Look! A university that runs an association!

Association U

Last month I started working for a center within a university that has its own membership.  I am essentially serving as the executive director of an association within a university.  To me, it's the last frontier  structure-wise to experience before I feel I can say with confidence that I've tried them all: 

• Standalone international professional association with niche components
• Standalone national trade association that houses international professional associations 
• Standalone startup for professionals
• Standalone affiliate trade organization
• Professional association chapter within an Association Management Company
• National trade association within a university
• Solo Consulting
• Cohort Consulting & Teaching

Being here is taking some getting used to (thought it would "feel" like the ABA, which is how the AHA felt.  It does not).  The last few times I worked for a university, I had been a student first, so I knew the campus and the people. Today, I don't have that or a roadmap for the structure. Also, the logistics are challenging (we aren't "student facing" yet I've been told we should be on campus 3x or more/week and even though it is less than 20 miles away, it has taken up to 1.75 hours one way thanks to traffic). 

So I'm still acclimating.  I am excited that it may open a door to go back to formal education (just one set of letters left for me to put behind my name!) and may also help me enter Act III: Scene I (The Kids' College Years) with some plan for them.

What's crazy is that I'm again coming full circle on things I did early in my career that matter:

I looked at the list of members and I noticed one is 100+ year old organization that creates matting for pictures.  One of my jobs in high school and college was temping, so I got to spend a few of my breaks with that company personally as an interim receptionist. I did that role for other companies as well.  It is a great way to learn about working in an office setting and appreciate what's similar (and not!) so you can more quickly contribute on future assignments and have something to compare to.

I'm also finding the synergies in my network.  Today I realize that one of our sponsors will connect a lawyer who used to volunteer with me to our members.  How wonderful to have that person contributing to a group I run.

As we gear up for 2023, I hope there are many more cool "circle backs" that come to life.  A group I helped for most of the year offered many in 2022. I really enjoyed engaging with that group and wished they'd be open to more (challenging national "value add", shifting to quarterly board meetings while encouraging more regular committee meetings, creating trackers that are on point, etc.). 

Finally, to toast to the synergies in my network and background in multiple areas, I choose "interdisciplinary" as the key word of the year.  Having an appreciation of why we need multiple perspectives and how to orchestrate them allows us to not only see issues from different vantage points but also create new levels of ideas.  Can't wait to engage with other professionals to elevate this group!  

Happy Holidays.

LOOKING BACK ON YEAR ONE: Collab with longstanding industry teacher

I am thankful to a longstanding industry teacher who was open to collaborating with me last year.  We haven't made it real yet (honestly, it's a matter of funding), but we created the ELEVATE concept. 

Originally, he asked for help creating a female-only cohort that would take his pre-existing course in VOLT (the national NECA education system).   Because the program already existed and two of the three segments already had access, it felt like a simple job for a salesperson.

So I thought... how can this become a true collaboration?  I feel the MEP industry (mechanical, anyway) was missing an owner-to-owner support network for the women contractors and that is who I wanted to support. I helped the national MCAA create Women in the Mechanical Industry (WiMI) and it is a popular initiative but is needed to make all women of industry, not just the ones who own the companies, feel a sense of belonging.  My fascination with peer groups (I tried Vistage and C12) showed me that owners liked commiserating and found courage at times from others' stories.  I wanted to pepper in experiential concepts (Richard's curriculum, for example, included a visit to a small town to hear from a mayor on how he helped his town recover from a natural disaster. I love the concept and would shift to a high-ranking woman at Amtrack who manages crisis and can meet us at Union Station in Chicago).  

First, I suggested adding regular peer lunches that include pop-up experts to help participants with their issues (the format women who run associations uses) or facilitate discussion on hot topics/innovations.  I also wanted to see a capstone project: brainstorm industry issues, determine potential ways to improve the landscape, coach for the pitch, and connect each woman with the right audience to make the presentation (knowing who it was for is half the battle!).  Perhaps we can reach out to the woman who organizes TedX Wrigleyville to help...  

Next, I started local with my quest to build up a list of women who run MEPs.  While doing it, I found one-off sponsors so I could gather the contacts for a nice lunch, get new contacts, and hear about their current issues.  Last year, a supporter connected a philanthropist to these efforts so we do them every 2-4 months. Now, I have a list that's long enough to create 1-2 cohorts locally (depends on whether we go with a traditional peer group size (12) or the size of a VOLT cohort (24)). 

Anyway, we tried early on to gain funding from the national MEP associations: MCAA/NECA/SMACNA... but it didn't track.  

Today, I see that the gatherings are building momentum for the concept of helping the women gain more connections, spark meaningful industry conversations, and hopefully one day provide the funding to go beyond lunch.  

Thanks for any ideas you have!

