Consultants Need Professional Development Too
Association Consultants (consultants) do a lot for their clients, but we also do a lot for our association community. We answer questions in online forums, distribute articles and podcasts to contribute knowledge, present at conferences sharing valuable content, and offer counsel and advice to our colleagues. Most association consultants launch their consulting company after many years working in associations.
As consultants, we are always looking to stay fresh, informed, and challenged in our work through education and relationship building. This is why consultants like to register for conferences and webinars; not to “get exposure” or get clients, but to get knowledge. We can’t do our best for clients if we aren’t staying sharp.
I recently learned that an event series I’ve always respected was acquired by a for-profit company expanding its portfolio of services for associations. The event series I reference was managed for many years by a dedicated group of volunteers who used a unique approach to conference creation and online networking. They offered both a monthly no-fee gathering of senior people and an annual conference. Both association employees and consultants were welcome to participate in these deep and meaningful conversations.
However, volunteers can only do so much, especially if they don’t have a lot of resources to support and implement the programs. It’s the reason these once-favorite events of mine were acquired by the for-profit company referenced previously – if they didn’t get outside resources, continuing these events would become untenable.
The for-profit company took over registration for the upcoming annual conference and added this language to the registration form: “Must be an association employee to attend.” When another consultant and I expressed our disappointment at the language, the person who owns the company reached out to us for a conversation. This person said they wanted to hear our concerns.
I thought they really wanted to understand where we were coming from as Consultants seeking opportunities to participate. After all, many of us have a career arc including both consulting and association employment. There are those of us with credentials who need to earn continuing education credits, too. We are not “always looking for clients.” We are looking to continue our professional development.
In this conversation, I framed the Consultant Experience overall and how this was another event that we see in the future barring us from participation. The language on the registration form is very clear and that is why we were disappointed.
It turned out that it wasn’t a conversation about our concerns so much as this owner pointing out that they didn’t like that I and another consultant shared our disappointment on LinkedIn. They also wanted to point out their “long-time support of consultants.” Regarding this particular event, adding explanations like “well, we have to maintain a ratio of association executives and consultants for balance” and “consultants who have attended in the past will still be able to come . . .” does not fix the language issue nor does it create a comfort zone for consultants interested in this event. Their position is clear if they realize it or not – eventually at this particular event, consultants will not be welcome. The best I envision is that consultant registration will be restricted.
Consultants are association executives; we just work for ourselves. As someone who has been an association employee, a consultant, an association employee, and again a consultant, I understand the arc of our experience. It is my goal that speaking and writing about the Consultant Experience will encourage others out there to think about how they interact with consultants. I encourage you to consider the myriad ways consultants participate and the multiple goals we have for that participation.
We are professionals seeking opportunities for education, connection, and contribution. It’s how we improve our performance and provide better service to our clients and our community.
