Principled Innovation LLC

Association innovation is necessary…and possible!

August 27th, 2006

Notwithstanding arguments to the contrary made by some association leaders, I have returned from ASAE & The Center’s Annual Meeting in Boston energized by the intensifying interest in innovation in the association community. The evidence for this growing desire to innovate was everywhere at the meeting last week:

• The Association Innovation Boot Camp I facilitated last Saturday was sold out, and included many association CEOs, senior leaders and teams from the same organization.
• Monday’s general session on “Mavericks at Work,” featuring Fast Company co-founder Bill Taylor along with representatives from three important corporate innovators, was extremely well received, as was the follow-up Thought Leader session that same afternoon.
• The “Creating a Culture of Innovation” session I facilitated with Paul Meyer during the meeting’s very last time slot on Tuesday afternoon attracted close to 70 people.

Now, I realize some skeptics will dismiss my reading of these data points as a blend of wishful thinking and, quite possibly, an attempt on my part to induce a self-fulfilling prophecy. I could not disagree with that assessment more. Over those few days last week in Boston, I looked into the eyes of my association colleagues and saw something real and important: a determination to pursue the work of innovation because doing so is in the best interests of their members and their associations.

These leaders have taken the advice of Jim Collins and confronted the brutal facts of the situations faced by their organizations. In doing so, they have reached the inescapable conclusion that the unfavorable realities of paradigm shift are a more powerful nemesis than the denial-driven, nostalgia-focused resistance to innovation they must confront within their associations. These leaders are accepting personal responsibility for making innovation happen in their organizations, and this blog will do all it can to support their efforts going forward.

UPDATE:  I forgot an important piece of evidence.  My Silent Auction prize for an Innovation Fast Track engagement was purchased for the full opening bid amount of $1,500!  Great news for ASAE & The Center, as well as for the insightful association executive who recognized the huge potential of innovation for his/her organization!

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Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator