A controversial decision. A public outcry. Strong words from industry groups. An eventual reversal.

How flight attendants’ groups fended off a controversial change in airline security policy, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Weapons at work: After flight crew and staff protests and lobbying against the Transportation Security Administration’s plan to allow passengers to carry small knives aboard planes, the agency said it would postpone the rule change, which had been set to take effect on Thursday. The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which represents around 90,000 flight attendants, has been lobbying against the change, arguing that it would require a formal rule-making process, USA Today reports. “In the wake of the terrorist bombing in Boston last week … now is not the time to weaken transportation security,” Sara Nelson, international vice president of the Association of Flight Attendants, told the publication. “Flight attendants are breathing a sigh of relief that the weapons that led to the deadliest attack on U.S. soil in our nation’s history will not be allowed in the aircraft cabin this week.”

Volunteer leadership: If you don’t want your volunteers to fall off your bandwagon, build a relationship where they’re getting as much benefit for their volunteer time as your organization is. Some ways to do that include offering a mentorship program or advisorships and implementing their leadership skills. “We all know volunteers basically work a part-time job in the time they commit to our organizations—for no pay. If we cannot help them realize what options they have to continue that volunteer growth, then we risk losing their knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for the very things that make our associations great,” Lowell Aplebaum, director of membership and components at the International Facility Management Association, writes on his Association +141 blog. What are some of your methods for keeping volunteers?

Moving toward the destination: Change can be exciting but also scary. If your association is doing things differently, it’s likely your staff is still trying to get their feet on the ground. Eric Lanke, CEO of the National Fluid Power Association, sees the light at the end of the tunnel. As his association moves toward new ventures, he recognizes he needs to show his staff a destination so they know which direction to go. “[I]f we’re going to create something new—and get to a place we’ve never visited before and for which we have no directions—we need to find a new way of doing things,” he writes in his latest blog post. “And we can only find that way, not by standing still and predicting what we must do, but by moving towards it with openness and courage.”

What interesting reads have you found today? Let us know in the comments below.

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