Blogs

Associations and the Current Shifts Transforming Organizations

By Bobby Peralta posted 21-05-2023
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I read with keen interest a recent study published in the McKinsey newsletter entitled, “The State of Organizations 2023: Ten Shifts Transforming Organizations” by Patrick Guggenberger, Dana Maor, Michael Park and Patrick Simon. Out of the ten most significant shifts facing organizations today outlined in the study, six could resonate with associations: 1. Efficiency reloaded. More than a third of leaders in the study list efficiency as a top-three organizational priority. Boosting efficiency is about more than managing immediate crises or getting the same work done with fewer resources. It means more effectively deploying resources to where they ...
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Competencies of Effective Boards

By Bobby Peralta posted 21-05-2023
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I was researching on association governance and saw this 2019 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) publication “Recruit the Right Board” by Mark Engle, FASAE, CAE and William Brown. The publication was based on the results of the ASAE Foundation’s “Board Member Competencies and Selection” study aimed at helping association executives and leaders refine or modify recruitment and selection practices to support optimal board performance. There were five general leadership skill areas identified in the study as reflecting critical competency concerns for board members. These five areas are group skills, interpersonal skills, personal skills, ...
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The ‘Secret Sauce’ of Member Engagement: Part Two

By Bobby Peralta posted 21-05-2023
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In my last post here, I wrote about a formula on member engagement: “Engagement equals Value plus Experience.” It came from Amanda Lea Kaiser, author of the new book, “Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating Thriving Member Communities.” Here are additional thoughts which I adapted from Amanda’s recent webinar and the articles on her website: Most associations equate engagement only with value such as content, benefits, and events. This emanates from the usual question an association asks its members: “What do you need?” However, this is only one part of the engagement equation. Whenever you ask, “what do our members need?” you should also ...
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The ‘Secret Sauce’ of Member Engagement: Part One

By Bobby Peralta posted 21-05-2023
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In the membership lifecycle framework, member engagement is in between member recruitment and member retention. For me, it’s the most challenging task of an association professional . If you imagine the work (and challenges) involved in the membership aspect of association management to be that of a diamond-shaped figure, then member engagement will be at the center and the biggest area. Member engagement actually starts during prospecting and accelerates when a member joins. It must be sustained during membership; otherwise, retaining the member will be difficult. (For more on member engagement, please refer to my column of March 15, 2017 https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/03/15/association-membership-life-cycle/ ...
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Motivational Quotes for Associations to Ponder On

By Bobby Peralta posted 21-05-2023
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I read an article by Abdo Riani, a senior contributor at Forbes.com , entitled “11 Quotes from Great Philosophers Useful for Startup Founders” from where I have adapted the following five quotes that associations can relate with: 1. “He who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how.” —Friedrich Nietzsche Associations are built around a purpose, advocacy or a cause. Research shows that associations that have stuck to their “reason for being,” despite the changes around them, have survived and thrived. The power of purpose motivates association leaders to find the determination and perseverance “to keep going when the going gets tough.” 2. ...
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An Association Leader’s Traits ‘To a T’

By Bobby Peralta posted 16-04-2023
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The expression “to a T” means something exactly right or perfect. So when someone describes you “to a T,” it means it’s the best representation of yourself. I’ve been trying to make an account of what traits an association leader must possess that fit “to a T.” Based on my interaction with fellow association executives over the years and from my own experience, I would say these “5 Ts” matter: 1. Tact. A discerning sense of what to do or say in order to build good relations with others or not to offend anyone. A tactful person knows how to say the right thing at the right time, is proper and sensitive, and is never rude or careless. Having the responsibility ...
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Building Your ‘Kitchen Cabinet’

