"Impact of front-end architecture on development cost", Viktor Turskyi
IABC Waterloo: Leadership Institute 2012
1. After the Leadership Institute, Patty
and I took a shuttle to Dolphin Mall
for some retail therapy. Little did we
know we’d be putting LI learning into
action…
By Sarah Loat, Director, PR & Community Outreach, IABC Waterloo
After the Leadership Institute, Patty and I took a shuttle to Dolphin Mall for some retail therapy. Little did we know we’d be putting LI learning into action…
This is what the waiters look like in Miami – at least at Mojitos in the Dolphin Mall. We were excited that they were also into communications; they kept talking to each other and didn’t do much serving– something we need to be careful about as board members! Just like our waiters, at LI we were taught to engage with each other, serve food to show our appreciation, and keep it fresh by finding new opportunities for everyone to flex different muscles. These guys hit every mark. And speaking of hitting the mark…
Succession planning was a prominent topic at LI. All of us need to help recruit new board members and find ways to keep the current members energized, because you never know what’s going to happen. And you know, when I saw a laser hit Patty’s face as we sipped mojitos at the Dolphin Mall, I realized how true that was. Miami has the highest violent crime rate in the US, and I thought we were in for the real Miami experience. If you’ve ever watched the show “Cops,” you’ll be familiar with Miami-Dade County. It was a good thing just one mojito was muy effective, because I quickly assessed the situation and used my crisis communication skills to evaluate the details while remaining extremely calm…Patty will vouch for me, because she cares about succession planning and wants to keep me on the board…
“Bad boys, bad boys, whatchagonna do? Whatchagonna do when they come for you?” You’re going to mentor them, that’s what. This little guy was having a great time shooting his laser-equipped bubble gun at us. But like in communications, was he really targeting the right audience? Was his message dead-on? No, it floated right over our heads. If there’s one surefire way we can add value for our members, I think it’s in a mentorship program. Senior communicators in Toronto reported great satisfaction from sharing their knowledge with more junior communicators in their successfulprogram. And more junior communicators reported the benefits of networking and having open conversation about communication struggles with their senior counterparts. Mentorship is the marriage of networking and professional development, two prominent reasons why members join IABC.
So what did I catch at LI?Board engagement: Are we doing it right? We need to ask our board members and find out if we should institute a points or rewards program, or find out if they’re being enabled to get what they need out of their board experience. Mentorship: Should we institute a mentorship program? Who will run it? Do our members feel this is important? Goals of the program: leadership development, community enrichment, retain/recruit members, connect mentors, relationships with educational institutions, corporate partnerships. Program elements: application, evaluation, pairing, introduction, sustainability, testimonials, celebration, legacy, advertising. Participants: senior, peer, students, mid-level, transitional, junior.Succession planning: How do we attract new board members? How do we make the board commitments reasonable and doable? How do we keep members energized? Accreditation: This should be seen as a benefit of IABC membership but lacks promotion in the industry. How do we change this? Partnerships/sponsorships: TEDx for instance, EAC, PR associations, universities, colleges – how do we get our message out and help develop our members professionally in conjunction with other associations/organizations? Which ones? Member recognition/awards/success stories: How do we promote our members both internally and externally? Member and expert profiles on the web site? Member features in the newsletter? “Mentorship” videos? Other awards programs for communicators in our area, or promotion of IABC awards and help to people who want to participate?PD: Some chapters held one large event and then smaller ones from topics that needed more discussion from within the larger event. Community members attended, and this could be good opportunity for partnership outside of the IABC.
All in all, we need to step back and take snapshots of Who we are – our purpose as IABC Waterloo; What we offer now to our members; What we need to offer our members based on their feedback and other chapters’ successes; and What we need to look like as a board in the future to deliver on our discoveries. Instead of developing portfolios around our respective roles, perhaps we need to take a step back, examine the scene, and develop roles around what we need to do to support membership value.
Overall, I had a great time at LI and was sad to leave. I look forward to more opportunities to meet my fellow IABC board members from around the world and collaborate on great ideas to improve IABC Waterloo.
