Associations' 'To Don’t' List
Today marks 15 years since the publication of one of my favorite business books, Built to Last, by James Collins. Given the title, it’s appropriate that its lessons have been “built to last” as well - having stuck with me for the 15 years since I first read the book.
Collins writes of what it takes to make a company that survives and prospers for more than 50 years. He has examples of companies, like Proctor and Gamble, that survived changes that make the changes of today pale by comparison, such as the advent of electricity or the transcontinental railroad.
One of the strategies he mentions is the need for every company to have a “To Don’t” list - if you’re operating at full capacity and want to do things on your “To Do” list, you need an equally long “Stop Doing” list. Here’s my top-five “Stop Doing” list items for associations:
STOP building your own social network.
Over the past few years, I’ve seen dozens of groups launch their own, members-only, social networking site. Here’s how I look at these: if I have two choices to walk through the woods, I can blaze my own trail, or walk where the grass is matted down. Facebook and LinkedIn are where the grass is matted down - much easier to build a network within that platform than blaze your own path.
STOP running reports that no one reads.
Particularly in the areas of membership, many organizations think they’re playing a strange association version of rotisserie baseball, with tons of stats on how many left-handed members have dropped out, etc. These stats are interesting, for sure, but just as a baseball game just comes down to the final score, an organization has to identify the few stats that truly matter and watch them like a hawk.
STOP worrying about the “doubters.”
I’ve always liked the “allegiance” construct for membership. It breaks down eight ways that people participate with organizations. One of the categories it lists is “doubters” - put another way, every organization has people who are there to be doubters and generally be dissatisfied. It’s just their way. What you can’t do is spend your days chasing the doubters - you can spend endless energy there to no avail. When I ran campaigns, I reminded candidates that to win meant a lot of people will disagree with them. Same for associations - winners know that not everyone will be a member.
STOP holding on to deadwood.
Whether it’s staff, volunteers or even board members, one of the things that can kill an organization is a reluctance to drop deadwood. Jack Welch would cut the bottom 10 percent from GE every year for a reason - it helped the other 90% grow. Healthy organizations need to do the same.
STOP keeping this list to yourself.
An organization should be as open with its “stop doing” list as it is with its “to do list.” Members, volunteers and staff need to know where the priorities are, and saying “no” is important to keep priorities heading in the right direction.
What’s on the top of your “to don’t” list?
Freed is COO of Virtual Inc., a Wakefield MA-based AMC that specializes in technology and best practices for small and mid-sized associations. Click here for Freed's blog, where this column appeared originally, or go to www.virtualmgmt.com.
