A habit – and not a bad one – that I have embraced over my career in organizational management has been to always look for the “best practice” and or to embrace a good solid thought process to address the abundant variety of issues that confront me on a daily basis in operating a chamber of commerce.
Of course now with the Internet, so much information is available at the click of a mouse, which I do access and utilize at times. However, sometimes the good old-fashioned method of reading a book still works to provide helpful, thought-provoking information – and sometimes I’ll even read it more than once!
Such is the case with the book Race For Relevance – 5 Radical Changes for Associations, written by Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers, CAE. Both authors have extensive experience in association management and share that expertise in a very practical, yet inspiring book.
I highly recommend Race For Relevance, whether you are brand-new or a seasoned veteran of organizational management, or even a volunteer or staff member of a chamber or association. Change is inevitable, and managing change and the pressure to be relevant go hand in hand.
A look at the Table of Contents best outlines what the book offers and, quite frankly, why I’m reading it for the third time:
- Chapter 1 – The Imperative for Change
- Chapter 2 – Overhaul the Governance Model
- Chapter 3 – Overhaul Committees
- Chapter 4 – Empower the CEO and Enhance Staff
- Chapter 5 – Rationalize the Member Market
- Chapter 6 – Rationalize Programs, Services and Activities
- Chapter 7 – Bridge the Technology Gap and Build a Framework for the Future
- Chapter 8 – Strategies for Success
To purchase Race For Relevance – 5 Radical Changes for Associations, contact: ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, in Washington, DC, or email books@asaecenter.org.
Why read, you ask? Is your retention of members 100 percent? Are you providing ROI to your members? Is the ever-increasing competition impacting your ability to provide what has been your standard deliverable?
Those questions and many more face all of us in our efforts to be relevant in today’s marketplace and be successful in the future.
CANYS