To write or not to write... that is the question

I was raised a writer, but now I hesitate.  I worry about what others will think? Am I making someone feel bad? Will someone figure out what organization I'm talking about? What if they figure out what person in that organization?

So I haven't been writing as much as I could, or should to help my association community.

And I need to find ways to get over it.

Do I just draft something and not share it until it's combed over by me, reviewed by someone from the organization or ??

I remember a long time ago putting my heart and soul into an article that was really good but also a little dangerous to share... and having my key source tell me he didn't feel comfortable being named... and as I was submitting that he wanted his comments pulled entirely.

Ugh!

Year-End

What a wild year!

I am very thankful to exit this year's roller coaster as the 2021 edition offered my my most intense ride yet. I actually felt the highs and lows this time around. I noticed the new colleagues I met in the line ride beforehand and felt overwhelming grateful to the ones who were with me longer and grabbed my hand when the ride got rough. Thank you. I feel bad that I am not that mindful every year. Having a gaggle of kids with a ten year age span keeps you from getting into much of anything, let alone having "all the feels"--you can't let your mind wander off too much as you'll miss driving their friend home from the police station at 2:30 am when their mom can't get them or a hug from one when another sibling rips all her clothes off the hangers you just spent a couple hours hanging up because they went over the imaginary line that divides their closet space. Yes, if you lay around in this place you will get a Westie dog on your head and a kiddie toe in your eye.

I love the network that supports me and I wouldn't have made it through the year without the creativity, compassion and capacity the group provided. Those lows were depressing; I felt them in my gut and see that bump up on the sizing chart physically, too. Finding my first gray hair this year didn't help either! BUT. THE. HIGHS... they lifted me off the seat a few times and after over a year of feeling so disconnected I felt more "me" again. The lows made each high more three dimensional. I could see and taste and hear and BE in those moments. I started my own company... something I dreamed about for a long time. I took care of five clients. FIVE! I also got to refer another to a friend who was just getting started. I spent time to figure out what was important to me... and where the noise was coming from. I needed a nudge to take myself and my dreams off pause. I don't think I would've moved forward without the lows. Not yet. Over time, you become more curmudgeonly (is that a word?). Ultimately, my annual income was similar to that I was comfortable with in a traditional gig and for that I am very, VERY thankful.  But I know it's about the hustle and I have to start over again at the end of my current role! For now, there's a fork in the role... I opened myself up to a gig that would convert me to an employee again only because it is on point with some of the work I want to do. I am otherwise open to other interim executive director gigs, traditional consulting, and training and development building. My secondary area needs more research (creating an exposure pipeline for the next gen in association management). I'm pushing that one gray hair aside and chalking this year up as a win.

Not sure what 2022 will hold, but bring it on!

Enjoy the final days of the season!  Whoo hoo 2022!

Name changing: Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?

 A rose by any other name would smell as sweet... but would it get the attention of GenNext?

Coming out of a pandemic is a great time to review your organization's synergies and name... does it truly reflect not only who you are but who you want to be?

Before the pandemic, the trend seemed to be shortening a group's name.  Sometimes the name would become the acronym of the old name.  You'd have to learn more in the "About us" or "History" section of a group's website to appreciate where it came from. Or, maybe talk to one of the seasoned members. Sometimes, it's done to forget the past. I can think of a group that evolved its name not only to merge with another group but in hopes of helping the public forget a lawsuit it once filed.  

One easy way to snag some spotlight and heightened relevance is to update your name.  Before the pandemic started, a leader of an association elevated the need to rethink the name.  The launch is supposed to happen in October.  

In Q1, I helped this group to facilitate a discussion with its staff leads around the world.  How exciting to see the orchestration happen!  The group has been very intentional about the evolution, trying to rally as many of its longstanding leaders on board as possible.  The bottom line is that the name change could allow more people to feel the group's relevance on its face alone. It also encourages those who shift from directly engaging in the industry to something peripheral to stay engaged and keep contributing from their new posts to keep the group relevant.  

Looking back, people will remember that part. But there was a lot of work that the staff had to do to make it all come together.  If they do it right, it will look graceful.  Know that for any of this to work, there has to be hours spent honoring the history that got the group where it is.  Your attachment to your organization's name, however, cannot be the same as the one you'd have for your child.  It has to resonate with the "parents" of the group in the future. 

Mary

This is Mary. She has been Tay's "handler" for as long as Tay can remember. She is the reason why I was able to work FT+ these past 6 years. It's crushing that it's time to move to the next phase of our story because it means not having Mary in our lives almost every day.

Mary is my kids' third grandma. Every single one of them feels that way.  We are so blessed that she was willing to be here for all of us all of these years! 

Although Tay was the focus, Kinzie has the best bond with her.  

 She may not have popped into Mary's pic for her birthday IRL but she was always quietly listening to what she said. 

