CEX 2020 may be over but the lessons learned are only now being absorbed. It was a whirlwind of sessions, games (trivia, bingo and a wild scavenger hunt), and networking all in a virtual setting. There were tech issues, which were taken in stride, and some bad jokes (thanks, Peter), but in the end, it was a resounding success. Here’s a quick snapshot – and a few personal takeaways – of what we did over the span of two afternoons.
DAY ONE:
After a warm welcome and an icebreaker, we began with Pamela Green sharing how Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model applies to associations (view Sinek’s TED Talk or read his book Start with Why). In The Golden Circle: Why Some Succeed Where Others Do Not, we were asked to think about our personal and our organization’s “why.” Knowing the “why” of our organization (the reason why it exists) is essential to helping the mission move forward. But knowing your organization’s “why” isn’t enough. It needs to permeate throughout the organization, from the top down to our components and volunteers. Pam shared some ways we can succeed in taking on this challenge using the concept of Golden Circle to understand our organization’s “why” and how we can connect this “why” with our components.
Takeaway: Great leaders and not so great leaders do some of the same things. The magic happens when the leader can successfully communicate the “why” to others within the organization.
Charlotte Muylaert of Billhighway followed with Bright Spots: What’s working and how can we do more of it? where we learned how to identify and reproduce the attributes of the bright spots among our chapters. The session included four stories of organizations that were able to take the success of one chapter and spread that success to others delivering a collaborative spirit, and in some cases, a financial win for the chapters and the organization. Read her recap “6 Steps to Identifying Chapter Bright Spots.”
Takeaway: Focusing on the bright spots among your chapters can help you guide all your chapter leaders to success by providing them with a road map that builds upon what has already been proven to work.
The day ended with a virtual after-hours networking event featuring Liz Demery of DC Improv.
Takeaway: who knew Zoom could be so fun?
