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Keeping Associations Relevant

By Emily Viles-Monari posted 03-28-2019 05:15 PM

  

A book review of Pivot Point: Reshaping Your Business When It Matters Most by Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE

Book_cover-PivotPoint.pngThis year, one of the highly anticipated book releases announced at the ASAE 2018 Annual Meeting was Pivot Point: Reshaping Your Business When It Matters Most by Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE. As the Meeting Technology Manager for AMPED Association Management, I was curious to read what recommendations Jacobs had with regards to competing markets and investing in association technology to keep pace with industry trends. As the president and CEO of Avenue M Group, Jacobs brings her experience from helping over 100 associations assess their challenges within the evolving association environment to the book. Pivot Point boasts that it provides a guide for creating an organization that is more responsive, nimble and open to the dynamic nature of its operating environments, and challenges readers to think about how associations can stay relevant by knowing when to take risks. While this book does not give you a Ten Things Your Association Should Be Doing or Signs You Should Pivot list, every chapter of this quick read provides applicable anecdotes from associations that exude the forward thinking Jacobs promotes in her book and shares their successful – or not so successful – pivots.

I found many takeaways in this book, but here are four that I want to highlight:

  1. Collect and utilize data to make decisions.
    Making data-driven decisions seems pretty obvious. However, Jacobs encourages readers to rethink how surveys and requests for feedback are designed. She says, “asking members to rate a current experience or their interest in a current product only provides insight into their perspectives on what exists today,” and does not encourage innovation. Jacobs suggests altering how an association asks for feedback will provide more value and help guide the decision-making process in a way that could open the door to new audiences and help anticipate market shifts. Using data in strategic decisions will not only inform direction, target audiences and resources, but it is also useful when asking for buy-in from the board.
  2. Culture is everything.
    Jacobs provides many examples of what association leaders have done to adjust in an effort to anticipate needs or trends. Many of those mentioned in the book acted entrepreneurial, being proactive rather than reactive with things like program changes and investments in technology. They also surrounded themselves with staff that supported and believed in the change culture. Creating a diverse and inclusive culture makes a huge difference, as well. Seeking voices from a diverse group of people within the industry to participate and provide feedback provides a better idea of how to move an organization forward. Pivot Point encourages bold leadership and an organizational culture that can be felt from the board and executives through the staff and members. 
  3. Stagnation is dangerous.
    Jacobs implies that the riskiest thing to do is stagnate. The if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it mentality is harmful, and it is stressed throughout the book that just because something is working now does not mean that the organization should not change. In fact, many of the leaders mentioned in the book pivoted their organizations even though they were not operating in a turnaround situation. She encourages association leaders to think about where their members can get the same benefits elsewhere and what makes their association unique. 
  4. Look to the commercial leaders for benchmarking.
    Through the lens of her essential characteristics that foster the ability to pivot – accessibility, flexibility, affordability, diversity and inclusion, and trust – Jacobs breaks down the common themes in change management and highlights specific struggles associations might face, such as lengthy decision-making timeframes, narrow thinking around product offerings and budget restrictions. In contrast, Jacobs cleverly looks to the changes in the markets that impact us daily, such as gym memberships, the evolution of Netflix and the Sharing Economy (i.e., AirBnB, Divvy Bike Sharing) to demonstrate the payoff of adjusting business models. Associations are not corporations, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to compete. Are there ways we can adapt or invest in technology that mirrors a member experience to that of Amazon or Netflix? 

Pivot Point thoroughly discussed change management and delivered exactly what I expected it to: a reminder to step back from the day-to-day to prioritize the future for my organizations. I think the biggest value is in the numerous examples that all show that change is important, but also that how it is done can be very different from one organization to another. Another added value are the charts and exercises sprinkled throughout the book to encourage readers to think about their own organizations. As one reviewer on Amazon writes, “Individuals who read Jacobs’ latest book will be recharged, re-energized and come away with thought provoking ways to keep their organizations relevant…,” and after reading this book, I couldn’t agree more. I walked away with an excitement on how to prepare my organizations to pivot, whether it is in how they plan their events, what member benefits we offer or rethinking membership structures altogether. 

This article is reprinted from VantagePoint magazine, the quarterly publication of WSAE.

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