Building Leadership Through Association
by Jaye Donaldson
May 2002
Article published on
www.designmanagementresources.com.
The fact is clear that participation in industry and professional organizations costs time, money and energy. So why bother?
Let me begin by saying that we all know, intuitively, that it is important to "participate."
In general, participation is rewarding, it provides opportunity to learn, it shows leadership, and it is the "right thing to do."
Specifically, it is difficult to prove how REAL participation in industry and professional organizations can directly "improve your bottom line." However, in this article, I will show that participation is important. Investing in an organization can have a significant effect on your growth as a design business leader.
There are three kinds of associations that design business managers and owners should consider: industry or trade associations, professional organizations, and not-for-profit organizations. Each of these types of associations has very specific needs and opportunities for participation; and each can have a tremendous impact on your business as well.
A Good Place to Begin
Industry or trade associations are those organizations that focus on your individual trade (design, public relations, marketing, broadcast, etc.). Participation in your own trade organizations offers tremendous learning opportunities, especially for junior managers and staff. Joining a trade association provides exposure to peers, trends and experiences that cannot be replicated inside your own company.
For senior level managers and owners, trade associations offer the opportunity to lead and mentor growing companies. The payback is in the ability to leverage the leadership role and build your credentials as a respected industry leader.
Trade associations most frequently are regional in focus, and therefore offer less exposure to industry trends and peers in other parts of the country or world. International trade organizations, such as Design Management Institute (DMI) are valuable if your business is prepared to think and behave on a global basis. Joining an international association will be valuable to a company only if the fit is right; in other words, membership in such an organization would not appropriate for regionally focused or local shops.
Moving On
After making significant contributions to your trade organizations, I recommend moving on -- don't hang in forever. Exit at the high point, when your contributions have had the most impact and your reputation is its strongest. Allow a new generation of trade professionals to participate. This is extremely important for many reasons, but mainly because it is time to move on -- preaching to the choir is not a positive thing long-term.
In the design, marketing and advertising industries there are many trade associations to evaluate. American Marketing Association (AMA), American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Direct Marketing Association (DMA), Connecticut Art Director's Club (CADC)(and other regional clubs), and DMI are a few examples. Each has a niche offering, and should be evaluated based on who in the member firm is most likely to participate.
During my career I have been a member of all of these organizations, but most recently I have chosen to focus my participation in DMI, where consultants and corporate design managers from around the world come together to learn and discuss issues relating to design management, global branding, international regulations as they relate to packaging and language, challenges with executive validation and buy-in, and the value of design in the business model.
At this point in my career, DMI is a good fit for me because it offers the ability to network with corporate clients and prospects; exposure to internationally renowned speakers, collaboration, networking and friendship with other leaders worldwide in our industry; and the chance to build a partnership between APDF (which I currently chair) and DMI.
It's important to evaluate your potential membership carefully. Here are some issues to consider when determining whether an association is appropriate or not:
- quality of members
- quality of leaders in the association
- geographic focus
- services (conferences, affiliations to other outside associations, access to leaders in the industry as speakers and advisors)
- your firm member's ability to really get involved (time, $)
- cost to join
- does the service offering fit your company's goals for growth and development?
Bottom Line: Building relationships within the industry can be valuable in obvious ways: recruiting and job placement, competitive intelligence and for your own niche positioning and marketing. In addition, the ability to promote your role (Board Member, Regional Leader, etc.) through your own public relations and marketing is extremely valuable in building credentials.
Investment: The costs associated with trade organizations vary, but they are traditionally less costly than professional ones. Annual dues can run from $500 to $2,500. Regional memberships may be less costly, yet provide access to national resources on a pay-as-you-go basis. This is a cost-effective way to get a taste of the organization and its potential for your business.
Wider Horizons
Professional organizations offer very different learning opportunities in exchange for participation. Owner peer groups are other presidents, CEOs and leaders in different non-competitive industries. Professional organizations are regional, national and international in scope, and provide exposure and discussions on issues relating to business in an operational sense, as compared to the service or product that you provide.
