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

We’ve always done it that way

December 11, 2019

We’ve always done it that way A couple of weeks ago I wrote about approving memberships, […]

Are you sure it doesn’t do that?

December 4, 2019

Are you sure it doesn’t do that? Even after 20 years of consulting, I’m surprised […]

Be grateful

November 27, 2019

Be grateful As Thanksgiving approaches here in the US, I’m reminded of two words: Be […]

Do you really need to approve them?

November 20, 2019

Do you really need to approve them? I often joke that the very best (because […]

Negativity bias is why we need database PR

November 13, 2019

Negativity bias is why we need database PR I’ve written before how cognitive biases can affect […]

A system change requires a culture change

November 6, 2019

A system change requires a culture change By its very nature, when you introduce a […]

Where is that data?

October 30, 2019

Where is that data? This is what data management nirvana looks like: When the question starts with […]

Be deliberate, but act quickly

October 23, 2019

Be deliberate, but act quickly Be deliberate, but act quickly. These are my words of […]

Why associations don’t like the “S” word

October 16, 2019

Why associations don’t like the “S” word A couple of weeks ago I asked my […]

The “S” stands for “Standard”

October 9, 2019

The “S” stands for “Standard” In a conversation with a past client, we were discussing […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.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

Scroll to Top