By Bobby Peralta posted 10-04-2023
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The term “kitchen cabinet” originated in politics, referring to a group of unofficial or private advisers to a political leader. Nowadays, it’s used to describe a network of trusted friends and associates whom you reach out to anytime for advice, guidance and opportunities. This was the premise of the “Building your Kitchen Cabinet: Developing Your Network” webinar that the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) organized recently. Jackie Price Osafo, executive director of the Society of American Archivists, shared these insights from her session: 1. The Why. There are three things why you need a network: as a relationship ...
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Atty. Bert Reyno: Association Legal Eagle

By Bobby Peralta posted 10-04-2023
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It was early Monday morning last week when I received the sad news that long-time friend and work associate, Atty. Alberto “Bert” Reyno, has passed away. Bert succumbed to lung cancer and its complications. He was 72. I’ve known Bert for decades, starting when we were colleagues at the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). He worked his way up the corporate ladder, from a research aide and to senior vice president over a period of 34 years. Being an economist and a lawyer served him well in his various leadership positions in the organization. I left the DBP after 15 years and rarely met Bert for the next 20 years or so, only to be reunited again ...
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Strategic Transformation: Playing to Win

By Bobby Peralta posted 26-03-2023
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I was researching on strategic transformation and found this article from Emeritus, an organization that specializes in making accessible and affordable high-quality education by collaborating with top-tier universities worldwide. The article, “Everything You Need to Know About Strategic Transformation,” provided me with a simple definition and context, together with a separate case study by Prof. Roger Martin, former chairman of Tennis Canada (TC), the governing body of the sport, which did a strategic transformation a decade ago and is now reaping the fruits from its success. A true strategic transformation is not limited to isolated or cosmetic changes ...
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Getting the Board Onboard and Aligned

By Bobby Peralta posted 21-03-2023
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In a recent webinar organized by BoardPro entitled “How to Get your Board On-board and Aligned,” I gained insights on building an effective working board from Lisa Cook, founder and managing director of Get on Board Australia, an Australian board management software provider and board portal. Liza presented a three-step framework, “I AM” which stands for “ I ntegrate, A ctivate and M otivate.” To remember this framework easily, Liza suggests to have in mind statements like: “I am ready to serve the board”; “I am ready to be part of a high-performing board”; and, “I am ready to be successful.” The three-step framework calls for the following: 1. ...
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Associations and Japanese Life Philosophies

By Bobby Peralta posted 12-03-2023
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I have always been fascinated by Japanese philosophies, culture and traditions since I first set foot in Japan in the early 1990s and took many more trips over the years. It always amazes me that people I’ve met and became friends with have been in touch with me even until now. Values like thinking first of others, respect for elders, decision-making by consensus, knowing your role, and doing your best are some of the things I have learned from my Japanese friends. So, when I read “14 Japanese Concepts that Will Help You See Life in a Different Light,” written by Mihai Andrei and featured on the Zem Science website, I thought I’d share five concepts or philosophies ...
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A Three-pronged Approach to Making an Impact

By Bobby Peralta posted 03-03-2023
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I was a guest recently of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association in its in-person general membership meeting and induction of its new Board of Trustees 2023-2024. HSMA is the country’s premier organization of hotel sales and marketing leaders, with 150 members comprising of heads of sales and marketing of accredited hospitality properties nationwide. During the event, HSMA president Loleth So presented the new Board’s strategic thrust, “#TheWayForward.” It consists of these three guiding principles that will help shape the organization’s ambition to make an impact, not only to its members and to its industry, but also to the country, in general: 1. ...
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Fundraising: A Board Member’s Responsibility

By Bobby Peralta posted 01-03-2023
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I was sorting by topic the publications on association management and governance that I have acquired over the years when I saw this ASAE booklet, “Fundraising without Fear: A Board Member’s Guide to Raising Money” by Karla Taylor. I thought the concise and useful content of this guide is worth sharing to associations. Why raise funds? As an association’s work and advocacy evolve and expand over time, there is need to raise money for initiatives that membership dues cannot cover, e.g., research, scholarships, visibility campaigns, and other projects to ensure that the association is able to serve better the industry or profession it represents. Why ...
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Building Resilience

