Building Vibrant Organizations – Tips for Success   

        

In today’s “chronologically challenged” (not-enough-hours-in-the-day) societies, there is substantial competition for one’s already limited disposable time, particularly among people who have diverse interests.  If a professional society or interest group is to inspire sufficient interest to be viable, the imperative for its leaders is to make the organization a priority for enough people.

This has been no small task even for FUTUREtakes.  However, as our publication is quite a success story in its own right as an international magazine and educational resource, we have determined that you may benefit from some tips for success that have served us well: 

1.    Ensure a continual infusion of new ideas, new energy, and new vision to keep your organization ever vibrant and to build and leverage the “contagion of enthusiasm.”  Otherwise, at some point your organization will become stagnant. 

2.    Develop and share a vision for your organization.  Think and dream big – in terms of your organization being all that it can be, and then follow through.  One approach that some leaders find helpful is to identify what people really want and provide it.  Find a niche that needs to be filled, and then fill it.  There are too many exciting possibilities for your organization, and you will not want to seek contentment as a “caretaker president.” 

3.    Set goals that support your organization’s vision and that motivate you and your team to do the necessary “legwork” for goal achievement.  As we have observed elsewhere – you can’t talk your way there, you can’t vote your way there, you can’t “policy” your way there, you can’t “oversight” your way there, you can’t “org chart” your way there, you can’t “advise” your way there, and you can’t spend forever planning your way there! 

4.    Continually question hidden assumptions about what your organization must be and how it must operate.  For example, do your officers consist of a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer because these are the officers that other organizations have?  Periodically ask yourself and your team some “outside-the-box” questions.  Also remember that the winning hand for today is not necessarily the winning hand for tomorrow.  If it were, there would be little or no need for futurists! 

5.    Be willing to make bold moves when appropriate.  It is leadership – not tinker-at-the-margins management – that generally wins the “hearts and minds” that will bring you members, participants, and volunteers. 

6.    Be observant!  Remain alert for weak signals, even during periods of outward vibrancy.  If unheeded, they often amplify with time.  Eventually they will get your attention, but perhaps in a way that is not to your liking.  As we have done in FUTUREtakes, also learn from your observations of other organizations – their su