Once upon a time, I worked in the professional association world as a membership development professional. While I may no longer be working in nonprofits or this particular field, I do continue to promote the value of joining and participating in a shared community of professional practice. As Barbara Safani mentioned a couple of days [...]

Are making a difference and happiness linked? Curt Rosengren points to recent research supporting the connection.
Lately, I’ve been having watercooler chats with my staff, trying to get a better grasp of what we can do together to create the kind of workplace that inspires and excites folks. Working in non-profits, you come to understand that [...]

Here’s a little fact about me: I don’t like trade shows. From the visitor side, they make me uncomfortable. I’m always afraid to make eye contact with an exhibitor for fear that I’m going to get the full-on sales blitz. And usually it’s for a service or product that I really don’t need. Ever try [...]

When it comes to creating a passionate custo/member experience, there will always be some who just don’t get it or don’t want it. From one perspective or another, they can be considered to be abusive. What’s one to do with these folks? I would suggest that they be given the boot. Not literally, but when [...]

Our experience is not what happens to us, but what we make of what happens to us.
–Aldous Huxley
I have this written on the large whiteboard that hangs directly in front of my desk at work. It is an honest reminder that the experience of the individual custo/member is not within our control. Our custo/members have [...]