---
title: "3 Lessons: Lawrence D. Sloan’s Formula for Success"
id: "15664"
type: "post"
slug: "3-lessons-lawrence-d-sloans-formula-for-success"
published_at: "2013-02-01T10:30:24+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:35:04+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/02/01/3-lessons-lawrence-d-sloans-formula-for-success/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/02/01/3-lessons-lawrence-d-sloans-formula-for-success.md"
excerpt: "Lawrence D. Sloan, CAE, the president and CEO of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates in Washington, DC, knows the value of good chemistry."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Executive Leadership"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "C-suite"
  - "Cost Management"
  - "Leadership"
  - "organizational change"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
  - "C-Level"
  - "Director"
  - "VP"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Executive Leadership"
---

[Home](https://associationsnow.com/)
 » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/)
 » 3 Lessons: Lawrence D. Sloan’s Formula for Success

### Trust your staff.

“I’ve had a lot of bosses who were always very suspicious and always went to the dark side prematurely. If you give people the benefit of the doubt, you’re going to prevent resentment from billowing up, and it creates a much more collaborative work environment. Go into it assuming that people really want to do the right thing, that they’ll invest the right amount of time and energy into their jobs, and it’ll pay back dividends.”

### Watch how you share numbers with the board.

“Sometimes too much information is not good. You don’t want to hide anything, but you want to be careful about what the messaging is. When I was director level and attending board meetings, I was so eager to present as many facts and figures as I could. But once you utter a number or a statistic, it sticks in their brain. Whether it’s a dues assessment or a membership count or the estimated net profit of an event, if it wasn’t totally factual, it could come back to haunt you.”

### Hit the road.

“I’m doing 20 to 30 member visits a year. It’s a great way to meet people who can’t come to our events, and a lot of the people in those rooms know very little about SOCMA. I always come away from every single meeting with an a-ha. There’s always somebody in the room who says, ‘I didn’t know your organization did that.’”

(Photograph by Drake Sorey)

[ASAE Staff](https://associationsnow.com/author/asae-staff/)

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/asae-staff/)

Tags: [#C-suite](https://associationsnow.com/tag/c-suite/)
 [#Cost Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/cost-management/)
 [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/)
 [#organizational change](https://associationsnow.com/tag/organizational-change/)

**Stay Informed**

[Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/)
, *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day.

## You Might Like

- [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/)
- [VideoWhy Neuroinclusion Matters: Raising Awareness Across the Association CommunityDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/why-neuroinclusion-matters-raising-awareness-across-the-association-community/)
- [ArticleWhy CEOs Need a StorySeptember 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/09/12/why-ceos-need-a-story/)
- [ArticleBefore You Hire the Next Leader, Hit ResetSeptember 8, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/09/08/before-you-hire-the-next-leader-hit-reset/)

## Comments

**Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/)

[Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F02%2F01%2F3-lessons-lawrence-d-sloans-formula-for-success%2F%23comments)
 to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/)
!