Leadership

Last month I spent time with the operating team of a well-established association. We were working together to translate their new...

If you were asked to name the world’s largest membership body, you probably wouldn’t think of the BBC. But with over 23 million...

There’s something uniquely exhausting about a Friday afternoon meeting. Even if it’s short, even if it’s productive, even if everyone’s...

In an era where information is abundant but trust is scarce, membership organisations face a new and insidious threat: epistemic...

It’s happened to me more than once this year, and I know I’m not alone. You receive an enquiry. There's a clear challenge or...

In the complex ecosystem of modern membership organisations, data is no longer a back-office function. It is strategic capital....

There is a particular kind of sting that comes when your work is publicly questioned by someone who not only doesn’t understand it, but...

A few weeks ago, I chaired a planning session for a client's staff. The team had come together to align on key strategic priorities and...

I’ve spent the vast majority of career in the service of associations. I’ve worked in membership organisations as a member of staff, as a...

When was the last time your board talked about risk appetite? Not just risk registers, heat maps, or insurance but actual appetite. As...

In an era where decisions must be both data-driven and ethically grounded, board effectiveness hinges on clarity, particularly clarity...

For many membership organisations, the annual report has become a routine fixture, a box to tick in the governance calendar. And within...

So why should I have to sacrifice either? Somewhere along the way, someone decided that the best time to do professional development was...

Last year, I was hired to advise a regional membership body on its ambition to reposition as a UK-wide national entity. It was a pivotal...

In the membership sector,  income diversification  is a constant hot topic. It’s seen as a necessary hedge against the perceived...

In any membership organisation, there are always a handful of members who are especially vocal. They show up to every meeting, take the...

In governance contexts, few sights are more familiar, or more concerning than a board member leafing through their meeting papers on the...

I love Welsh rugby. I’ve grown up with it, lived it, and taken immense pride in everything our game represents, i.e., passion,...

Yesterday, I had the privilege of facilitating an AI roundtable for members of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Our discussion quickly...

In membership organisations, leadership transitions often provoke anxiety. Boards worry about stability, staff fear disruption, and...