STOP doing list: Economic meltdown edition
November 25th, 2008
The association community has always been enamored with the Jim Collins idea of creating “stop doing lists,” so here is my brief stop doing list for association community leaders feeling frazzled by a steady diet of negative information about the state of the global economy.
1. STOP reacting to each daily dose of bad news–It’s appropriate to be serious and sober about what’s going on today, but don’t overreact to every wild stock market gyration or new government report. Focus on integrating today’s data into your long-term view.
2. STOP looking for shortsighted ways to retrench–It’s appropriate to conserve resources by eliminating unnecessary expenditures, but investments in building staff and organizational capabilities do not fall into that category. Focus on value creation as your top strategic priority.
3. STOP redoubling your efforts as a defensive strategy–It’s appropriate to concentrate on serving members well when they most need us, but the overused “doing more with less” rallying cry is a tired and unrealistic approach. Focus on your ability to deliver what’s most important.
After Thanksgiving, I’ll share my “start” doing list for association leaders wondering what they should do during these uncertain times. Until then, I hope everyone has a very happy and safe holiday!
If you're new here, I hope you will consider subscribing to the P.I. Blog. Just click on this link to add it to your RSS reader. You can also receive e-mail updates by subscribing via the box located on the blog itself. Thanks for visiting!
Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, Simplicity, We Have Always Done It That Way, Garage Memes, Governing for Innovation, Embrace the Revolution
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.
