Association Leaders: Don’t Get Caught Up In Precedents

Here’s the challenge with change: If you go too bold, you might knock yourself off course. But if that’s always your reason for staying with the familiar, things might feel a little boring after a while.

Why a fear of precedent shouldn’t shut down new ideas, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Change without precedent: Is the thing holding your association leaders back a perception that you’re setting a precedent? Cindy Butts, CEO of the Connecticut Association of Realtors, has a way to fend off such talk  (opens in a new tab). “Seriously, doing something once does not mean you have to do it twice or a hundred times,” she writes. “I also think if you do something a hundred times, you should also be able to never do that again.” And if something might turn out to set a precedent, consider it, she suggests.

Windows 8’s enterprise push: Windows 8 may not be in the hands of too many businesses just yet, but that hasn’t stopped some organizations from building out custom applications. CIO Magazine has an interesting profile of NASCAR teams that have found their ideal solution  (opens in a new tab) to be a Windows 8-based tablet—not an iPad. “We’re seeing interest in enterprise Windows 8 app development from IT and their vendors mainly for line-of-business applications, like point of sale, or other applications characterized by a limited deployment of Windows 8 and new hardware to specific teams,” Forrester analyst David Johnson told the magazine.

When to take your head out of the sand: The other day, we noted a great piece by Inc. writer Eric V. Holtzclaw on when ignorance is kind of a virtue (opens in a new tab). Velvet Chainsaw’s Jeff Hurt, on the other hand, would like to remind you that there are places where this philosophy simply does not work—mainly technology  (opens in a new tab). “As a leader, whether an association or corporate executive, you can no longer afford to ignore the impact that technology has on your current and future operations as well as your organization’s culture,” he explains. “Technology advancements are not going away. Ignoring the speed of change in technology is a surefire way to allow the competition to get an upper hand.”

What’s on your Twitter feed today? Let us know what’s standing out for you in the comments.

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