Participant Reviews
The Friction You’ve Accepted as Normal: Inside the RUG Workshop for Association Professionals
By Kim Kelly, CAE
Every organization has issues. Longtime association consultant Sherry Whitaker Budziak remembers a client who had a rug in the entryway that staff literally kept tripping over. When Budziak proposed moving the rug, staff became nervous that the CEO wouldn’t be happy about it. In the end, Budziak moved the rug, people stopped tripping over it, and the CEO didn’t mind at all. The metaphor is clear—there are challenges in every workplace that become a part of the culture. When this happens, it feels impossible to “move the rug”.
Budziak now calls organizational challenges rugs. During an all-day workshop in April, she defined a rug as “the friction you’ve accepted as normal.”
She has encountered so many rugs in her time in the industry, she wrote a book about it. Co-authored by her business partner, Kevin Ordoñez, the book is called “RUG: How to Move What You’re Tripping Over and Lead with H.E.A.R.T.”
The book, and the workshop, draw from Budziak and Ordoñez’s 30+ years of experience in the association industry. The duo run .orgSource, a well-respected consultant in the association space. Decades of client work have yielded a deep understanding of the challenges facing associations and how to solve them.
The RUG event moved attendees through the framework of leading with H.E.A.R.T. This acronym stands for humanize, empower, ascend, reimagine, and transform. Budziak led the workshop, with a guest slot from Robb Rabito, MEd, of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), as well as an interactive case study with a brave volunteer. The day moved quickly as participants moved through the framework via a workbook and group conversations at their tables.
I’ve attended a lot of association education. This workshop was exactly what we’re all looking for when we sign up for a daylong event. It was well-paced and used a variety of formats to keep attendees engaged. Budziak spoke to attendees about her framework and gave real examples from past clients to illustrate the different pieces of H.E.A.R.T. She also shared some personal stories about writing this book after suffering a huge loss and how that showed up in her work. She modeled the “humanize” principle and gave us all permission to be a little vulnerable as well. Each piece of the framework included activities in the workbook and small group discussion. Ideas were exchanged and some real work was done in the room. The networking felt next level since we were problem solving together—much more than a casual coffee and “what do you do?” conversation.
In essence, Budziak and Ordoñez are sharing the tools that have made them successful over the past 30 years. It’s a rare opportunity to think like executive-level consultants and look at your organization from a new lens. As we progressed through the framework, there were exercises I’d never done before. During the “reimagine” step, guest speaker Rabito told us to write a list of 0-star and 10-star experiences. The room erupted in laughter as we all wrote down lists of the worst possible solutions to our rugs, followed by the best possible solutions. What struck me is that “just complain about it” often came up as a 0-star solution, and that’s what many workplaces currently do when it comes to rugs. Remember, this is the friction we’ve accepted as normal—or the thing we complain about but never seem to solve.
There were definitely breakthroughs in the room. But more likely, attendees came away with real ideas to start tackling their rugs and the courage to no longer trip over them. We were also given the book. I personally can’t wait to read it cover-to-cover for examples and ideas that weren’t covered in the workshop. Plus, there are plenty of exercises and workbook-type activities within the book.
The experience felt polished—impeccable branding tied it all together—but also welcoming and comfortable. It was truly what associations do best—convene people and work to make organizations stronger and industries better.
If you have a chance, attend a workshop, or pick up a copy of “RUG: How to Move What You're Tripping Over and Lead with H.E.A.R.T.” You won’t regret it.
Kim Kelly, CAE has spent more than 17 years helping professional associations find their voice. As a marketing and communications professional, she has led content strategy, membership growth, and communications for a variety of organizations. She loves nothing more than finding a good story and sharing it with others.