Read this great post from Jeff de Cagna.
I am currently taking an ASAE online course, CEO Dialogue: Leading Associations in the 21st Century. This week (week 4 of 6) we're talking about "Strategic Technology", or technology as a strategic imperative. This is all the stuff I know about - yay!! But, by coincidence, in my online class discussions, we're still talking about the "need to be relevant" - boo!!
Being relevant is a totally moot point. If you are not already relevant, you are dead. Relevance is not a goal!
But the future is, as Jeff says, being generative, or as he quotes Kevin Kelly, having generosity as a business model.
"We can build associations that function in a generative manner by helping our contributors make sense of emerging issues and challenges through the creation of meaningful, real-time context. We can enrich their personal and professional lives by redefining the way they engage with the membership experience as part of trusted markets, networks and communities. When we focus on being generative, we can create new dimensions of success both organizationally and for our stakeholders, but only if we're willing to think differently about how we do our work."
It's about sharing information, sharing resources, sharing trust, sharing connections, sharing networks, sharing love and friendship. All of which generate more of the same and create ongoing value for our members and for the good of the order. Reminds me of a post I wrote very early on about my plan for world domination. I still believe what I wrote about sharing, and I think sharing and generosity are two sides of the same generative coin. You need to give it out, and you also need to respond to what others give out. The association industry has to stop being afraid of this or it will truly become irrelevant.
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I am currently taking an ASAE online course, CEO Dialogue: Leading Associations in the 21st Century. This week (week 4 of 6) we're talking about "Strategic Technology", or technology as a strategic imperative. This is all the stuff I know about - yay!! But, by coincidence, in my online class discussions, we're still talking about the "need to be relevant" - boo!!
Being relevant is a totally moot point. If you are not already relevant, you are dead. Relevance is not a goal!
But the future is, as Jeff says, being generative, or as he quotes Kevin Kelly, having generosity as a business model.
"We can build associations that function in a generative manner by helping our contributors make sense of emerging issues and challenges through the creation of meaningful, real-time context. We can enrich their personal and professional lives by redefining the way they engage with the membership experience as part of trusted markets, networks and communities. When we focus on being generative, we can create new dimensions of success both organizationally and for our stakeholders, but only if we're willing to think differently about how we do our work."
It's about sharing information, sharing resources, sharing trust, sharing connections, sharing networks, sharing love and friendship. All of which generate more of the same and create ongoing value for our members and for the good of the order. Reminds me of a post I wrote very early on about my plan for world domination. I still believe what I wrote about sharing, and I think sharing and generosity are two sides of the same generative coin. You need to give it out, and you also need to respond to what others give out. The association industry has to stop being afraid of this or it will truly become irrelevant.
Link to original post
