Association C-suite executives sit in the driver’s seat, so it’s up to them—with the board’s assistance—to set the organization’s direction and decide where to go next. As 2017 approaches, they have a lot of options to consider as they choose their destinations for the new year and determine what routes to take, how to get past roadblocks, and ultimately how to keep the association moving forward.

What does that look like in the real world? Associations Now talked with a few execs about their goals for the coming year and the kind of work they’ll need to do to get there.

Michelle Mills Clement, CAE

President and CEO, Commercial Brokers Association

Top resolution for 2017: Define the association’s culture

Why? CBA has 20 staff, some of whom are relatively new, and it may be growing. “We realized we don’t have a clearly defined culture,” Mills Clement says. “We need to make sure everyone’s on the same page.”

One of the questions she wants to explore: Does CBA have a truly collaborative work environment? Mills Clement says she wants to “build the team to be confident enough to be collaborative—and comfortable expressing opinions.” Now, part of the problem is that staff might be unaware of how everyone else works, so work expectations might differ widely. “We need to find out, first, how does everyone perceive the work culture? And then have a dialogue around that,” she says.

Whose help do you need? With only 20 people on staff, everyone will have a say. Mills Clement worried that limiting the discussion to the executive team would create the impression that culture was being dictated from the top down. To succeed, the effort will need to involve the whole team, she says.

How will you get started? The staff has begun discussing people’s perceptions, and in 2017, they will look more closely and “get everything on the table, almost like a vent session,” Mills Clement says. Then they will flesh out a definition of the culture and begin to implement policies and procedures aligned with it that “really weave into every aspect of our work,” including the strategic plan.

Personal resolution for 2017: Mills Clement has been in Seattle for three years since leaving Chicago. In 2017, she wants to focus on stability and “appreciate where I am—to appreciate living instead of always looking at the next step.”

Ed Dellert (Handout photo)

Ed Dellert

Chief Learning Officer, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Top resolution for 2017: Revamp ASGE’s learning management system as part of a broader technology infrastructure assessment

Why? “The technology environment for our members continues to evolve,” Dellert says, “and we’ve reached a saturation level of attendance at some of our face-to-face ‘live’ courses.” ASGE’s technology infrastructure could better meet its members’ needs through alternative and supplemental online education, including customizing its offerings to members, he says. Those improvements could boost revenue, especially for some products that use video content heavily.

Whose help do you need? The infrastructure improvements will require all departments’ collaboration. For the learning management system, the education and IT teams will be the key drivers.

How will you get started? Phase I of the technology infrastructure assessment was redesigning the society’s website, a project that is under way now. For the learning management system, the next steps are drilling down to determine what ASGE needs from its system and selecting a partner through an RFP, which Dellert expects to happen around the end of the second quarter in 2017.

Personal resolution for 2017: “I’m a long-distance runner—I’ve run one marathon and several half marathons over the past three years but lost some of my momentum this year—and I’d like to get back into running.”

Christina Wurster

Chief Revenue Officer, Heart Rhythm Society

Top resolution for 2017 Increase member engagement, including developing online communities for members and using their expertise to build the organization’s education and training resources

We have more people interested in volunteering than we have opportunities, and we want to build more opportunities for them to engage.

Why? “We have an extremely passionate membership,” Wurster says. “We have more people interested in volunteering than we have opportunities, and we want to build more opportunities for them to engage.”

Getting people involved early in their careers and keeping them engaged is important for the organization’s long-term health, she says. “You want to take advantage of that energy.” To do this, HRS will put members’ expertise to use in developing content for the organization’s online learning center and will give them robust online communities where they can exchange ideas.

Whose help do you need? The organization’s strategic advisory group, including Wurster, is leading the effort, and the director of membership and vice president of marketing and communications will have direct oversight. Member input will be important, too.

How will you get started? HRS has an existing platform for online communities but is looking for partners to help make it more robust. The communities are private social networks that allow members to post and comment, and members can join existing communities or start their own based on areas of interest, certain disciplines, specific disease states, and geographical areas.

“They have been organically growing,” Wurster says, and improving them will better facilitate member engagement. Enlisting members to develop educational content in the coming months might take the shape of creating an online webinar or a pocket guide resource, for example.

Personal resolution for 2017: “Live in the moment! In the era of selfies and smartphone cameras, I certainly like to capture the memories but not miss out on them entirely, so my resolution is to enjoy the moment first and soak it in.”

Christine Clements

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, AACSB International

Top resolution for 2017: Refine membership segments

Why? AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business serves different membership segments, and Clements aims to make sure the organization is responding to what those groups need. She wants to “really listen to members talk about their needs and wants.” Members value the network the association provides, she says, but “we felt like we had gaps in the network that kept the community from being optimal.”

Members should be able to “leverage the network to strengthen the impact of the work they’re doing.”

The full value of the association can be realized only when all member segments are engaged, Clements says. Enhancing the network’s value includes an emphasis on diversity and inclusion—an example is AACSB’s work to increase the number of diverse faculty in business schools.

Clements says the association also needs to assess whether current resources, products, and services fully meet members’ needs.

Whose help do you need? Everyone, including staff and members.

How will you get started? “We have identified a framework for the membership segments,” Clements says. In 2017, AACSB will continue to refine the segments and seek member input to understand the value proposition for each one. “We are developing a map of our network, identifying distinct member groups and what they’re really looking for,” she says. For example, “as a global organization, how do products and services translate into different regional contexts?”

Personal resolution for 2017: “I plan to spend more time listening than talking—and listen with an open mind. It’s hard to learn much while you’re talking all the time.”

Michelle Mills Clement of the Commercial Brokers Association. (Rick Dahms)