Summer reading. Opting out of the recession.

The news is full of disaster and it could get downright depressing if that becomes your focus: A deepening recession made somewhat permanent by the appetite for energy, oil and living with a roof overhead and indoor plumbing.

Fortunately, I am surrounded by customers and they remain our best source of reality and a constant reminder of abundance.  When you feel stuck or even consider the possibility of withdrawing, not spending money on marketing or otherwise shooting yourself in the foot, go talk with some customers. 

Here's two great pieces of advice from my customers this week.  One said it best when he said, "I choose to not participate in this recession.  I don't have to make that many trips or use as much gas as I once thought necessary. I don't have to consume as much as I once did. If I just spend time with my customers, I'll find a lot of the satisfaction I really need to advance my business and life."

Another customer advised, instead of reading all the bad news in that pile of newspapers you get everyday, how about switching to your summer reading program?  What a great idea!  It's nearly Memorial Day and so I got myself to Barnes and Nobel to focus on leadership.  After all, this current situation calls for leadership, not a pity party.

Into the bookstore I walked with conviction and enthusiasm.  Going to the kiosk that tells me all the books possible, I typed in "leadership" and here's my reading list for the summer:

Good to Great (have it already...will read it again)

Now Discover Your Strengths (love the first one so I bought the sequel book --2.0)

A Whole New Mind (fabulous, fast read that tells us exactly how to prosper in any economy)

What Got You Here Won't Get You There (what leaders know about sustained success)

Blue Ocean Strategy

Execution--The Art of Getting Things Done

Several books by Maxwell, such as the 360 Degree Leader, Developing the Leader Within You, the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Speed of Trust

All of this reading and thinking brings us back to the central theme of this blog.  Economic conditions are temporary and ephemeral.  Only one thing is real--customers.  They count and they are not going away. They will go to someone else if you don't serve them well, talk to them, keep asking what they value, etc.  But they don't disappear; rather, they take their constantly GROWING needs to someone who can take care of them. 

Feed your mind and get some perspective on the bigger picture.  Summer reading and time with customers. 

   

Fast Forward Leadership

Obviously, I underestimated the magnitude of leadership of The Global Summit on Social Responsibility. Oh, I was prepared for major, over-the-top, beyond-my-dreams encounters and I was not prepared enough. 

It's a week since the third day and closing session of the mega event around the world with more than 860 leaders of national and international associations, businesses, non-profit organizations, United Nations representatives and MORE and I'm still in my own version of a decompression chamber.

I honestly thought I would "blog from the floor" of the summit and have no problems blogging every day thereafter. The challenge is clear--overload and a lot of great, new things happening, that all deserve quality attention and follow through.  Others had the same idea and did a bit better.  Christy Jones, director of membership for the American Association of University Women said, "I would get back to my room at 11 p.m. after these very intense, totally exhausting three days and still manage to blog." 

In a nutshell, let's fast forward since the last blog post and then keep this going on a daily basis, shall we?

Wednesday, April 30th was the day for Discovery. This was all about open exploration of associations in the next phases of social responsibility. Following an agenda of guided inquiry, conversations and presentations in small groups and in front of all involved--in the massive ballroom of the Gaylord at National Harbor (Washington, DC area) and more than 18 connected sites all working in real time and with streaming video/audio/intake capture.  Together, we discovered and connected the universe of strengths in a whole system of internal and extrenal stakeholders who care about and have a stake in the future of all of the initiatives that would come out of this summit.

Thursday, May 1st was the day for Dream and Design. Hundreds of us, totally and at the same time, honored our differences and found areas for action where we have common-ground images for the future we want to help create.  From this day we generated the concrete areas of initiatives, defined them and then voted with our feet.  Like a scene on the floor of the New York Stock exchange, we moved to the initiative area that captured our greatest passion, used our highest strengths, and would absolutely provide platforms to make dreams happen, without pause, detours or dropping back to old habits of less productive activity.

