The trouble with association boards is they tend to be populated with super-members. Super-members are members who are so engaged, so seasoned, so advanced in the profession or industry they are not like most members. They know everyone and everything.
If your board members fit this profile, they are not good candidates for focus groups to determine the member experience. They no longer think or behave like most members, certainly not new members. Don’t ask them to guess what new members need or want. Board members will be happy to give you an opinion, but their guess may be as good as yours. So where do we want board members to focus their energies?
On the advancement of the industry or the profession. Not only can super-members help the association excel in this area, this is where their interests lay. They no longer worry as much about personal success and instead think about team success and the success of the industry or profession. Set them loose on propelling the industry or profession forward and focus your energy on developing great experiences for members with insights from other groups of members, like new members or core members.
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