Most associations have values statements. But some are more effective than others. When it comes to creating direction and meaning for your organization, staff input is key.

That, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

The value of a statement: Values statements often serve as reflection points, representations of your organization’s mission and work ethic. But you can’t impose them on your staff. Writing for his personal blog, Eric Lanke, CEO of the National Fluid Power Association, talks about his love-hate relationship with values statements and how involving staff in the development of association values can make all the difference. “If the exercise of developing our values statement was going to be successful, and if the document which resulted was going to get productive use in shaping our culture, everyone would have to contribute and be on the same page with regard to what we were trying to achieve and how we planned to get there,” he writes. Does your organization consider staff input in values discussions?

Keep pace: If you feel like your association is lagging behind, it might be time to re-strategize. Leadership consultant Jamie Notter says associations often fall behind in the transient-advantage economy because they lack the ability to quickly develop effective strategies for changing markets. In a recent blog post, Notter cites an article by Rita Gunther McGrath for the Harvard Business Review in which she discusses the difference between competitive and transient advantage. “So you’re good at strategic planning for an organization with a sustained competitive advantage, and that is precisely why you are very bad at strategy in a transient-advantage economy,” Notter writes. “You’re not so good at rethinking business models or shifting resources to new experiments.”

Don’t just ‘want to be’: Writing for Harvard Business Review online, Umair Haque, director of Havas Media Labs, says our society is facing a shortage of true leaders, in both the political sphere and the business world. Many of today’s leaders are “wannabes,” says Haque. “They want to be who leaders are, but cannot: They want the benefits of leadership, without the price; they want the respect, dignity, and title of leadership, without leading people to lives that matter,” he writes. “Wannabes impoverish us. Leaders enrich us.” Looking to improve your leadership skills? Check out Haque’s six ways to become a “real” leader.

What are you reading today? Share your links in the comment section below.

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