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At best, strategic plans for associations are reviewed annually and list “what” you want to do and “how” you want to achieve it.
However, even that process has less value now than it once did, considering the pace at which technology, politics, communication, brokerage business models and the economy are changing. So, why do we set ourselves up to fail, or at best flail around going nowhere, by relying on an incomplete strategic plan for guidance, if it is relied upon at all?
Something else must be added to make it effective.
Enter “why.”
According to Simon Sinek in his TEDxPugetSound talk in September 2009, defining “why” is how leaders inspire cooperation, trust and change within a business. Better motivation, focus, passion, and client and member engagement are other benefits, according to a 2022 LinkedIn article by Brian Fenerty, global head of talent acquisition at Logitech.
Although “finding your why” may not be a new concept to you, how effectively have you applied it in your own professional life and your association? I am 74, and its value only became obvious to me recently. Yet in retrospect, looking at my 50-year career as a sales manager, a top-producing real estate agent and now CEO for 10 years, much of my success boils down to having a “why.” For example:
‘I don’t sell houses; I help people change their lives.’
That was the heading on a newsletter I produced monthly for more than 25 years. In it, I never once requested business or offered any business-related thing that was “free.” I did, however, offer services not connected to compensation; personalized homeownership and community tips; observations about the professional services consumers had a right to expect; and a monthly view into what was happening in their neighborhood.
The “why” was “helping people change their lives.” And it rang true. The result was referral-only business, an income that provided Uncle Sam with substantial tax revenue, and me the ability to serve the industry that put food on my table.
‘You answered the phone!’
That may be one of the more common responses we get when members call the association. To me and our staff, it seems like such a small thing we offer, but if you like to call instead of emailing or texting, you know far too often how surprising it is when you get to talk to a real person. It’s really a big thing because it demonstrates caring and the heart of our “why,” which is “A caring association that delivers the best member experience.” This is actually our mission statement, but it’s different from most because it’s emotionally energizing, short and easy to repeat. In contrast, in 2014, our mission statement was: “We exist to assist members in reaching their goals by providing professional services and education to our membership and to the public, to ensure high ethical standards, and to promote community awareness of real property issues and equal opportunity in housing.”
Yawn!
Why ‘Why' Matters
Having a why allows an association and its leadership to always have their eyes on the prize, never losing focus or direction when there is a change in staff or volunteer leadership.
Here are the results our association gained:
- In a market with 11 local REALTOR® associations—and between five and seven MLSs—in 10 years, membership has steadily tripled from 407 to just over 2,000.
- Annually, 45% of our members attend an event, take a class, attend a membership meeting or serve in our governance.
- 84% of our membership lies outside our jurisdiction but chooses to be part of our association.
Once we discovered our “why,” we rewrote our strategic plan, reducing the number of objectives from eight to five and the number of pages from five to two. That rewrite also now includes the requirement for our strategic planning committee to meet monthly at least during the first quarter of each year. It’s also required to “annually evaluate the GPBR Strategic Plan against the perspectives of industry experts and futurists.”
Why? Because we care about our members, and this gets us out in front of our members, not in their way.
We all know the future is “the undiscovered country.” So treat your strategic plan as a living document—one that changes with time because our industry changes with time. More importantly, understand what your strategic plan’s real value is: helping you stay true to your “why.”