Anyway, the best part about Mary is that she is open to adventure.  

When we moved to Elmhurst, we were two weeks in as a party of seven.  Taylor's big siblings were all daycare kids but the places I liked were full and we didn't know what the other kids would need in the transition.  Thankfully, Kevin's cousin Sarah nannied that first year.  When the next school year started, she announced that she would go back to school as well.  We had until Monday to get a new person in place! 

We didn't know where to start.  So Kevin went to the bathroom (to talk to the two women the cleaning company sent over).  Kevin asked if either of them had experience as a nanny?  No, but the other woman said Mary could do it.  Mary said she would be open to it and she had kids and grandkids of her own.  Kevin hired her on the spot!    I remember Mary calling me to ask if my husband talked to me? Because she was starting on Monday.  Oh yes, Mary came into our lives just like that!

Best connection ever.  Thanks Mary! #ittakesavillage #thirdgrandma #family

Summer Lovin'

The last weeks of August were amazing on so many levels... they reminded me that connecting with and reflecting on the familiar can really recharge you.  Bring on the Fall!

1. I reconnected with my mom and sister.  

2. I started a familiar interim position!

3. I brought a couple of pandemic connections full circle.

_____________________________

1. I reconnected with my mom and sister.  

My mom died 6 years ago, my sister 5, thanks to the BRCA gene. I did my best to keep busy (job change, move out of the city, kid activities, etc.) so I didn't lose it. Last week, I reminisced with people who knew them well and heard some really great clips about their interactions. It was a nice way to have the wave of remembrance hit.

This is Rick and Mary Jo. Growing up, I spent at least a night a week at their house or with them at ours. Their son was one of my best friends.  Rick and Mary Jo still live on the NW side of Chicago (we moved when I was 13) and getting to have dinner with them was really amazing.   Mary Jo's laugh, her way of talking... I just felt like my mom was right there with us.  Thank goodness for Facebook connections (Mary Jo and I connected there years ago) and retirement volunteer gigs (we realized recently that Rick helps our town's park district) that allowed us to reconnect in person! 

This is Mary.  She's my mom's favorite cousin's kid. I adored Mary growing up but personality-wise she matched best with my sister Michelle.  They were the life of any party, graduated from the same out-of-town college (Iowa) and successfully landed careers on a coast. Later in life, they bonded to manage the family BRCA gene.  This week, an article about Mary's medical journey came out and I ran into her at an event, where she was talking about the good times she had with Michelle.  I am thankful she moved back to the community her mom convinced my husband and I to move to. Now our kids go to school together. 

2. I started a familiar interim position!

After 8 months of roller coaster riding to get my consulting grip, I got a short-term spot on a comfy couch.  I spent the first 15 years of my career with the American Bar Association.  I'm serving another national association as Interim Vice President of Professional Membership Groups. I have a lot to think through to help the organization from this vantage point, but being in an environment that matches the one I "grew up" in is so welcome right now! The other cool thing is that there are a few people I know  and respect from the ABA and volunteer roles I've had that "live" here. I know they'll give me an inside scoop if I need it.  Your network will always matter!

3. I brought a couple of pandemic connections full circle.

This is Chris and Melissa.  They both run Association Management Companies (AMCs), a type of business I learned a lot about during the pandemic. One recruiter told me the association world was headed into the "golden age of AMCs," as the pandemic will have smart associations with standalone staff reexamine their expenses and streamline their staffing dollars.  Stars in my eyes, I went on a mission to learn more.  

My first stop was Melissa. She was already part of my peer group (created with people I met at my last pre-pandemic, in-person career event in Mar. 2020). She actually went to OU (my alma mater) and studied journalism (me too!) so we had a strong base out of the gate.  Her business has roots in festivals (Ribfest!) so it never offered just AMC services, which is neat.  She's been expanding options and I know it's just a matter of time before they all catch on!  

Through a series of online networking efforts (LinkedIn is AMAZING all career long!), I also connected with Chris.  After one meet up, I wanted to find a way to work with her (she reminds me of my mother-in-law, one of my fave people!). Her business follows a traditional AMC model and focuses on serving local chapters of national associations.  Thanks to her, I appreciate that these businesses must run lean to survive commoditization, so there are little resources to spend on things like innovation (I am good at finding efficiencies but need to balance doing that work with an innovation sandbox...).

Anyway, Chris joined the peer group and connected with Melissa.  They have so much to commiserate on!  During the end of August we met at the midpoint (Oakbrook).  Chris's office is 45 min south and Melissa's 45 min north with me in the middle.   Neither will give up their office and I need time to think through that piece.  When things open up again, who knows? The 3 of us may become the backbone of a bombshell joint venture that will blow up the traditional association setup.

#onlytimewilltell #connectionsconnections #networksmatter