How associations can prepare for the social issues of the future

One of the hardest parts of the past year has been the impact on social issues world-wide. As organizations who already focus on culture and responsibility, associations are uniquely positioned to take the reins and guide their industries through these issues and help deal with the lasting impacts.

This chapter of “Who Stole My Playbook: 2021 Perspectives from Association Leaders,” a podcast discussion led by Association Strategies and produced by Fusion Productions/digitalNow brings Don Dea, Pamela Kaul, Mark Dorsey, Larry Robertson, Joel Albizo, Paul Pomerantz, Michelle Mason, and Gary LaBranche together as they talk about social change, social impact and social responsibility as associations. 

“What (these issues) have done for the HR function — a function that prides itself on being proactive — is it has thrown us into a completely reactive mode because we don’t know what to expect,” said Robertson, the Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Belonging, & Technology Services and Solutions at The American Institute of Architects. “We don’t know what’s coming, and at the same time as this is happening you have the election, you have the murder of George Floyd, you have all of this bubbling up and now you’re dealing with employer-relations issue of people saying things they never would have said before if we were in person and collaborating face-to-face.”

It’s a confusing time for many, especially those in leadership positions. But by keeping the advice given in this chapter in mind, you too can successfully lead your team through anything.

Want to learn more about the impacts of COVID-19 on associations? We’ve presented all three chapters of “Who Stole My Playbook: 2021 Perspectives from Association Leaders” on our blog, and are available right now for Sidecar members in our Video Archive. See the first chapter about value proposition here and the previous chapter about governance issues here.

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