Association Leadership - July/August 2008 - (Page 13)

Lesson 2: First-time CEO T Tony Radoszewski Executive Director E Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) P After working for 26 years in the industry, I was chosen as executive director in of the PPI in March 2006. After all the o congratulatory phone calls and e-mails, it c soon came down to “What are you doing s for me now?” f So the ﬁrst thing I did, with full support from the board, was shut down our ofﬁce in Washington, D.C., move to Irving, build our new ofﬁce space, replace 60 percent of staff and move my family from Ohio back to Texas. The new ofﬁce would be easier and cheaper for our members to get to. We increased ofﬁce space by nearly 50 percent and decreased the rent by 40 percent. We improved our staff and lowered operating expenses, dropping nearly $120,000 from the bottom line. And we paid back the moving investment within 18 months. You would think all the members would be happy. You would think my family would be excited to get back to Texas. You would be wrong. What I quickly discovered is that associations are different animals from traditional – in my case, manufacturing – businesses. Members have strong emotional ties to their associations that I had not counted on, and I quickly found myself ﬁelding calls and e-mails on topics I never knew would be so important to people. It didn’t matter that we would be saving money and improving service. And from my family’s viewpoint, by moving back home, I moved the cheese! You have to learn to operate differently, and fast. Here are some recommendations from my personal journey: Find a mentor within the industry – Someone who knows about the dynamics of the association. I had a trusted compatriot and his insights to the operation and people of the association were invaluable. If you are new to the profession, this might be your past presidents. Ask questions and learn about the association business – Your best resource is the TSAE. There are a lot of talented people ready to help if you just ask. Also, get involved with CEO-speciﬁc training programs that provide learning and networking opportunities. Lastly, communicate – You’ll ﬁnd out members can’t get enough information about you and your plans. Let them know what you’re doing and always ask for feedback. It’s the surest and sometimes the most unceremonious way to conﬁrm whether you are on the right track. someone had told me Lesson 3: From corporate to non-profit Karena White K Director of Meetings and Membership D Texas Association of Assessing Ofﬁcers T Two short years ago, I was naïve enough to t believe that 14 years’ experience in corporate America was more than adequate c to t prepare me to work in the stress-free, noble world of not-for-proﬁt association n management. m I hear you giggling. In my previous work experience, it was clear by their job title what a person did for a living – sales manager, human resources director, controller, general manager, administrative assistant and so forth. But when I accepted my current job as director of meetings and membership, it was impossible to comprehend the scope of my job duties. The ﬁrst six weeks were the easiest, as I started my job six weeks shy of our annual conference – which I knew full well how to prepare for. The 98 weeks since, however, have challenged me in every way imaginable! In addition to directing meetings and membership activity of our organization, as my title would imply, I have had to learn and master the arts of… the Web, graphic design, magazine editing, database migration, relocation logistics, committee management (not for the faint of heart), board management (is this even possible?), general accounting, human resources, legislative affairs, fundraising and so much more. Given that I work for an association with a very small staff – there are two employees – all of these new skills have been learned on the job, by trial and error and with the help my rapidly growing collection of “For Dummies” books. Were it not for the generous community of TSAE and the seasoned professionals who are so willing to share their expertise and insight, I would have drowned long ago! The best things to do before, or immediately after, making this kind of career change would be to 1) Join TSAE and 2) Attend TSAE’s “Association 101” Course! The resources, the information and the members of TSAE are 100 percent responsible for any success I have had in this new endeavor. July/August 2008 | Association LEADERSHIP 13

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Association Leadership - July/August 2008

Association Leadership - July/August 2008 Contents Chairman’s Column Homepage 60-Second Solutions Cover Feature: Association Lessons Learned Perspectives Association Case Study TSAE Annual Conference CEO Strategies New Members Community Spotlight Government Relations: Resources Technology: Web Site Redesign Global Summit Photo Page Great Ideas Beaumont New Mexico Index to Advertisers Advertiser.com The Lighter Side of Associations

Association Leadership - July/August 2008

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