Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

AI is a journey, not a destination

By Wes Trochlil | April 15, 2026

AI is a journey, not a destination Lately I’ve noticed a lot of associations talking about AI like it’s a moon shot. “We need an AI project.” “We’re rolling out AI in Q4.” That language suggests AI is something you implement once and then check off the list. It isn’t. AI is a journey, and […]

Action produces information

By Wes Trochlil | April 8, 2026

Action produces information “Action produces information. If you’re unsure of what to do, just do anything, even if it’s the wrong thing. This will give you information about what you should actually be doing.” – Brian Armstrong, co-founder of Coinbase This is the great thing about data and why I’ve been in this business so long. […]

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial…

By Wes Trochlil | March 25, 2026

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial… The holy grail of data management is the “single source of truth.” As I like to characterize it, when someone asks “Where is the data about X?” everyone knows the answer and everyone gives the SAME answer. One of the most common challenges I hear from my […]

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

By Wes Trochlil | March 18, 2026

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should I’ve worked in and with associations for well over 37 years now. And one of the things I’ve always loved and appreciated about association staffers is their willingness to do whatever is needed to get the job done. But the problem is this “Yes, we can!” attitude can also […]

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful

By Wes Trochlil | March 4, 2026

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful “Your data doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful.” – (Borrowed with permission from Intellidata’s Slice newsletter.) In my experience, many associations hold themselves back from cleaning up their data, because they are overwhelmed with where to start, and they also think success can only be achieved […]

Older Posts

Be Honest with Yourself

April 8, 2008

Many years ago I was sitting in a meeting between a vendor and an association client. The vendor asked "How […]

Even the Big Guys Struggle with System Implementation

April 3, 2008

I think there is a common misconception among smaller organizations that somehow "big" companies don't have the same kinds of challenges with […]

"It's like trying too many perfumes…"

April 1, 2008

When I work with my clients on system selection, one thing I strongly advise them to do is limit the […]

"Always on purpose."

March 20, 2008

I had the pleasure of speaking with Ann Hamilton of Disney a few weeks ago. During our conversation, I asked […]

And speaking of backing up your data…

March 18, 2008

Yet another reason you want to be sure your backups are working… Disgruntled Employee Deletes Company's Files   (Hat tip, […]

Business Intelligence Survey Results

March 13, 2008

I recently conducted an unscientific survey of association executives, asking them what their plans are for business intelligence. Of the […]

User Adoption is a Problem Everywhere

March 11, 2008

Listening to a podcast from Voices of CRM recently, I was not surprised to learn that the number one problem […]

Learning New Systems Take Time

March 6, 2008

Just a few weeks ago, after more than 20 years as a PC user, I switched to Mac. I'd like […]

"Where is that data?"

March 4, 2008

Those who know me know I'm a huge advocate of centralized data management systems. By that I mean a database […]

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