I'm in Augusta, Georgia, speaking for the Georgia Society of Association Executives and its annual meeting and I'm having a great time. Everyone here is very friendly and deeply committed to the future success of the association profession. And GSAE's new president, Sharon Hunt, CAE, executive director of the Southern Association of Orthodontists, issued what I think are a couple of rather compelling challenges to the members during her "inaugural address" at this afternoon's board installation luncheon. Three key points:
1. Sharon made it point to emphasize the importance of ethics, particularly in view of the misconduct and malfeasance we've seen in both the corporate and non-profit sectors in the last few years. Sharon challenged GSAE members to make ethics both a personal and organizational priority. I truly applaud her for raising this issue because quite honestly while it is important, it isn't terribly popular. Most people don't want to talk about ethics, it's uncomfortable and, for some, it is a discussion that often takes on a judgmental tone. But Sharon is absolutely correct in raising it, because it is already a critical question for the association community.
2. Sharon also made the case for the importance of education--something with which we can all agree to be sure--but then she took it one step further. She reminded us how hypocritical it is for association leaders to ask their members to attend their associations' educational programs while not attending (or allowing others to attend) these same kinds of educational sessions in the association community. Right on Sharon! A big part of being a leader is telling it like it is, and Sharon is spot on here.
3. Finally, Sharon challenged everyone attending today's luncheon to take at least 15 hours of education during the next 12 months. Fantastic! It is really refreshing to have a volunteer leader issue that kind of challenge from the stage. It is my fervent hope that GSAE members (and association leaders across the country who are reading this blog) will embrace what Sharon said and make education a key priority not only for themselves but also for their teams.
Congratulations to GSAE on a great meeting and to Sharon Hunt on using "the bully pulpit" of the GSAE presidency to deliver a powerful and important message!
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