MSAE's Young Professionals hosted a panel discussion on November 18th. The discussion gave audience members a chance to learn from three successful executive directors and ask them the tough questions about how to thrive in association work.
Panelists:
- Mary Detloff, MN Society of Professional Engineers
- Paul Hanscom, Ewald Consulting
- Derek Hazeltine, PLUS
Here are the top takeaways from this meeting:
- Make sure to develop your interpersonal communication skills. Especially the ability to communicate difficult messages with tact.
- Have realistic expectations of your volunteers. Communicate requirements up front, and don’t be afraid to let something fail so volunteers learn to take ownership.
- Learn from your failures by taking responsibility and offering solutions to correct the problem.
- Learn about all areas of association management
- Get in person networking and education
- Think about getting your CAE - Institute is another great opportunity
- Tackle challenges head on
- Be a thinker and idea generator
- Volunteer on a board of directions to see the other side
- Clearly communicate your expectations with volunteers up front
Resources:
- How to Make Friends and Influence People
- Bob Harris (boards), Ron Rosenberg (marketing), Ed McMillan (finance)
- 7 Measures for Success
- Race for Relevance
- Toastmasters (improve your public speaking)
- Daniel Pink
- Steven Covey (older books)
1 comment:
Thanks for the opportunity to share!
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