 BoardMembers

Study Other Associations in Your Industry

28 BoardMembers

Governance Task Force

is a good example of how you have

adapted to accommodate large board needs, ideas,

development

Self-Assess Your Own Board

Self-Assess Your Own Board

Self-Assess Your Own Board

Are You as an Association ExecutiveSharing What You’re Reading and

Where You’re Meeting?• CAE: Certified Association Executive• Society of Association Executives

CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES•Authority•Accountability•Action

Air Traffic Control = Order in the AirAdmiral’s Deck = Runs the Battle GroupCaptain’s Deck = Runs the ShipDeck = Runs the Launch/LandingPlanes = Specific Mission to Carry Out

Clearly Defined Roles

• Board sets overall strategy and offers guidance• Management determines how to achieve• Board approves the strategy• Management carries out the strategy• Board authorizes the resources to enact it• Committees with Missions• Management designs the operations mix to

service member needs• Board monitors and measures

Make Sure Your Decision Making Materiality Test is Clear

• General Rule“If it can wipe us out…it’s a policy decision.”

• Major Policy: Bylaws & Strategy [Staff Recommended with Board Approval:]

• Secondary Policy [Staff Led with Board Approval]• Major Procedure [Staff with Board Advisement]• SOP [Staff]

Define Profitability Measures

“Profit is a measure of how well you do what you do”

• Can be:– Traditional: Revenue-Expense=Margin– Membership Recruitment and Retention– Attendance, Engagement & Participation– Knowledge Acquisition of Members– Advocacy Clout and Influence (Grassroots)– Satisfaction / Success of Members– Social Media/Digital Metrics

Pause for the Cause

Association Success Trends

1. Board Leadership2. Association Strategy

3. Success Trends

10,000 Reach Retirement Age Each Day…

…for the next 18 years.

Data generated

EVERYminute

Impact of Tech & Boomers• Cannot hide from either—it will impact your

business, your association, your community• New revenue streams besides dues/events• Build technology capacity/tap stakeholders

instead of just Board members• Innovation Agenda just like Legislative Agenda• Flip the Board Meeting or Agenda to look at

concentration and member need strategies

Fast Growth Association Trends

Fast Growth Associations“We can’t all do everything.”

• Two Thirds of Fast Growth Associations said concentration was important or very important to their success

• 95% of Fast Growth Associations had a formal strategic planning process in place compared to 63% of Slow Growth Associations

• Fast Growth Set Strategy 3 Years or More

Fast Growth Associations“Size Matters”

• Faster-Growing Associations Had Smaller Boards (Target 15-25)

• If you’re Board has more members than the State Senate, take a look at your size and structure.

Fast Growth Associations“Meeting on Purpose”

• 80% of Fast Growth Associations vs. 59% of Slow Growth Associations met 3 times a year to specifically generate or approve strategic ideas

• This is separate from regular governance meetings

Fast Growth Associations“The Urgency of Now”

• Fast Growth Associations built into their bylaws short board terms (2-3 years)

• Consider no more than 2 consecutive terms before a mandatory break is necessary. Work to condense meeting time.

5 Ailments of Slow Growth Association

1. SLOW Decision-Making2. Programs that advance few, but not many

(especially those members of influence)3. Management paralysis from vague roles4. Obliviousness to organizational performance

(including Boards collective/individual performance)

5. Tolerating Poor Results

5 Signs of Fast Growth Association Awesomeness

1. Board members with collective purpose (on fire to guide association and industry success)

2. Crisp decision-making (guides to decide)3. Sharply defined authority (board involved in

fewer issues, but more deeply engaged)4. Board composition (wider range of members

and outside experts) 5. Concrete measures of performance

Pause for the Cause

Association Big 3:Board Leadership

Association StrategySuccess Trends

Training / Retreats / Strategy / Support / Logistics / Creative

TEAMTRI.COM

Joint Association Executive InstituteBeyond Borders

Vancouver, BC Canada