By this point, we’ve all heard the term “The Great Resignation.” The influence of the lockdown on lifestyle and mindsets brought people to a place where they re-evaluated their personal happiness index. [Learn more about The World Happiness Report here] This led to many individuals in 2021 leaving their current positions – and at times leaving their employer in a lurch – to pursue other options.

Living in a world where bigger, more, and “lots” seem to be the only indicators of success, it can be hard to stay focused on our personal definitions of success. We are measured by followers, income, organization size, expansion, and the length of our title.

Having once been young, and now being a person of a “Certain Age” as the French say, I can decisively say I will take the wisdom and experience I have earned at this point in life over the uninformed years of my earlier life. As Maurice Chevalier sang, “I’m so glad I’m not young anymore.”

In the fall of 2018, I had an idea. To be completely transparent, I had TWO ideas.

The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) has created a corporate partnership relationship with Medtronic that provides significant value for members and AMSN, as well as Medtronic.

When people insult me (which fortunately isn’t too often) I reply, “I’ve been called worse by better.” While this cheeky comeback might be appropriate for an insult, it’s not the best comeback when someone calls me the wrong name. Sometimes I reply, “Just don’t call me late for dinner . . .” but I still feel as if I’m being “dissed” when I am called the wrong name.

We’ve all done it. You get the newsletter or magazine (most likely in digital format these days) and you scour the text for mention of your name. It must be in there SOMEWHERE because you contributed a lot of time and energy to a project for the organization. Not only did you contribute, but you were also the leader of the project – of course your name will be mentioned prominently (likely in BOLD type) and you will receive recognition and thanks from your peers for a job well done.

Hiring a new team member is an important decision. There is a certain amount of pressure to make the right choice and find a person who will fit in your team, excel and be happy at their work, and advance the mission of the organization.

The pandemic lockdown of 2020 provided a pause for most of the world. We had the opportunity to think, contemplate, and practice introspection. It’s amazing how a situation like the lockdown exposes what is actually important and what has no real value.

As we head into fall 2021, the weather is changing. Cooler temps and shorter days may make us feel lower energy. We may even feel more relaxed as our circadian rhythm adjusts to the changes in daylight.

There are a few basic rules of member service that all associations should keep in mind. No matter the size of your budget or staff, what counts is how your members feel at the end of an interaction with the organization.

There’s an old saying (isn’t there one for everything?): “Familiarity breeds contempt.” If you are not familiar (pun intended) with this cliché, it means that the longer you are around someone or something, the higher the odds that you will begin to hate it.

It’s late summer so that means it’s individual award season again in the nonprofit community. As associations look forward to their annual conferences, Awards Committees are formed. Nominations are announced. Sometimes self-nominations are encouraged. Deadlines are extended to make sure there are candidates to review.

When you bandy about the word nonprofit, many people think of foundations or charities. For some reason, even in our own profession of nonprofit management, there are people who think associations are different from nonprofits.

The word resilience might make us think of someone strong and resourceful who is never down or out. A resilient person just keeps going.

The 501c League offers an insightful and thought-provoking ethics course that is designed for professionals in the nonprofit profession. It demonstrates our commitment to supporting ethical development within our profession, which protects the integrity of what we do.

“When citizens can associate only in certain cases, they regard association as a rare and singular process, and they hardly think of it. When you allow them to associate freely in everything, they end up seeing in association the universal and, so to speak, unique means that men can use to attain the various ends that they propose. Each new need immediately awakens the idea of association. The art of association then becomes, . . ., the mother science; everyone studies it and applies it.”

Here at the League we often talk about the CAE journey; sometimes that journey is longer to earn the designation than for others, but it is in the process of preparation for the CAE exam that we develop our skills and hone our knowledge. We learn about ourselves and find our strengths. During this process, we meet new people and make new connections.

Having just come back from a short vacation, I was reminded of the importance of what we all like to call self-care. We all talk about it and we all say we should do it, but I know a lot of us keep putting it off. I must confess I am one of those people who say, “I should take care of myself,” but often puts the needs of my profession and others ahead of my own. I guess it's just easier to say no to yourself than to somebody else.

There is an old joke in the Association management profession that after decades doing our jobs, we are still explaining to our family what we do for a living. While I love this joke it also gives me pause.