As I began writing this blog, I was about one hour into my 30-hour journey to speak at the Indian Association Congress in Mumbai, India. I already hated everyone around me, and that was not a good sign. As I finish this blog, 25 hours into the return trip to Chicago (and 5 to go), let’s see if airline booze, time zone shifts, and spicy curry in numerous forms have helped generate any insights. pauses to order another glass of Gin 27, a fine Swiss gin from a flight attendant – Recently, I’ve been traveling to client conventions, working on meeting value proposition work, and to industry conventions, chatting with friends and colleagues at places like ASAE in Cleveland. A big topic was membership. How do we provide better products or services for members? How do we configure meetings to be more successful? What kind of “stuff” do younger

During a recent conversation with a client, she noted, in a more than exasperated tone, “We need to stop designing our benefits for retired people.” Their leadership is, shall we say, “senior,” and their decisions are often informed by their historical perspective. They enjoyed the association of their youth and hope to duplicate the experience for their younger colleagues. Positive motivations?  Check. Waste of time and money? Also, check. The result? Benefits designed by and for retired people. Too many associations and their leaders are following this path. Consider the following. You are designing your association for the future, not today. You don’t plan on whether to take an umbrella by looking at yesterday’s weather forecast. Yet, too often, associations look at their current programs, services, and initiatives as the only solution to members’ problems. Back to the Future is a movie, not a strategy. In addition, volunteer leaders

My wife and I were recently on vacation. Well, she was on vacation. Although I was with her, unlike my lovely and accomplished bride, my mind was focused nonstop on delivering client value. As a result, while sipping my 3rd glass of insight one afternoon, I realized how much travel teaches us critical strategic lessons. The first lesson? Learn to shout, “Take her, not me!!” in the language of whatever country you’re visiting. I kid, of course; gestures usually work. But travel also teaches us other lessons. Lessons we can apply to work. Here are some delicious takeaways from our recent sojourn to Spain (official motto: Why yes, it is time for a drink). Plan to succeed but prepare to fail. Adapting to things going wrong while traveling makes the best stories. Unfortunately, at the time, it just sucks. Some examples from Martha and me. Wrong train. Wrong place

What would you do if you discovered today that all the skills and competencies you have developed at work were suddenly obsolete? This is not as far-fetched as it seems. In 1900, 6,000 horses hauled trolleys in New York City. Think about what this requires. People to raise horses. People to grow feed for horses. People to make tack and other equipment. People to drive horse-drawn trolleys. Think of the professions and industries that supported these individuals and companies. By 1902, an overwhelming percentage of the country’s streetcar tracks ran on electricity. Almost overnight, an industry and everyone connected to it became virtually obsolete. For over a decade, the Association Laboratory environmental scan, Looking Forward® Impact, accessed (along with nine other studies) for free via the Looking Forward® Dashboard, has investigated the forces influencing association members and the resulting implications on the association’s business model. Enjoy complimentary access to the

DISCLAIMER: No marriages or relationships were harmed in the research or writing of this blog, although some edits were made because, apparently, someone who shall remain nameless “needs filters.”   Over the last few months, I had several casual conversations with a young man (25 years) and a more senior woman (60 years) about using what historically have been called hookup apps. Both were promoting and complaining about their use. First, some history to set, what experts call “context.” According to my extensive (30 seconds) of research, the title of the first “hookup app” is often attributed to Grindr, which was launched in 2009. Grindr (I’ve been told) is a location-based social networking and online dating app geared towards gay, bi, trans, and queer people. It was one of the first apps to use a mobile device’s location capabilities to suggest potential matches nearby, a groundbreaking feature at the

Today was officially hot. I mean, hot like the Midwest in the heart of summer hot. Scientists estimated the humidity to be 2000%. Even under the umbrella on my patio, everything about the day screamed hot and miserable. In the distance, through the shimmering air, I could see my wife, Martha. Despite the heat, despite the humidity, she was diligently weeding. As I glanced at her, I could see her wipe the sweat from her brow, take a deep breath, and bend down again to what was clearly an arduous task. Nothing is harder than keeping your garden going when it’s this hot. Without further ado, like any good husband, I rose from my chair and went inside to enjoy a cool drink and the air conditioning and write this blog. Today’s topic? The death (again) of association meetings through long, drawn-out, excruciating boredom. Consider the following from association

Last week, surrounded by cigarette smoke and sipping a luncheon Manhattan, I thought, maybe it’s time to write about a healthy lifestyle. The smoke, BTW, comes from eating lunch in, literally, the only bar in America where I think you can smoke, compliments of a grandfather law and a clientele in my town that doesn’t care. The Manhattan, of course, came in a glass. With that in mind, and while writing this in the Kansas City Airport (slogan? It’s all about the Plains) I want to share some lighthearted tips on staying healthy while on the road. As someone who’s been blessed with a talented and accomplished wife (who denies ever calling me fat, by the way), I’ve learned a thing or two about maintaining my well-being. So, let’s dive in and discover how to embrace health on the road (or just health). So, without further ado, some tips,

Creativity has been an essential component of my life for as long as I can remember. From early expense accounts to the lies I tell my wife about exercise; creativity is fundamental to my success. The most basic use of creativity is to solve a problem or take advantage of an opportunity. As a result, all of us are creative in our own way. The rewards for creativity are obvious. The most creative among us become wealthy and successful or are sentenced to prison. Recently, though I began thinking about sources of creativity. Creativity as the Big Idea The official definition of creativity, according to the Oxford dictionary, is “The use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.” Well that’s boring. For many of us in business, we think of creativity as the Big Idea. The Big Idea is the flash of