Posts by Sherry Budziak
Use Technology to Put People First—How the Country Music Association’s Members Took Center Stage
Until AIs can think for themselves, digital systems are tools that do their best work with human ingenuity as the driver. And one of the puzzles technology excels at helping us solve is how to understand each other. The presentation Tiffany Kerns gave at .orgCommunity’s recent Solutions Day event, centered on that idea. Tiffany explained that although the Country…
Read MoreA Technology Assessment Connects Intention and Ability
Do you have a friend whose house looks like it belongs to neat freak Felix Unger, but the closets and drawers are clearly owned by lovable slob Oscar Madison? This Odd Couple disconnect happens to even savvy digital organizations. My writing about digital leadership often focuses on values and attitudes. But attention to the infrastructure’s nuts and…
Read MoreSolutions Day Delivers! A Meeting of Minds, a Journey to Discovery
Once upon a time, technology was an isolated country ruled by a few savants who spoke a strange language. They were powerful but others didn’t always understand, or even care to know, what magic they were up to. Today, the castle is breached. Technology’s strength lies in the opposite of its reclusive beginnings. Collaboration and…
Read MoreWhen the Talent Does the Shopping—Recruiting in a Crowded Market
Are you Gucci or Goodwill? Both brands have an audience. But when employees are shopping for a new look, it’s best to be the high-end option. Customer centricity doesn’t apply just to members anymore. Today, it’s equally important to give your employees that white glove treatment. And, if you’re looking for new talent, it’s time…
Read MoreAre Dues on the Chopping Block? Solutions Day has Answers.
This week’s food bill could have financed last year’s luxury vacation. The grocery store receipt is an emphatic reminder of the need to provide member value. Interest rates are rising, and fears of a recession are spiking concern across the economic horizon. Are membership dues on the chopping block? If you aren’t giving members professional…
Read MoreDigital Strategists, Innovators, and Drivers Build a Relevant Future
Remember Blockbuster? Technology eats business models for breakfast. In 2016, I wrote a post titled, “Could Membership Organizations Become a Dying Model?” This article still has a top slot in my site’s analytics. It seems the question isn’t settled. But time and technology have me looking at the issue through a different lens. Six years…
Read MoreAs Culture Gains Importance—PCI Stays Ahead of the Trend
In a business climate that feels like a hurricane looms perpetually on the horizon, I’ve noticed an optimistic trend. Culture is a rising priority among CEOs. The most enlightened see positive values and a safe, equitable environment as key components of success. It seems contradictory that with the increasing focus on technology, there is also…
Read MoreDon’t Look for a Streamlined Future—Innovation Piles on Options
If you imagine that AI, robotics, and automation are launching a future where you issue commands to mechanical workers while relaxing with a cold one, I’ve got bad news. A recent conversation with Kim Robinson, President of FrontlineCo, highlighted the idea that the business changes we’re experiencing are not streamlining work. Innovation is adding sophistication, complexity,…
Read MoreMake Change Your Most Significant Advantage
This idea from an article in the “Harvard Business Review” caught my attention. “As the shelf life of business strategies grows shorter, a corporation’s transformation capability becomes its only enduring advantage.” Authors N. Anand and Jean-Louis Barsoux go on to ask: “With serial transformations becoming the norm, a key strategic question for any corporate leader…
Read MoreDrones, Robots, and Farmers—Prepare Your Association To Meet Fast-Moving Technology Trends
To make a point about technology and its impact on the future of work, Hugh Lee, Co-Founder of Fusion Productions, told me this story: “Several years ago, we invited some young presenters who were developing cutting edge farming technology to digitalNow. They were using drones to fly over fields and analyze the irrigation and fertilizer…
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