I have been working out with a trainer for several years now, but it wasn’t recently that I really began to see the results…I’m stronger, have more energy, and happily a bit thinner. How did I do it? By focusing on what I really wanted to achieve and on what I needed to do to get there.
This was no quick fix and I’ll admit I was frustrated at first by what I deemed as slow progress. But I stayed true to my goals, and one day there I was standing in front of my trainer while he shook his head, amazed at how far I had come. We had finally reached a significant point in my training and were ready to move forward.
Struggling associations can benefit from finding their focus. Case in point: when one chapter asked me to create a newsletter, I was told to be sure it would be worthy of an award. Whaaaat? While I’m sure the board meant well, as a member I immediately felt that I wasn’t important–that the newsletter was more about gaining approval on the national stage than serving me and my fellow members.
So what’s the lesson here for struggling chapters? Be sure to focus on the right thing for the right reason. Winning an award should never be the goal of any chapter; it should always be serving your members in the best possible way.
Do this well and one day, you’ll be standing before your members while they shake their heads, amazed at how far you have come.