Cut Deadweight: Don’t Be Afraid to Trim Your Board

Feeling a little resolutioned out? Like you can’t think of another way to make yourself better?

Perhaps you should focus your energy on your association’s needs instead. That and more in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Cut the Deadweight

Does your board need to lose weight? [Dead weight that is] via @blackbaud  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #smassn  (opens in a new tab) http://t.co/aO4lx1vk  (opens in a new tab)

— Jeff Hurt (@JeffHurt) January 10, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

Is your board feeling bulky these days? Perhaps you have members who aren’t pulling their weight. If so, Blackbaud’s Debbi Stanley has some thoughts on the subject. Her take? Don’t be afraid to trim. “A great board is lean, healthy, and full of energy. A deadweight board is lifeless and sluggish,” she writes. “So weigh your options when recruiting, exercise some caution when offering nonprofit board positions, and limit terms so that you have the ability to bring in fresh life as necessary.” (For another take on board size, don’t miss this article (opens in a new tab) in this month’s  Associations Now.) (ht @JeffHurt  (opens in a new tab))

Conference Attendee Mistakes

Networking Mistakes Being Made At Almost Every Conference #EventProfs  (opens in a new tab) – http://t.co/Ss3aJFHo  (opens in a new tab)

— Wil Watts (@wilwatts) January 10, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

You spend all this money and all this time trying to make it to this big conference, and when you get there … you spend the entire time hanging out with your friends instead of making new business contacts. If that sounds like you, take some tips from Thom Singer  (opens in a new tab), who argues that people often miss their chance to make meaningful connections. “Cliques are a big problem at events, even though people do not intend to be exclusive,” Singer argues. “It is easy to gravitate to those we already know and close ourselves off from the opportunity to meet new people. If this goes unchecked, it can undermine the whole atmosphere.” He also advises that you ditch the elevator pitch and instead listen to what other people have to say.  (ht @toomuchroom  (opens in a new tab))

Feel like you’re struggling to make an impact at the meetings you attend? How do you combat that? Let us know what you’re trying in the comments.

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