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Steve Smyth, VP of marketing for TriStar Publishing, Inc., sent us the following blog post based on his experience with the Healthcare Community Committee on Saturday:

As a long time member of ASAE who more then occasionally wondered "Where'd they come up with that idea?" when ASAE launched an innovative new product or service, I'd like to report that I think I've discovered one source of that genius - ASAE's volunteer-led Committees.

I'm the incoming Chair of the ASAE Healthcare Community Committee (HCC), and on Saturday I had the great good fortune of working with a new group of healthcare association leaders during our afternoon Committee gathering. The mission for the event was to integrate the new folks into the 3 main Working Groups through which most of the Committees work was accomplished, and then to initiate some strategic thinking regarding tasks and goals for each group. What actually transpired during our 3 hours together didn't exactly match my expected outcomes, but instead gave me something much better - a close up look into what can be accomplished when engaged, intuitive professionals who have a passion for their work get together to brainstorm. I can't wait to see what this group spins out to the greater ASAE community in the coming year!

Here's 3 lessons I learned from working with the Healthcare Community Committee on Saturday:

1. Plan a targeted agenda for your committee meeting- but don't plan to be a slave to it. As a neophyte group leader who wanted to make sure I made good use of the time these volunteers were contributing, I went into the meeting thinking tight adherence to the agenda would keep everyone on track, allowing us to meet our stated objectives. What I learned was that creative discussion has it own flow. Sometimes you just need to go with it.

2. Fresh thinking helps build a bigger vision. Having served 3 years on the HCC had me coming into the orientation/planning meeting with a pretty clear vision for what I saw as the Committee's challenges and opportunities for growth. What I learned was fresh ideas can really help bring that vision of the future into sharper focus. It may reveal some previously unknown challenges as well . Challenges that once understood, are much easier to overcome.

3. If your plan for the meeting has "big issue" items - make sure they're presented in the right order. Pointing back to my first lesson - we did have an agenda item that was to be introduced to the whole Committee and lead off the Working Groups' individualized efforts. Because of a scheduling challenge, this order flip-flopped. What could have created some backtracking on goals the Groups had established before hearing of the bigger initiative instead led to some very productive discussion on how the component elements of the Groups' work can function in synch to achieve the larger mission. In hindsight, having the right presentation order would likely get you to the same place - just without the momentary panic!

End result of the meeting - stay tuned, ASAE.....

(Shameless plug: For a fresh example of how ASAE's Healthcare Community Committee is helping provide uniquely targeted executive-level education - make plans now for ASAE's Healthcare Association Conference, November 18-19, 2010 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.)