Challenge Your Comfort Zone
Because the focus is on business and not necessarily your "art" or trade-professional skill set, this kind of organization will most likely concentrate on topics outside your comfort zone -- areas relating to business models and best practices, key performance indicators and financial measures, strategic planning, business transition and exit strategies, owners' goals and objectives (personal and professional), and growth strategies. Participation in professional organizations is essential to business owners whose objectives include growth and continuous product improvement.
My experience with professional organizations has been more than rewarding, it has been educational, profitable and personally gratifying as well.
A Different Perspective
Interaction with peers outside of your own industry demands a perspective that cannot be found in trade associations. Learning how other business owners and senior managers deal with issues similar to your own (and they ARE all similar, if not identical) in different environments is extremely valuable.
And sharing your own best business practices and knowing that you have provided real insight to someone who would never have been able to think outside their own box is a real high! In non-competitive associations, the value that is created through open dialog and sharing is worth the cost of admission.
Higher Level Commitment
There are several professional organizations to consider. The process usually includes interviews -- you of them, and they of you. I encourage that you be honest during this initial step. The right chemistry between you and your group and its leader is essential to your success. Commitment is another key ingredient. Time, money and effort -- and not necessarily in that order, are necessary for true professional development.
Professional organizations that I would recommend evaluating include TEC (The Executive Committee), YPO (Young President's Organization), The Entrepreneurship Institute, Renaissance and TAB (The Alternative Board).
Bottom line: Developing a perspective from outside your industry is extremely valuable. Challenges are similar, and oftentimes solutions are as well. The key to a successful professional organization experience is your ability to really share ideas, challenges, weaknesses and solutions with peers. Although networking is usually not encouraged in professional organizations, if you are good at what you do, professionals in our industry cannot help but develop new leads through these kinds of organizations.
Investment: Professional organizations can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 annually; time commitment can vary, but count on investing at least 2 days a month to your group, in addition to the time you will need to implement and perform the new business practices to which you will be introduced.
The Best of Both Worlds
Professional-Trade Associations -- I call them hybrid associations -- are another extremely valuable resource for participation and learning. Unfortunately, a true trade association that behaves like a professional association is hard to find. The value comes in the members' combined interest in sharing trade information on a professional level. Owners who are not afraid to discuss their business practices, vulnerabilities, success and failures among competitors within their own industry are in short supply.
I hope the value is obvious: you learn from professionals experiencing precisely the same challenges you are. Human resource, financial, transition, management and process improvement are just a hint at the kinds of issues that can be discussed in a professional trade association.
Twice the Value
In addition, the PR value of participating in a hybrid association is two-fold: you can promote it within your trade as well as to your external constituents.
I have also found that the potential for successful partnerships and alliances among smaller, regional firms can take shape within these hybrid organizations. By investing time to learn one another's competencies (business and trade), "sister" relationships can be developed that enable firms to share clients, business practices and even employees.
The "hybrid" organization that I am most familiar with, and have found to have the most impact on my business, is APDF (Association of Professional Design Firms). I have been actively involved for over ten years and am currently Chairman of the Board, having served as president in 2000-2001.
Bottom line: Collaborating with peers in a non-competitive environment is truly educational and rewarding. Friendships can be formed that last a lifetime, and business challenges unique to your industry can be faced in tandem rather than isolation.
The words "it's lonely at the top" are real and can create true anxiety, frustration and sometimes paralysis. Having a bond with another firm owner/ president/CEO is often times more powerful than having a business partner or outside advisor. The combination of arm's distance relationships with personnel, different/new perspectives and industry knowledge and experience brings together the best of both insider and outsider viewpoints.
Investment: Fees for these organizations fall somewhere between professional and trade, and probably are more diverse. Finding the right fit is the most important factor to measure: industry, services, members. Once in place, you will find value no matter what the cost.
Pro-bono Is Win-Win Investment
Not-for-profit organizations present an entirely new opportunity to become engaged. They offer ways to give back to the community, to provide financial support to causes you believe in, and to network. Don't undervalue these give-aways; instead view them as benefits.
