Volunteers do follow rules ... if they can understand them.

Two cases in point. A chapter board recently decided to not follow the national membership campaign because, well, the rules didn't make sense. One directive said the membership offer was x while the other said it was y. The other national org said create your calendar using these tools only they left out something and now we're "up the creek." Have you read your own rules?

Just love a challenge which is why I couldn’t resist Maddie Grant’s meme (see my reply) or rthe latest from  KiKi L’Italien / Shelly Alcorn’s. There is certainly a part of me that abhors all the resolutions and cute exercises to set a tone for the new year. Let’s face it how many really stick or are even remembered?

Last year after a series of disappointments and angst about all that’s happening in society (not to mention broken resolutions), I started a habit that I have found to be even more satisfying and – yes helpful. Each night as I lay my head on the pillow, I thank God for at least one thing. If I can only muster one, so be it.

While I will certainly continue that, I thought maybe, just maybe I should give this New Year rite a chance. Then I had fun reading Lowell  Aplebaum’ s, Nikki Jekse’s and Jay Daughtry’s posts and was convinced to try.  So I reset my Twitter wall with my public To Do List and offer here the 3 words I think I’ll live by…

PACE

There are three aspects to this: (1) pace myself, (2) pick up the pace and (3) pacing those distracters, work for change. Yes the third reference is a true use of pace; as a preposition it means “with the permission of; with deference to; to express polite or ironically polite disagreement”.  (As an aside, pace is also a company or herd of asses—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486 … hmmm)

Pace has applications to my personal and professional life. In order to be a better dancer and triathlete, I am relearning how to use my body (wow I never realized how wrong my running stride and push-up form was, and how underutilized my core was!). Professionally, I need to both slow down the pace (yep let’s just say no, negotiate more time) and speed up the pace. The former refers to that nagging procrastination!

Lastly, two top goals this year are to help association’s shift their volunteer model and rethink their community model and so do that I believe I have politely disagree with clients and some of my peers. I tend to back-down in public (my first preference is to avoid disagreement and confrontation.)

BREATHE

My goal (and yes I’m 3 for 3!) is to focus on breathing deeply. I am starting with several 60-sec deep breathing sessions a day. When I am frustrated with the kids, client, or the driver in front of me, I am mentally forcing myself to breathe.  And, with the help of my trainer Neghar Fonooni, I am learning the art and science of proper breathing in exercise. (Check out her blog for great ideas to Eat, Live & Be Happy.)

This goes beyond my personal space, as I hope to bring this concept to my work. My volunteers (in our four associations) need more opportunity to breathe in their jobs. I hope to help them do this through stronger support, employing technology and coaching.

CHOICE

Everyone has choices. My volunteers have the choice to serve or not. My presidents have the choice to lead or manage or do. My clients have many choices to change or maintain status quo. My sons have choices in school and with their friends. And I have choices every day. My goal this year is figure out how to make better choices, faster and without guilt, and to help those around me do the same. On this, I am open to suggestions!

Not sure how I’ll fare in the end, but with this being Leap Year at least I get one extra day to try. I know that I will accomplish #2 thanks to my token …

What are your words or rites to bring in the New Year?

Maddie Grant kicked off a Meme, in response to Craig Newmark’s post, asking all association peeps to answer “how are you going to change the world in 2012”.

In 2012, I hope to help associations reinvent the volunteer model. With my intrepid partner, Peter, and a host of very cool peeps (like my fellow ASAE Executive Management Section Council team and good friend Leslie White), my goal is to deconstruct the volunteer model. Then, tapping cool examples from the community-service sector along with innovative ideas coming out of a few associations, we’ll explore lots of options, ideas and possibilities.

We know that volunteers are what make associations unique as organizations and fuel our success. But,  even as we in associations embrace new technologies and – to a more limited degree – new business models, we haven’t addressed the volunteer model. We are still recruiting, developing, managing and rewarding as we did decades ago even though this no longer works. ASAE's Decision To Volunteer study sent out an alarm in 2008 that we can expect a turnover rate in our most active volunteers of up to 28%.  It’s time to change.

We’ll get some help on this journey through ASAE. A group of us from the EMS Council submitted an idea for a think tank project that I understand has been selected for funding in 2012. Also, two of us from the Council have submitted a very cool session for Annual Meeting on the topic (fingers crossed!). And, we have an informal group of association execs who are exploring, through open conversations, new models and sharing their own association’s journey. (We welcome more to the table for those conversations – just contact me for details.)

Lastly, to help inspire people to volunteer for their association and to shine the light on the great contribution association volunteers make, we launched a Facebook page Association Volunteers! Join us there, like it, add your own comments, and celebrate volunteers you know!

Happy to hear from others … join the meme (hint, hint Leslie White, KiKi L’Italien, Cynthia D’Amour, Frank Fortin,  Kerry Stackpole, Kim Howard).

