Focus

I wrote some time ago about my idea for a session to "stir things up" for association executives. The title of the session was to be "Thinking Across Time in Foreign Languages." It did not get the kind of reaction I had hoped, but that was OK by me, because I became enamored of the title and promised myself that I would do something with it one day. That day has not yet come...but it might today.

I was invited by the local group of association executives to participate in a focus group, which will be held today. I think the invitation went out to people who once were very active in the organization but who have curtailed their participation. That is, the inactive geezers were invited...the purpose, I think, is for the current crop of leaders to figure out how to get us back around the table.

The invitees are not all geezers, in fact. I noted on the invitation list that there are some people I do not know...people who are probably young and energetic and look at association management as more important than it is.

I'll use this opportunity to try to get the crowd to think about things from a broader perspective than I think they have tended to take. I want them to think less in terms of "how do we get members to support a 'member-get-a-member campaign' we are planning" and more in terms of "how relevant is our association and how do we make it no only relevant, but vital, to our members." The answers to both questions is the same, but I believe you'll get to the answer far faster by asking the latter question. It's a matter of focus. A good thing to do with a focus group.