Developing some lessons learned
March 24th, 2007
Association professionals are knowledge workers, i.e., the job of the association professional is to leverage knowledge in novel ways, in different situations and varied contexts. As knowledge workers, we learn and we create, we design and we develop, we discover and we invent. The success of our organizations depends on our ability to capitalize on knowledge consistently and effectively. It is more than our function. It is who we are.
Software developers are also knowledge workers, and we can learn from their experiences. With this thought in mind, I was pleased to discover a very compelling “top ten things I’ve learned” list from developer/blogger Andres Taylor. What Andres writes in his post inspired me to put together my own list of lessons learned for association professionals. I’ve borrowed a few of his headlines because they are equally applicable to what we do, and I’ve added a couple of ideas from own experience as well. Here is my list:
1. Learn to say no–Keep the pursuit of success as simple as possible by focusing your attention on what is most meaningful. Do not let the trivial and mundane distract you.
2. If everything is equally important, then nothing is important–Quickly filter out the trivial and mundane by recognizing that only one thing can be priority one. Smart choices liberate, but no choices limit.
3. Members don’t always come first–At any given moment, what really matters will not match with what matters to members. Serve the greater good, not the narrow interests of a few.
4. Data have limits–Most of what we know can’t be measured or quantified. Most of what we measure or quantify won’t help us anticipate the future. As with all knowledge, context counts.
5. Be bold–There is nothing to be gained by playing it safe, including safety. Regardless of what others might think, acting boldly is a virtue, not a character flaw.
6. Don’t over-think a problem–Judgment and intelligent experimentation beat analysis paralysis.
7. Don’t under-think it either–The human imagination is more powerful than conventional wisdom.
8. Be curious–Learn as much as you can everyday by asking better questions. Do not be satisfied with surface-level answers. Dig deeper to discover.
9. Tell a better story–Challenge others to envision what is possible by weaving a narrative that is more compelling than the status quo. Do more than inform…inspire.
10. Forget about jerks–You can’t stop them, and you won’t change them. At best, you can work around them and, at worst, you will need to go through them. Don’t take the blame for their screw-ups, but do accept the responsibility. There’s a difference that only real leaders understand.
I look forward to your reactions! Let me know if you think I got it right, or if you would change/add anything to the mix!
Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, Simplicity, We Have Always Done It That Way
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