Brevity is a virtue
October 22nd, 2006
It isn’t a virtue I always exhibit, of course, but I will tonight because I have been writing an article for Associations Now all day and I’m a little tired. But as part of my work on today’s piece, I went back to something I wrote for Executive Update six years ago, and I wanted to share some of it here:
For many months, as I have reflected on the message I wanted to convey in this article, I have struggled to find the right words, the clever turn of phrase that will capture the essence of the hard, cold truth about the state of associations in the early 21st century. And now, just days before this article is due, I have finally found those words: We’re mediocre.
What do I mean? Simple. As a form of organization, as a way of delivering unique value, as a place to earn a living, associations are mediocre. Sure, there are some stars in our constellation, groups that seem to do things pretty well and even some that we admire. Of course, we’ve all heard (or have) horror stories about the situations inside some associations. In the end, however, when you shake it all out, the conclusion is inescapable: We’re mediocre.
I got myself into a fair bit of trouble for writing these words back then, and I may renew that trouble by republishing them here. But my purpose in sharing them isn’t to reassert the article’s central argument but to ask all of you a question: how do these words sound to you today? Have things changed enough in our community in the last six years to render my words obsolete or do they still resonate with your personal experiences? I hope you will respond to my poll question below or e-mail me with your thoughts.
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Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, We Have Always Done It That Way
Ben Martin and P.I.
Association exec Ben Martin, CAE is P.I.’s Architect of Participation. Jeff and Ben help clients harness the power of the Web through the strategic application of social tools.
The AST Executive Summary
The executive summary of the groundbreaking Association Social Technologies survey project is now available for download! The full report will be available in October.
