The Association Innovation Blog by Jeff De Cagna

asae & the center annual meeting: part one

Well, I'm back from Nashville, and I have to say that I had a REALLY GREAT time at the ASAE & The Center Annual Meeting.  The staff did a fantastic job.  It was obvious that a great deal of creativity went into the planning for the meeting, and all of their efforts paid off by elevating the energy and enthusiasm level throughout.  The buzz among the attendees was awesome...everyone I talked to had fun and learned a great deal.  Most importantly, no one walked away from the meeting with the impression that this was your typical cookie-cutter ASAE meeting.  The spirit of the merged organization was unleashed in Nashville. Now it must be sustained everyday, day after day.  I'll offer a few thoughts on that subject on another day.  Today, I want to focus on some reflections on Nashville.

FC NOW Blogjam Posts #3 and #4

Here are my two posts from today.  I think I may have one more before the BlogJam is over!  You should check it out...

Inclusive innovation

Global competitiveness vs. Summer vacation

Google Logo Maker

Wanted to make you aware of a useful site that will generate text in a Google-style font, as you see below.

I've added it to the Just for Fun list on the right side of the blog.  As it says above, try to have fun!

Why do I love Google?

I love Google because they know how to be serious and playful, smart and fun at the same time.  Read on to see what I mean...it's a very cool thing actually!

Google Hungry For Executive Chefs

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - August 4, 2005 - Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced a worldwide search for two executive chefs with the experience to creatively manage the preparation of thousands of quality breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals each day at the company's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters. The executive chefs will oversee the development and continual refinement of an eclectic menu capable of suiting every Googler palate, from vegan entrées to pad thai, grilled
burgers, and wood-fired pizza-all while using organic ingredients whenever possible.

Now this is a great idea...

Today, I received an e-mail from ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership that allowed me to proof my name badge for the upcoming Annual Meeting in Nashville.  Here is an image of what I received:

This is a terribly exciting development, not only for ASAE & The Center and for meetings in general, but for me personally.  I have struggled my whole life with the challenge of getting others to spell my last name correctly.  I cannot tell you how many hundreds of times over the decades other people have substituted their judgment for mine when spelling my last name.  People have actually argued with me about it, suggesting that the space in my name is not necessary or not a mistake.  The joke I make is that if I could get back all of the time I've spent correcting error-filled spellings my last name over the last 37 years, I'd still be 18 years old!

To me, this very simple e-mail is more than just excellent customer service.  For me, it is a sign of respect, a recognition of my individuality and a very simple step that allows me to regain control over how I present myself to others.  Oh sure, an incorrect name badge could be corrected at the meeting.  But now I'm know that ASAE & The Center cares about me as a person, not just as a meeting attendee, and that's a wonderful feeling.  Bravo!

UPDATE:  Rich over at the Trade Show Marketing Report pokes fun at my enthusiasm about the badge proofing option.   But Rich doesn't get my mail...today's extraordinary new spelling of my last name:  DeAcagna.  Now that's one I haven't seen before...full marks for originality.

Building the case against best practices

Michael W. McLaughlin of Deloitte Consulting has published an excellent article called "The Worst About Best Practices."  Like me, Mike is frustrated by the prevalence of best practices and the thinking they promote.  As he writes:

The problem with best practices is this: That approach lulls people into thinking that a best practice really exists that can be successfully transplanted.

I agree.  TAIB readers will recall that I selected "the impending death of best practices" as one of the Top 5 issues facing associations in 2005.  Great organizations do not create value for members, customers and stakeholders by copying the work of others.  They understand that in today's marketplace, creativity and originality are the primary drivers of value.  When association leaders try to replicate the experience of others because it seems expedient or efficient to do so, they surrender the opportunity to dazzle their members and give ground to for-profit and non-profit enterprises willing to embrace the challenge of innovation.  In this sense, then, whether and how our organizations use "best practices" is truly a question of leadership judgment, and one that association executives and volunteers cannot afford to get wrong.  To them, I offer the following advice:  let's dump best practices and focus on building better practice in our organizations. 

UPDATE:  I have added a new poll on best practices.  Please cast your vote.

Online article about podcasting for associations

This month's online edition of ASAE's Association Management magazine includes an article on podcasting in which I am extensively quoted.  As the association community's podcasting pioneer--a new completely immodest, self-referential superlative that I just created (whadda ya think?)--I'm very proud to have been included in the article.  I'm grateful to Jesse Alter, who was with AM at the time, for the fine job he did with this piece.  I hope you'll check it out!

New podcast on strategic planning at Associations Unorthodox

Just a quick note to TAIB readers that I have posted a new podcast on "the death of strategic planning" over at Associations Unorthodox.  This will be the first in an occasional series of podcasts around the shortcomings of strategic planning, as well as alternatives to it, that I will be recording in the months ahead.  I hope you'll check it out, and do let me know what you think!

Very cool stuff!

Just in case you're looking for a way to make some of your favorite photos even cooler, I wanted to let you know about a site I recently found on the Web called iPod My Photo.  You just submit a photo online and the company will convert it to something that looks like an Apple iPod ad.  You can choose the caption and you have the option of having an iPod added into the image, as I have done here.  (Quite obviously, this is a picture of me with my bestest puppy, Wilbur!  Photo credit to my mom btw.)

The cost is $19.95 per photo which is pricey, but they do a good job.  I would do it again and I think there are probably many creative ways associations could use these "ipodded" photos.  Just something to think about...

One month down...

The Seven Days of Blog begins tomorrow, but before we get started with that, I thought it might be worth stepping back and reflecting on the first month of 2005 which feels to me like it has just flown by.  So I have a couple of reflection questions for you:

• What has been the most (positively) surprising development so far for your organization?
• What has been the most (positively) surprising development so far for you personally?
• What are you looking forward to in February?

I can't wait to see some of your responses.  If there is interest, I can pose these questions at the end of each month.  I think this kind of reflection can be invaluable.  Look forward to reading your thoughts.