Disqus - Latest Comments for deirdreid

Re: How to R.O.C.K Out Your Goals For the New Year [Day 2-30 Days to Changing Your Game}

Deirdre Reid — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:56:38 -0000

What a morning I've had doing my plan for 2010. I'm still working on it but I feeling much more confident about the year ahead by doing this. I'm going to take a yoga break now but will return later to do my action steps for this month. Yes, I'm a few days behind but I will catch up this weekend. This is good thoughtful work so I don't want to rush it. Thanks, Sherman, for showing us the way!

Re: 30 Days to Changing Your Game GAME ON!! [Day 1 – 30]

Deirdre Reid — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:12:08 -0000

Like so many of you, this community/journey/commitment is very timely for me as well. I've decided to stop my fruitless search for a job since there are no openings in my profession here and to strike out on my own. I'm still not positive I'm going in the right direction or directions, but I know that doing my own thing is really right. I figure that I can start in one direction and will find my way to the ideal work for me. It's scary but in some ways it's not.

I've been working with a coach a few times a month but I really like the idea of being part of a community that's going through all this together. I hope I can keep up. Strike that, I will keep up!

Please add me to any Twitter lists -- I'm @DeirdreReid. I just followed Scott's.

Re: What's the Perception of Your Industry?

Deirdre Reid — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:34:45 -0000

I've been in association management for the past ten years and nobody knows what we really do, but that's a different story. However, I was a restaurant manager for ten years and that profession doesn't always have a great reputation. I was serious about my job -- I was managing a business and responsible for many paychecks, that's serious. But the lack of professionalism that I saw in managers in other restaurants really bothered me. I encountered more mediocre and bad managers than good ones, and that's sad.

I felt the stigma when meeting people who didn't know me -- what a fun job, they implied, must be like one big party all the time, anyone can do that. That's a tough perception to fight without going into all the details and challenges of running a business. Don't get me wrong, it's immensely satisfying too -- nothing quite like it. But I believe that stigma is still out there to an extent -- that it's not quite a serious job, or as we used to say, a "real" job. How wrong that is.

Re: Seth Godin calls associations out…

Deirdre Reid — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:42:24 -0000

The challenge to many trade associations stems from their focus on lobbying -- often a reactive, rather than proactive, stance. Member leaders (who drive policy and budget decisions) are usually focused on short-term goals, so when larger trends come home to roost, the association isn't prepared to meet the new needs of its members. Coalitions aren't nurtured for the long-term, other organizations become allies or enemies based on a short-term agenda.

Also associations often limit themselves to a static definition of whom they're serving and what types of services they offer -- again often because of the needs of the more powerful members. In this case, they will be unable to adapt to changing markets and new types of prospective members. They will be perceived as representing only one type of member, and often this is sadly true.

It takes vision and, yes, innovative thinking to lead an association, and that's difficult when the focus of the members is only on their bottom line this quarter. Even more difficult in challenging times such as these. Although I think this is the best time for an association to take risks and change its behavior -- if your industry is failing now, what's the worst that can happen, a bit more failure, right? And what's the best? A relevant growing dynamic association leading its members to success.

Re: Uncle! Why I Quit Following Chris Brogan

Deirdre Reid — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:44:28 -0000

It looks like we read a lot of the same blogs. I'll have to check out the ones we don't have in common. Although I already have a RSS problem, need to cut back.

Such good questions, I'm asking myself the same ones lately. What do I love? I'm realizing lately that what I love most about my job -- discovering and sharing resources with our local staff (I work in membership/member services at a state trade assn), helping them to be better at what they do, creating community, writing (tough but satisfying) -- are the reasons why I'm so attracted to social media/networking. What else do I read? Lots of craft beer blogs, food blogs, news commentary blogs, housing blogs (my industry), and association management blogs (of course), and other random blogs.

What do I hate? That's a strong word, but I get frustrated by "stuck in a rut" or "resistant to change or trying something new" types (fighting that battle now, but enough of that). What motivates me? Learning. The possibility of helping someone. What do I want to be better at? Marketing, writing, I'm sure there's more that I can't think of now. Well that was a bit revealing, Dr. Hepburn! Oh well, it's a transparent world these days, and maybe this exchange will cause others to ask the same questions of themselves.

Re: Uncle! Why I Quit Following Chris Brogan

Deirdre Reid — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:46:20 -0000

Just curious, which blogs are your favorite lately. I subscribe to too many myself and so have put some "on probation." But I'm always interesting in compelling reading.

Re: On Message? You Missed The Point.

Deirdre Reid — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:54:13 -0000

Great post. You articulated exactly why listening to politicians is so infuriating sometimes, and why the "town hall" format of debates can be a boon for voters, if the candidates really answer the questions.

Re: How tweet it is…

Deirdre Reid — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:20:42 -0000

@deirdreid I'm on Twitter to learn for both the professional and the personal me, to share things I find interesting, to get to know others who share my interests, and to be part of a stimulating community.