Don’t confuse motion with improvement

Don't confuse motion with improvement

I wrote recently how action can produce information. But an important corollary to that idea is that action alone does not necessarily mean improvement.

For example, how much time do we spend preparing board materials that the board never looks at, and even if they do look at it, won't take any action on the information provided? (I mean, sure, this probably never happens at your association...)

I recall once as an association staff person many decades ago spending literally weeks preparing a three inch three-ring binder for our board meeting. At the end of the meeting, the board chair, with barely a glance at me, handed me the binder and said "Do something with this."

The reality is that far too often, we're taking action (in motion) but we're not really improving anything.

So think about all the things you do: the data you're collecting, the reports you're running, the marketing you're sending; all of them are motion, but are they really accomplishing something?

Motion alone is not improvement.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Ownership is Required

July 28, 2021

Ownership is required When asked for the most common reason AMS implementations fail, I typically respond […]

It’s all relative…

July 21, 2021

It’s all relative… Over the course of my 22 years of consulting, I’ve consulted with […]

Eliminate to optimize

July 14, 2021

Eliminate to optimize So much of data management is habit (both good and bad) which is […]

For data governance, ask “Why?”

July 7, 2021

For data governance, ask “Why?” Recently I’ve had the opportunity to work on several data […]

More on Meetings

June 30, 2021

More on Meetings I’ve written before about the importance of making sure your meetings are […]

Action produces momentum

June 23, 2021

Action produces momentum Another great quote from James Clear: “Motivation often comes after starting, not […]

My #1 Best Practice…

June 16, 2021

My #1 Best Practice… A client recently asked me: “If you had to pick a single […]

Encourage engagement with prizes!

June 9, 2021

Encourage engagement with prizes! One of the biggest challenges any organization faces when implementing a new […]

Inertia

June 2, 2021

Inertia One definition of inertia is “to remain unchanged.” My sense is that many association processes, projects, or […]

When’s the “least bad” time?

May 26, 2021

When’s the “least bad” time? When working with clients on a new project, especially a […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top