By Bobby Peralta posted 01-03-2023
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The pandemic has spawned a plethora of words, terms and phrases. Resilience is one that I have used a lot, signifying my desire to look beyond this crisis, rise up, and be more progressive. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands. So when I chanced upon a TED Talk entitled, “Three Secrets of Resilient People” by Lucy Hone, a resilience expert and researcher, I watched it with keen interest. I thought of adapting the ...
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Leadership

By Bobby Peralta posted 01-03-2023
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Two years of crisis navigation has impacted the governance of associations, both for the better and in challenging ways. For many of association board leaders, reflecting on how their association was able to thrive (or even survived) at the height of pandemic is in no small part because of their contribution that has deepened loyalty and commitment. A big part of this contribution is investing in board leadership which starts right after a member is elected to the board. This includes three processes: orientation; refresh; and, onboarding. This was tackled in the first monthly webinar of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executive ...
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Decision-making Don’ts

By Bobby Peralta posted 03-02-2023
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I have always enjoyed reading Dean West’s blogs, which are insightful and laced with a bit of humor. Dean is founder and president of Association Laboratory Inc., a US firm that provides quality information and strategic insights to association leaders. Below are my takeaways on common decision-making mistakes by associations from Dean’s recent blog Associations Pronounced Dead by Unanimous Decision, combined with my own experiences. Having many decision layers that don’t add value. More often than not, many associations have multi-tiered decision making process that involves different committees in approving, say, a service provider contract. There ...
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ROI and COI: A Tale of Two Metrics

By Bobby Peralta posted 27-01-2023
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Most of us are familiar with the term “return on investment,” or ROI, a metric that helps us understand the profitability of an investment. ROI is the ratio of net income (over a period) to investment (costs of investing a resource at a certain point in time). A high ROI means the investment has made significant gains compared to its cost. In a recent vlog, Australian-based Futurist Gihan Perera introduced the concept of “cost of inaction,” or COI. “When creating a plan, you calculate the ROI for taking action but, unless you also calculate the COI, your plan lacks context,” Gihan says. “ROI answers the question, ‘What are the benefits of this change?’ while ...
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Making Association Leaders Matter

By Bobby Peralta posted 20-01-2023
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January, named after the Roman god Janus, is the time for beginnings and transitions. It is the first month of the year when you start planning and set new goals. The pandemic, however, has added a new dimension in the way organizations now plan and operate. So when I read “What matters most? Six Priorities for CEOs in Turbulent Times” by Homayoun Hatami and Liz Hilton Segel on the website of McKinsey & Co., I thought their findings would resonate to associations as well. Resilience: The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from adversity. The pandemic has made businesses move much faster and for their leaders to deploy speed across six dimensions ...
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Of Horses, Eagles and Other Tales

By Bobby Peralta posted 15-01-2023
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Last Christmas, our good neighbor Bo Sanchez, a well-known author, podcaster, entrepreneur and missionary, gifted us with his latest inspirational book, “This and That: Tiny Choices to Uncomplicate Your Life.” The 200-page, 31-chapter book is full of stories on making life’s simple choices plus reflection points and actionable tips. I have adapted four tales from it which I thought I’d share with associations: 1. The Horse and the Donkey —Selfishness or Selflessness. A horse and a donkey were best of friends. One day, a group of bandits kidnapped them to carry their stolen loot. The gang put all the load onto the donkey to carry while put nothing on the ...
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‘Same old same old’ in the New Year?

By Bobby Peralta posted 15-01-2023
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The expression “same old same old” means the same thing has always happened, been done, or talked about but not acted upon, which implies that such thing tends to be monotonous, boring or unacceptable. In the context of the New Year and in the midst of the pandemic, having a “same old same old” approach, theme or topic for your association may prove detrimental or even disastrous. Here are a few things I have learned the past year from American association management expert and consultant, author and professional speaker Mary Byers: On value proposition. When members ask what they are getting for their membership dues, many associations reply by showing ...
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