03/30/2020

Leading During a Pandemic: Setting Strategy, Virtually

More associations will need to Zoom strategic discussions in this "new normal"

The past few weeks have given many of us a crash course in teleconferencing. We’ve set up Zoom meetings, watched our colleagues’ cats and children stray across our feeds, and most likely discovered that short virtual meetings can be effective for small groups in your office.

But what about more complicated, days-long strategic conversations with a far-flung board? As travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines remain in place, more associations will have to conduct their board meetings virtually. And getting that right will require more of organizations than making sure everybody has a Zoom link.

Earlier this month, association leadership consultant Lowell Aplebaum, CAE, helped coordinate a day-and-a-half leadership retreat for the board of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). The rapidly changing situation around the coronavirus meant that some were able to travel to Chicago for the meeting, while some were stuck at home. It was, accidentally, a hybrid board event. Aplebaum shared a few of his insights about the experience on LinkedIn, and I wanted to hear more about what worked during the event and what challenges strategy sessions still face.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.