Personally, I have considered my involvement in non-profits as learning experiences when given the chance to leverage a new skill or grow a dormant competency. I encourage employees to become involved as a training ground for presentation skills, public speaking, professional mentoring and personal development. Does this sound like a Win-Win, or what?!
Bottom Line: What better way to truly align your personal values and mission (as a business owner you can do this) with your organization's pro-bono endeavors. PR initiatives to promote your involvement are expected and even encouraged by non-profit organizations. They too want to align with credible and highly recognized companies; so co-operative PR is often times another opportunity for a Win-Win.
Investment: Warning! the cost of admission can be high. If you are good, non-profits will want more; and the folks who manage these organizations are trained to ask for more -- they do not take 'No' for an answer. Another warning is that once you publicly announce your involvement, you are now viewed as a source for other organizations to hound. Pick and choose your non-profit participation carefully (remember your values & mission), and stick to your guns, or they will eat you alive!
The Ultimate Bottom Line ...for me and my business...
The Balancing Act.
Everything you have read up to now sounds all well and good (I hope). A huge consideration, however, is balancing involvement away from your office with commitment to the business and family. It is not easy, and the struggle to "do it all" should not be taken lightly.
Know Yourself
By striving to do everything well, it is important that you as an employer, business owner, spouse and parent, recognize what you can do to improve your ability in each of these areas. Determining which organizations can help you to meet the obligations of your priorities is the first step in the exercise. Knowing your capacity is also critical. Take on only the commitments that you can handle, and only the ones that will help you accomplish your goals. For instance, in addition to the organizations I am involved with professionally, I also coach a girls competitive soccer team. I do this because it is important to be with my children, girls in team sports is vital to growing well-rounded women and I thrive on physical activity. However, I am often surprised at how much these 11-year-olds teach me about my business. We all have heard sports analogies in the business environment, but living them gives a whole new dimension to Coaching and Teamwork.
Live Your Business
Another example of combining some of my personal values (education & children) and my business: I live and work in the same town; so do some of our employees. Our elementary school PTO is a fantastic organization. However, I have chosen not to participate wholly in the PTO. Instead, I spend time directly with the children. When opportunities arise, I bring my professional skills to the school, even in the form of strategic communications: brand, packaging and eMedia.
Visit www.donaldsonmakoski.com/brandchallenge to see the interactive game our staff developed then presented over a 2-day period to eager and enthusiastic children.
Budget for Professional Growth
Determined to become a better employer, leader and business professional inspired me to become involved in trade and professional organizations. In our marketing budget we plan for tradeshow and conference participation as well as institutional/educational involvement, such as speaking engagements, networking and publishing. Our operations/administrative expenses include costs associated with TEC and APDF. And when we send staff to HOW, AIGA and other design conferences, it comes out of the training & education budget. Our pro-bono budget is just that -- pro bono, and we attempt to control the time allocated to this kind of work on a monthly basis. The costs to promote our pro-bono participation are considered marketing expenses. Bottom Line I can honestly say that I am a better business owner, leader, employer and parent because of my participation in outside organizations. You would have to ask my husband about the better spouse part -- just be sure to catch him on a day when I am not traveling to yet another board meeting, business conference or soccer game!
Jaye Donaldson has been involved in the following organizations over her 20-plus-year career Trade DMI (Design Management Institute) AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) AMA (American Marketing Association) PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) Professional TEC (The Executive Committee) Professional-Trade APDF (Association of Professional Design Firms) President, 2000-2001, Chairman, 2002 Not-for-Profit CWHF (Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame) Marketing Chair, 2001-present UCONN Children's Cancer Fund FMH (Foundation for Mental Health) AHA (American Heart Association) FVAC (Farmington Valley Arts Center) APA (American Paralysis Association), Executive Committee, 1999 event Girl Scouts Troop Leader, 1995-1999 Soccer Coach, 1995-present
