Which "hat" makes the best association CEO?
We association people like to say we "wear many hats," meaning association management often requires broad expertise in several different roles. The hat I generally wear is the editor's hat (which I guess would look like this if we were talking about literal hats), and while editing an article for the June issue of Associations Now today, I came across a quote that got me thinking about these various hats:
"Become an expert in your functional area before becoming a generalist in association management. Exhibiting a strong skill set in your area of responsibility (communications, education, meeting planning, and so forth) builds credibility and a solid foundation for your career. Also, producing results for the organization in your area of expertise will get you noticed."—Gabriel Eckert, CAE, executive director of Building Owners and Managers of Atlanta
Seems like pretty good advice, but it got me thinking: What functional area makes for the best initial education in association leadership? Or, from another point of view, what specific background is most important to look for in a candidate if you're hiring an association CEO?
I'll offer a few suggestions:
- Volunteer relations, for the skills learned in supporting, guiding, and facilitating member committees and groups, which translates directly to working with a board of directors.
- Communications, for the skills learned in crafting and delivering strong and consistent messages and building buy-in to those visions.
- Membership, for the insight gained into exactly what makes members tick.
- Advocacy, for the skills learned in coordinating collective, sustained action toward large-scale goals.
[These last two might have a built-in advantage that other functions don't offer; scoring major growth in membership or a victory on Capitol Hill is resume gold.]
Of course, association professionals work in a wide variety of functions (just see the list of ASAE professional-interest sections or CAE domains), and I'm sure a case could be made for any functional area. But, I'm curious if you have a strong opinion one way or another. Is there a part of your association background that has proven most valuable to you as a leader? Do great association leaders come from volunteer relations, from membership, or from somewhere else? Or is Gabriel's advice really just about driving toward success in whatever area you might start in? Let us know what you think.
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Comments
From a functional standpoint education creates a strong foundation. Success in that role comes from deeply understanding and honing in on the needs of members, planning and delivering well structured androgogical events and best of all gives you direct and immediate feedback about the quality of your work. Gabriel Eckert is absolutely on point that a commitment to learning, mastering your responsibilities, and delivering solid results is key to your success and advancement. We are after all, paid for results.
Posted by: Kerry Stackpole CAE | May 17, 2011 3:13 PM
I echo Kerry's sentiment about education and am also reminded of the five levels of leadership in Good to Great: (1) highly capable individual, (2) contributing team member, (3) competent manager, (4) effective leader, (5) executive.
Whatever your functional responsibilities are, doing them exceptionally well is usually the first step for a successful executive career.
Posted by: Jeffrey Cufaude | May 18, 2011 10:05 AM
I've spent nearly my whole career in advocacy, communications and member services. As someone who is looking to make that leap to Exec Dir/CEO ranks, and have interviewed for a couple spots, one thing continues to pop up. Direct supervision of people. I have to admit I'm not as strong in that function mainly because of the size of my current organization (small) and the current E.D. (uber-controlling). I think you just have to find the right organization looking for your strengths, while working to shore up your soft spots on your resume.
Posted by: Scott Meske, CAE | May 18, 2011 10:05 AM
Thanks everyone for the comments.
Kerry, I hadn't thought about the education department, but you raise a good point about the depth to which a developer of adult education programs must understand the needs of professionals in a particular field. For associations that focus heavily on professional development as a benefit or service, that experience is very valuable.
Jeffrey, thanks for the reference to Collins. Those five levels are a good illustration of how Gabriel's advice is intended to play out. (And kudos for referring to Collins without mentioning a bus.)
Scott, I'm curious about your experience in advocacy: did you directly organize volunteers for any lobbying activities (fly-ins, grassroots events, etc.)? And if so, did you have any luck in spinning that experience as similar to supervisory experience? You make a good point that people-management experience is a requirement for a good leader; I wonder if managing volunteers is equatable or if the leadership dynamics vary between managing volunteers and managing staff.
Posted by: Joe Rominiecki | May 19, 2011 11:40 AM
I've been a CEO from the start, preceded by volunteer experience in advocacy and board membership.
My strength has been in governance and management, so I'm not limited to one area of expertise nor one industry. A CEO needs to achieve association success - more members, more registrations, more money, more publicity, etc.
Experience in growing an organization is the most useful expertise for a CEO.
Posted by: David M. Patt, CAE | May 23, 2011 1:12 PM
Joe, I appreciate your advice to Scott regarding management experience. I too had been considering the absence of supervisory experience in the office as a pretty significant weak spot in my resume. Yet I have years of experience coordinating our association's grassroots, and now direct lobbying, efforts. You've given me a new perspective. Thanks very much!
Posted by: Gabrielle Sedor, CAE | May 24, 2011 3:56 PM