Leadership

Social Media Roundup: Don’t Be Afraid to Trim Your Board

Instead of trying to lose weight on your person, perhaps you should lose deadweight on your board. Also: the mistakes that most conference attendees make.

Feeling a little resolutioned out? Like you can’t think of another way to make yourself better?

Perhaps you should focus your energy on your association’s needs instead. That and more in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Cut the Deadweight

Is your board feeling bulky these days? Perhaps you have members who aren’t pulling their weight. If so, Blackbaud’s Debbi Stanley has some thoughts on the subject. Her take? Don’t be afraid to trim. “A great board is lean, healthy, and full of energy. A deadweight board is lifeless and sluggish,” she writes. “So weigh your options when recruiting, exercise some caution when offering nonprofit board positions, and limit terms so that you have the ability to bring in fresh life as necessary.” (For another take on board size, don’t miss this article in this month’s  Associations Now.) (ht @JeffHurt)

Conference Attendee Mistakes

You spend all this money and all this time trying to make it to this big conference, and when you get there … you spend the entire time hanging out with your friends instead of making new business contacts. If that sounds like you, take some tips from Thom Singer, who argues that people often miss their chance to make meaningful connections. “Cliques are a big problem at events, even though people do not intend to be exclusive,” Singer argues. “It is easy to gravitate to those we already know and close ourselves off from the opportunity to meet new people. If this goes unchecked, it can undermine the whole atmosphere.” He also advises that you ditch the elevator pitch and instead listen to what other people have to say.  (ht @toomuchroom)

Feel like you’re struggling to make an impact at the meetings you attend? How do you combat that? Let us know what you’re trying in the comments.

(Hemera/Thinkstock)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

Got an article tip for us? Contact us and let us know!


Comments