Friday, May 2nd was the day for Destiny.  This was the day to go deep into innovation, creation of pilot projects, rapid development of prototypes and putting absolutely achievable actions on our individual and group appointment calendars and to do lists. Because the "whole system" was involved, we all found a newer, easier way to deliver on promises to act in way that everyone could support and "make it happen."  The initiative team that captured my involvement is called "7 Wonders of Social Responsibility" and this is the branding, defining, communication, massive understanding team that provides the glue for all other initiatives.  That's right--a group of raging visionaries with pioneering experience and collective track records of knowing how to turn wishes into actions that enroll, empower and advance many leaders and their organizations.  On this topic (7 Wonders) we will blog profusely and deeply.  It's now a work in progress and we are already into the first of three plans formulated and finalized on that day: The 3-week plan.  The 3-months plan.  The 1-3 years plan.

If you are one of the 25,000 or so association executives that were not at the Global Summit, rest assured there is now a plan in motion that provides hundreds of ways to connect, ramp up, join in and participate fully in the social responsibility initiatives.  That's all part of the 1-3 year plan. It's focused on doing good and doing well.  Can you be more prosperous doing the socially responsible business? Absolutely.  Stay engaged in this and you'll experience it for yourself.

To wrap this up for today, here's something discovered in the first week out that has everything to do with what happened at the Global Summit.  It's an article in the current issue of The Conference Board Review May/June 2008 --Have We Learned Anything About Leadership Development? by Robert J. Kramer.  Every word is worth digesting into our thoughts and actions from now on.  In particular these thoughts covered a lot of the discussions that started at the summit:"Technology is driving new thinking in the leadership field--particularly affecting how leaders connect to and communicate with those around them. By transforming the nature of the organization, technology is changing the context in which leadership actually takes place."

Bruce J. Avolio of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Gallup Leadership Institute takes this thought to the new bottom line of business and communications technology today:  "To be successful in this new contest for leadership, you must learn about shared leadership. To be a leader you are often a follower, and as a follower you often have to take the lead. Technology has made this exchange even more dynamic and more rapid."

Global Connections

This week is shaping up to be one of the most exciting weeks of the year.  It could be bigger than envisioned.  By the time we get to May 1 (May Day) 2008, we might discover that we have actually done or restarted, what we set out to do when we were 20 years old:  Change the World.

Like hundreds of rivers that have traveled for thousands of miles, only to converge into one, wide and fast-moving river, more than 800 leaders of national and international associations and businesses will come together, starting tomorrow, at the Global Summit for Social Responsibility, organized by the American Society of Association Executives & Center Social Responsibility Initiative.   Most of these national and global leaders are a decade or three past 20 years old.

There are more than 8,000 reasons why we wouldn't miss this and this blog posting is the beginning of a series on leadership, connections, global customers, and passionate organizations.  That's a lot to cover so you'll just have to grab your inner tube and jump in this river with us, participate in the conversations and enjoy the adventure with unconditional wonder.

I will be among the 700 or so gathered in person at the big, new Gaylord National Harbor in the Washington, DC metro area for the Global Summit. Another 100 or more will be joining us virtually from 18 connection sites in many countries.   If you've ever been to the Gaylord Opreyland complex in Nashville, you have an idea of the environment where we'll be this week.  It's like an entire world, under very high,
massive glass roof structures.  It always reminds me of Thunderdome.

David Cooperrider, an organizational development expert and faculty leader at the Center for Business As An Agent of World Benefit,who developed the methodology for organizational renewal known as Appreciative Inquiry will be our guide on a day of "Discovery" on Wednesday, then a day of "Dream & Design" on Thursday, then on to "Destiny" on Friday.

All of that provides plenty of fascinating, immediately useful and relevant information to feed this blog and your appetite for participation for the rest of the year.  Maybe longer. It's really up to you and depends on your active involvement.  Just to be on the safe side, go ahead and put this blog in your RSS feeder so you don't miss all the good parts.

What about the other 7,200 you ask?  There's another global community we will involve in our journey and you might want to get thee to this website and dive in:  Global MindShift. There's a lot to love about this, starting with their focus: "To change the world, change your mind."  Now THERE'S social responsibility, globally.  What was it Michael Jackson said?  "I'm starting with the man in the mirror."

