Joining us on the podcast today is .orgSource Managing Director of Digital Strategy, Sharon Rice, and .orgSource Consultant, Jennifer Proctor. About a decade ago, Sharon used to be Jennifer’s supervisor, which sparked the conversation of the relationship between staff members and directors, and how associations can better support those in positions of power to work at their full potential. Sharon and Jennifer identified three major areas of consideration.

In order for managers and directors to be more successful, they must first analyze their capacity. If there is a feeling of dread before the work day starts, or the feeling of never having enough time to get tasks completed, this could be a sign of burnout. To overcome this feeling, Sharon and Jennifer recommend using some of those vacation days to reset or delegating accordingly.

The second area managers and directors can find success in is having their staff create weekly status reports. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy write-up. It can be as simple as a one-page document with bullet points. A weekly status report is an excellent way for association leaders to stay informed about projects and build stronger connections with their staff.

Last, but not least, managers and directors need to remember they are in a unique position to understand the strategy of an organization and where the waste is. Waste doesn’t necessarily equate to a monetary value either. Waste could be identified by finding a better use of everyone’s time. For example, if meetings are disrupting too much of the day, why not establish a boundary of “No Meeting Mondays” where staff and leaders can be free to focus on their tasks for at least one day of the week?

There is a plethora of “food for thought” knowledge in this episode that is perfect for any leader in an organization. Feel free to send us a message on social media @orgsource to let us know some of the ways we can help association’s “unsung heroes” find success. Happy listening!