Association Insight International & European | Page 9

Article | Association Insights At the top of these Associations, Governing Boards may review the strategy or impose new rules and processes but they are pulling the wrong levers. As Albert Einstein once said, ‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’ Association staff is on the front line. They deal with members on a daily basis. And yet, in far too many cases, they feel more disconnected from the strategy and vision than ever. Some may pressure themselves to work harder. Others resort to delivering what they know, rather than what their organization needs. The silo-based processes and structure prevent the Association from fully benefiting from the contribution of these staff members, who often have the answers. EASL, the Home of Hepatology, has redefined its vision, strategy and culture by embracing this approach. It started with a new vision and ended with a Team Charter that embeds the vision in the people, processes, policies, projects, priorities and performance indicators. The outcome is a series of very exciting initiatives, which will help EASL grow for the next 50 years of existence. Governing Board and staff members were fully involved throughout the project. And while it’s early days there are already some very positive signs: the Journal of Hepatology’s impact factor is 11.3, making it the fastest growing and most impactful Hepatology journal; EASL’s annual conference, The International Liver Congress, has seen record attendance numbers (11,000); and membership has hit an all time high. While it would be premature to attribute all of this success to Creative Leadership©, certainly the impending decline of EASL, that was predicted by previous Secretary Generals at the start of the project has been averted. And as change increases, so does the distance between those at the top and the bottom. The best get frustrated, or take unnecessary risks, which aren’t aligned with the strategy and / or leave. And so the vicious cycle continues. What Associations need today is an army of Change Agents, who can seize highpotential opportunities to create sustainable value for members. The Solution “I rely far more on gut instinct”. Richard Branson The solution is to turn the traditional pyramid upside down. An organization is like a person: the head does the thinking; the body does the work. That’s fine if things stay the same, but what happens when things change? Change requires creativity. And the source of creativity is intuition. It comes from the body, the stomach, or gut instinct to be precise. Thus, the vision, strategy, structure, skills and processes etc. of a company… must be redesigned to release the full creative potential of the body of an organization. This is exactly what Creative Leadership© does. It is a philosophy, framework and series of methodologies designed to unlock the creative potential of everyone involved with an Association to get them fit for the challenges of the 21st Century. www.associationsnetwork.org More importantly, Grégoire Pavillon, Executive Director and newly-elected Board Member of EASL, said at the recent International & European Associations Congress in Lausanne, ‘I have the happiest, ….most motivated set of staff in the Office ever. And these are talented guys...we are attracting talent and that is already making a difference.’ Programs like this can help every Association set itself up to tackle the challenges of the 21st Century. If you would like to discover more, join us at one of the upcoming Creative Leadership© for Associations meetings in London, Geneva or Brussels and discover how Creative Leadership© can help you. 29 October 2015 - Brussels 8 December 2015 - London 14 January 2016 - Geneva © Associations Network 2015 | 9