--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Is Your Association Stuck in Its Comfort Zone?" id: "22292" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-is-your-association-stuck-in-its-comfort-zone" published_at: "2014-03-27T16:42:43+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T18:23:54+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/03/27/thursday-buzz-is-your-association-stuck-in-its-comfort-zone/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/03/27/thursday-buzz-is-your-association-stuck-in-its-comfort-zone.md" excerpt: "Is your association safely nestled in its comfort zone or looking for innovation? Deciding which can be a pivotal decision." taxonomy_category: - "Organizational Strategy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Leadership" - "organization growth" - "Strategic Planning" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Is Your Association Stuck in Its Comfort Zone? Steven M. Worth, president of the Plexus Consulting Group, has [an interesting blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://plexusconsulting.blogspot.com/2014/03/is-your-association-in-class-by-itself.html) citing a survey conducted by the American Society for Public Administration that interviewed city managers who had served their communities for at least 20 years. The survey touches on the impact of introverts leading organizations, but the implications stretch beyond city management. “It also reveals a tendency, particularly in associations, to stay within comfort margins by working with smaller groups of people and staying with what is familiar rather than venturing into something new,” Worth writes. He asks whether this leads to a divide within the association community. On the one hand are organizations sticking with close-knit communities that focus on the familiar with long-standing leadership. On the other are the innovation-focused upstarts experiencing unpredictable growth and change. There are pluses and minuses to both. The big question: Which category better describes your association, and how should that inform your strategic outlook? ### Tweet of the Day > Twitter might replace its retweet button with a share button [http://t.co/ATgoIi8U9i (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/ATgoIi8U9i) > > — Cashay (@Cashay) [March 27, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Cashay/status/449199223930490880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **The latest step in Twitter’s efforts** to grow its user base could change the way you interact with audiences on the social media platform. As some users have recently noticed, for some accounts the retweet button has been replaced with “share with followers.” Add that to the [site’s new photo functions (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.twitter.com/2014/photos-just-got-more-social) and you have a brand new 140-character ballgame. ### Other good reads **Looking to pitch a new project** or idea to your association’s bigwigs? Author [Scott Berkun has a useful run-through (opens in a new tab)](http://scottberkun.com/2014/how-to-convince-your-boss-to-try-new-things/) of how to persuade your boss that your ideas are the right ones. **These headlines just don’t succeed like they used to.** *The Atlantic’s* Alexis Madrigal [pulls out a key point (opens in a new tab)](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/03/the-curiosity-gap-is-closing-says-upworthy/359541/) from a recent [New York Magazine profile of Upworthy (opens in a new tab)](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/upworthy-team-explains-its-success.html) *.* The startup’s oft-lampooned [headline structure](http://associationsnow.com/2013/07/20-headlines-competed-to-draw-your-eyeballs-heres-why-this-one-won/) is losing traction, and the company is moving on. **It’s a familiar story in Silicon Valley:** Technological darling nears prominence and is acquired by one of the biggest players in the industry. [But as Mashable notes (opens in a new tab)](http://mashable.com/2014/03/25/kickstarter-oculus-facebook/) , angry early Oculus Rift supporters on Kickstarter expected something other than a Facebook acquisition and are reteaching the lesson to always keep your most loyal fans in mind. (Fuse/ThinkStock) [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#organization growth](https://associationsnow.com/tag/organization-growth/) [#Strategic Planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/strategic-planning/) **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 - [TemplateMembers onlyDirector of Strategic PlanningJuly 9, 2015](https://associationsnow.com/2015/07/09/director-of-strategic-planning/) - [ArticleKeys to Innovation at Long-Running AssociationsNovember 3, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/03/keys-to-innovation-at-long-running-associations/) - [ArticleThree Habits Association Leaders Should Adopt for Agile Strategic PlanningOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/three-habits-association-leaders-should-adopt-for-agile-strategic-planning/) - [ArticleThe Bigger Risk Is What Associations Won’t StopMay 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/05/27/the-bigger-risk-is-what-associations-wont-stop-2/) ## 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%2F2014%2F03%2F27%2Fthursday-buzz-is-your-association-stuck-in-its-comfort-zone%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !