Brains go haywire in a crisis. Some people overreact, and some people underreact. Organizations can overreact and underreact too.
Right now, some associations are overreacting. Income is not meeting plan or is way below prior years, and rather than dip into substantial reserves, they downsize. The trouble is, these leadership teams might cut and layoff so severely there may not be enough person-power to figure out how to add member value in this new environment.
Other associations find themselves paralyzed. They are watching the disaster strike their industry or profession and their bottom line but are not making any significant moves. They are not trying to understand members more, connect with members more, or serve members more.
If you work in an association with a healthy reserve, guard against overreaction. You will need your staff to become the association of the future. If your work for an association with a minimal financial cushion, leap into action. Your members have challenges and goals; solving these challenges and helping members meet their goals is your path to business viability.
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