1. Breath deeply every day. I'm trying this and have to admit that I do feel better - instantly - when I breath in deeply and exhale slowly.
2. Find a fun volunteer opportunity. Not one that you are *required* or *expected* to do. One that you just find enjoyable. I dance at church, at senior citizen homes ...
3. Subscribe to National Geographic and Popular Science. Then allow yourself to read the editions you want to and ignore the others.
4. Most chapters will do about 25% of what you (lead organization) want.
5. Best kitchen investment: Pampered Chef Citrus peeler. Removes the hesitation to eat fresh oranges and grapefruit.
6. Have a "contact us" page. This year we have received a dozen awesome and unexpected contacts through this page including one yesterday from a long, lost best friend!
7. Find a trainer with a sense of humor and great sense of self. (Yes, I can recommend one.)
8. Shop insurance agents regularly. (Note: they don't have a commitment loyalty.)
9. Thank often but don't expect - or need - thanks in return.
10. Remember birthdays. 
11. Best quote of 2011: "But if we smartened up sooner, we'd end up dumber" - read the research behind it- it'll open your mind!
12. There is a difference between governance and politics.
13. Acknowledge others - thank you Seth for the blog inspiration!
14. Mariner survived 10 years just by having a vision, working hard and believing.

Eagles Mere lake is about 5/8 mi across from beach to boat dock. Swimming across this lake is an annual ritual for me. It doesn't take long - this year only 24.7 minutes - but it takes a lot of effort to make it happen. I have to be accompanied by a canoe and two paddlers, one of whom is over 18, and get permission from the beach desk. I need good weather. Getting paddlers is the big challenge. It took me three weeks to secure all the elements needed. But I did it.

Not far from the dock where I pull myself out of the water is an orange buoy. This year, on a lark, I took the buoy - that is I swam a victory lap around the buoy. It was a symbolic gesture to represent victory. Once again, I had completed my ritual.

I realized as I paddled back to the beach, that there are many times where we fail to take the buoy. We get to the end of the task and before tying up the ends, we move onto the next. Glad I "took the buoy" this time.

A Prius-Inspired bike could change the way I bike. This new bike shifts on your command. Just think it and the bike reacts thanks to a uber-cool helment. The bike is the outcome of a collaboration between Toyota, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Deeplocal, and Parlee Cycles that created the PXP. Check out the final design on John Watson's cycling/design site.

What's in common is that both are examples of how you can use readily-accessible technology to radically shift an everyday item. Bikes have after all been around for decades in pretty much the same form. Just a few nights ago at dinner we were noting this and discussing what we thought would be the next great innovation for the bike. One side of the group felt it should be a modification that allows the rider to be in a "running" position. This mind-controlled bike is way more exciting. While neither bikes are available today, I'll be waiting!

Whether it's a dinnertime conversation or corporate collaboration, you can find an innovation lab anywhere!

Yesterday, day 25 ... the power was off more than on. Big thunderstorms along with a weird power interruption in another state knocked the internet and phone service off the grid in the mountains of Sullivan County, PA. This isn't unusual. But compounded with the intermittent - at best - cell service, it does make conducting business and even staying in touch with kids at home pretty frustrating. And, of less importance, it meant my lake-side posting couldn't happen.

More and more you are hearing people say they have to "get off the grid" or they are so proud they "were off the grid" for a weekend. But I didn't like being "off the grid." I've come to expect, rely and feel comfortable with having the grid at my fingertips. I don't believe I need to be "off" but there are times I think I may need to be judicious. Let's not confuse that with begin "off" grid. Being on is good. It's a new way of communicating, collaborating, thinking, sharing and socializing. It's fun. It's not bad to be "on" or to be "off".

Glad to be back on ...

Sailing in Eagles Mere ... Brian in the captain's seat

Day 23 ... I am always trying to sharpen my skills and much of the time I do that by reading. Take writing for example. I love to write. I started this blog in part for that reason. I just finished an article for the August issue of Association's Now. And, I'm working diligently on a number of white papers. As much as I love to write, reading about writing is in some ways more fun. One of my favorite sources on the subject is Write to Done: unmissable articles on writing.

The latest article I read was How To Make One Story into Many By Being Multimedia Savvy. The premise is that we don't have to rue the demise of print as limiting our writing outlets. I love this advice: "Try to adjust your self-image, you’re no longer just a writer, you’re a multimedia producer. You produce, you create, not just words on the page, but images, sounds, stories." Drew Tewksbury goes on to give five examples of how to accomplish this.

Some other great articles on this blog are:

• The Secret to Writing Funny
• 10 Steps to Create the Habit of Writing
• 7 Steps to Creativity - How to Have Ideas (which gives us the must-have formula)

Well back to reading ...

Day 21 ... Yesterday ASAE Greater Washington Network held one of its Super Swaps (a great idea for other associations) and among the topics was volunteerism. In fact of the six sessions, 2 focused on volunteerism.  I followed the discussion by Twitter (check out the hash tag #asaegw or for a cool recap Elizabeth Engel’s post). One comment in particular struck me:

I know that it’s important to focus on the positive, but in the long run we will build volunteerism by understanding what didn’t work and fixing it. I have been an active volunteer for ASAE for more than 10 years, with another association for about 5 years, a chamber of commerce for 4 and my church for, well forever. I rarely—wait a minute—never, get asked what went wrong.  If they asked, here are a few I’d share. The sales pitch was way different from the actual job. We did a lot of meeting and little accomplishing. Our team produced, the organization then shelved the product.

All of the situations can be fixed and frankly many are the result of staff just not really knowing. So sure, ask what went well and then what didn’t.