I really enjoyed Saturday afternoon's Individual Leadership Development topic "If This Was Easy Someone Else Would Be Doing It." Michael Flint and Herman Gonzalez of the Southern Ontario Chapter teamed up for their top 10 reasons why component leadership is not easy. Their management challenges, in order of importance, were:
1. Focus
2. Communications
3. Customer Expectations (Chapter members are customers!)
4. Component Scope
5. Vision
6. External Competition and Collaboration
7. Internal Competition and Collaboration
8. Time Expectations
9. Funding
10. Volunteers
I had two great takeaways. First, chapter management is really about managing a business and chapters can fall into the trap of being managed like projects. (We are, after all, project managers.)
Second, consider having dinner meetings earlier, free and "without the dinners." Free, non-dinner chapter meetings could save money, might actually produce a higher turnout because they are free, and could get everyone home in time for Desperate Housewives--just kidding. But early, free, non-dinner meetings might be a great idea heading into these financially troubling times.
I spoke to Herman, chapter president, after the session and he told me that their free, non-dinner meetings were very successful. They improved attendance and were actually "more profitable."
1. Focus
2. Communications
3. Customer Expectations (Chapter members are customers!)
4. Component Scope
5. Vision
6. External Competition and Collaboration
7. Internal Competition and Collaboration
8. Time Expectations
9. Funding
10. Volunteers
I had two great takeaways. First, chapter management is really about managing a business and chapters can fall into the trap of being managed like projects. (We are, after all, project managers.)
Second, consider having dinner meetings earlier, free and "without the dinners." Free, non-dinner chapter meetings could save money, might actually produce a higher turnout because they are free, and could get everyone home in time for Desperate Housewives--just kidding. But early, free, non-dinner meetings might be a great idea heading into these financially troubling times.
I spoke to Herman, chapter president, after the session and he told me that their free, non-dinner meetings were very successful. They improved attendance and were actually "more profitable."
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