perspectives on navigating the learning journey

I travel quite a bit in my role, and my first-choice airline is typically Southwest. Among other things, I “LUV” their sense of fun and their customer service. And I really enjoy Spirit, their in-flight magazine. The company’s fun culture comes through loud and clear in its eclectic content mix. Reading the August issue en route to St. Louis yesterday for ASAE’s annual meeting, I came across an article very timely for the association community as we gather to learn and share ideas.

Today’s the first full day of the meeting, and there are lots of tweets, sessions, and expo booths focusing on engaging members in today’s rich social media environment. A lot of what I’ve seen so far seems to focus on how associations can innovate, be creative, and engage members. All fine and good; yet the message that appears to be missing (so far) is the importance and value of listening to members. Not just giving them the latest tools and content…really listening to member conversations. We have so many tools we can use now to “eavesdrop” on those conversations to inform so many aspects of managing our associations, not the least of which are the learning opportunities we offer.

Writer Nicholas Webb, in his Spirit article “Hear Hear: How the best companies are succeeding by listening,” says this:

The days of carefully vetted press releases, a polished brand image, and corporate separatism are over. Also gone are the rampant focus groups and surveys intended to tap customer thought. The transformation has been so complete that companies no longer own their message; rather, the message is shaped by rapidly growing and vociferous online communities. For some businesses, particularly those accustomed to controlling the message, it’s a scary phenomenon; for others, it’s manna from heaven.

Sound familiar? Associations are jumping onto the social media bandwagon in droves; however there are still those having problems letting go of message control and doing more pushing out instead of pulling in. The article highlights what companies like Kodak, Dell, and the U.S. Army are doing to listen to their customers. One thing that really struck me is that one company, Kodak, even established a new position: Chief Listening Officer.

It seems to me that associations spend a lot of time telling members, when they should be spending a lot more time listening. How well does your organization listen to its members? And what could happen if you listen purposefully? Hmmm…here’s a thought: is it a new staff position, or the responsibility of every member of the association’s staff and volunteer leadership? What do you think?

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