Geeking out
In his post yesterday, Jason Della Rocca said something that really resonated with me about “associations being the place where members can be geeks about what they love.â€
The term “geek†is one of those that can be used in a derogatory way, but it’s often used proudly within the various permutations of geeky communities. Whether you’re a geek about science fiction, engineering, ancient history, IT, or art, there are few things in life that are more fun than sharing time with those who share your geeky passions—to “geek out†with them about a great book you just read within your favored subject area, pick to pieces a movie that got all of the facts wrong, or debate the finer details of a subject that outsiders wouldn’t begin to understand. (Just as an example, my degree is in religious studies. Just ask any of my coworkers; you don’t want to get me started on certain topics or you’ll find yourself hearing a lot more than you wanted to know.)
I personally have had the great opportunity to attend both the Institute for Organization Management and a bunch of ASAE & The Center events, and in both cases, one of my favorite things is to connect with other association professionals and geek out over association stuff. Wow, your volunteer president did that? Really? How did you handle it? Have you ever had to communicate with your members about a dues increase? How did it work out?
Association bloggers are another case in point. It’s fun to hear them geek out about various aspects of association management; it’s fun to participate in the geekery. And it’s both fun and reassuring to see that others share your passions—whether for association management, religious studies, or what have you.
Really, geekiness is the foundation on which associations were built. Help your members embrace their inner professional or industry geek—and geek out with them!
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Comments
As someone who works with Lisa, please, please, please do follow her advice and don't bring up anything about the 13th Century Popes or possible timeline of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
But I want to pose a question about all this geekiness... I don't know Jason that well, but from what I can tell, he's pretty much a geek about world of gaming. I was at the Rushkoff session, too, and I took his meaning to be geeks about what the profession you serve does. Lisa, when you were with the industrial hygienists -- would you describe yourself more as well-versed in industrial hygiene or geeky about industrial hygiene?
I think Rushkoff made a lot of sense. I'm somebody who believes more and more that it is important for any association staffer who primarily serves external constituents, needs to be passionate (or geeky) about that association's mission. I know many people would argue that point. My question is, does the idea that you have to be passionate about the organization's mission interfere with the idea of association management as an independent discipline?
To be a little more clear, I guess the debate I'm trying to open up again is whether or not it is better to hire an association executive director who is geeky about the mission and then help them learn what it means to run an association, or is it better to hire a seasoned association executive who somehow develops passion for the mission?
A couple of years ago, I knew firmly on which side of that debate I was on. I'm not so sure anymore.
Posted by: Scott Briscoe | September 12, 2007 1:15 PM
I would say that I became geeky about industrial hygiene (my husband received many lectures about wearing eye and hand protection while working with circular saws and the like, and I read books and articles on industrial hygiene on my own time) but I will admit there were (and are) things I was more passionately interested in. So, maybe industrial hygiene was a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, and my strongest interests would be 10s.
With regard to your bigger question: I think the ideal for any association is to have an executive director who is passionate about its mission and an experienced association professional. (See, for instance, Erich Schuttauf of AANR, who I interviewed for this article; in the last three paragraphs of the article he addresses this issue specifically.)
If it isn't possible to have an ED who loves your mission and has significant association experience, I think the next best option is to have someone who is flexible and capable of becoming excited and passionate--either about the mission (if he/she an association person) or about the profession and craft of association management (if he/she comes from the association's constituency).
The worst option would be someone from the association's constituency who refuses to respect the profession of association management--or an association professional who isn't flexible enough to get passionate about the association's mission. I'm not sure which of those options would be worse; it probably depends on the specific situation.
Posted by: Lisa Junker | September 12, 2007 2:01 PM
It's a great and eternal question. My sense is that an association's members and customers are the discipline and content experts. The association managers (staff) are the experts in association management, trends and futures. A partnership is essential.
But hey, I could be wrong. Naaaah!
Posted by: Virgil Carter | September 12, 2007 8:11 PM