Other things we love about this site:

• You are invited to "connect with others in a conversation that matters."
• The site is well organized and responsible.  It has real people behind it with names, addresses and phone numbers that they answer, in Palo Alto, CA. (As a rule, we don't frequent places that are way too virtual and unsafe.)
• There is data all over the site that tells you exactly how many are in the Global MindShift Community and who is in what conversation.  In other words, this is like a well-managed convention with great topics, good signage to help you get to the right conversations, and just enough rules to keep the conversations productive and not chaotic.

Let's blog and see how these worlds connect, shall we?

Saturating the Market

I had a conversation with a certification organization recently that reminded me of the basics…..you have to know your customer base and know what makes them tick. A certification program will typically have early adopters in the first few years. These are champions that have a deep commitment to the industry your program serves. These individuals will quickly give their time and energy to advance the industry and see the public benefits of your certification program before personal ones.

Certification Professionals love this audience and it is easy to forget that this group, while vocal, is small. These are your first test takers and a group that is relatively easy to attract. Consequently, the first year or two of your program has great participation and your parent organization applauds your marketing program. Then, the numbers drop off and you are caught off guard. You wonder what has happened and where you have gone off course. This is when I typically get the first call for help.

To capture the attention of early adopters, you simply have to open your doors and let them know what you are doing and, how it will benefit the industry. Okay, this may be a little oversimplified, but just a little. To capture the attention of the majority of professionals in your target industry, you have to know what makes them tick. You have to know how they will personally benefit from your certification program. And, you have to package your program’s message to target those benefits. Each certification program has at least five different audiences/customer bases and you need a marketing program that is unique for each customer base.

-Anna

What Matters...Customizing Your Message

Do you package your organization’s message in a gift bag or in custom wrapping paper?  We have all been to parties where the majority of gifts are brought in the standard gift bag with three pieces of tissue paper sticking out of the top. And, often in the midst is a nicely wrapped box with unique ribbons and something dangling on top. Our eyes are drawn to the wrapped package.

We should strive to ensure that our organization’s message is packaged in custom wrap that reflects our understanding of the event and the attendees. I am not referring to the fancy folder or nice cover, although these are important. I am focusing on the message that you are conveying in the collateral you create and the words you use.

Take the extra time to personalize the content of your package for the recipient. Research the recipient and add a few lines that reflect your research. Convey that you understand what makes them tick. Find the places where their goals and objectives intersect with your goals and objectives, and focus on those points of intersection. This personalization will capture the attention of the recipient and distinguish you from your competitors.

-Anna

Practical Customer Relationship Management - Developing and Implementing an Industry Partner Program

Certification organizations typically identify their primary customers as the individuals seeking or holding their certifications. While these customers represent occupations in an organization’s target industry, they are not the sole beneficiaries of their mission. A certification organization’s value is ultimately decided by the corporations, government agencies, and industry representatives that employee and support their certificate holders.

I encourage you to expand your customer base to include all those that benefit from and your organization? It is time to galvanize the support of potential industry partners to increase industry buy in and generate additional resources to support and expand your programs.

Potential partners for a certification organization are corporations that hire your certificate holders, associations whose members hire or hold your certificates, foundations with a focus on your niche, and government agencies that oversee workforce development. Each corporation, association, foundation, and government agency in the pool of potential partners has a mission that drives them, objectives that surround accomplishing this mission, and money that is spent to achieve the objectives followed by revenue indicating success.

It is critical for your organization’s mission and objectives to overlap and complement the mission and objectives of a potential partner. The strongest sponsors, with the largest contributions, will be found at these intersections.

Industry Partnerships are about relationships—the right relationships. Industry Partnerships are about connections—connections that result in partnership. Find the right relationships to build strong connections that result in partnership. Partnerships can provide the financial resources and industry points of view needed to update and validate existing programs. 

Partners can provide the financial resources to develop new certification programs and the industry support to drive these new programs. Partners can place value on certification programs that will result in increased applicants and certificate holders, and industry-wide recognition of an organization.

-Anna