This article was inspired by an article in Selling Power magazine’s May 2004 issue, entitled “Tap into the 7 Qualities of the Best Sales Managers: Improvement isn’t optional, it’s mandatory (if you want to survive)” written by Maryann Hammers and Gerhard Gschwandtner (pp. 61–65, 91). This article made me realize that transformation and chapter leadership fit together very well. I’d like to share with you my views using Hammers and Gschwandtner’s seven qualities as a reference.
Quality 1: Become a master of change
The STC Transformation Initiative (http://www.stc.org/transformation) is asking all chapter leaders to support the planned change, communicate it to the chapter members, and be the master of change when this initiative starts rolling. Many chapter leaders are for it; many are against it; and many are not sure where they stand.
In the Selling Power article Peter Drucker says that “Every organization has to prepare for the abandonment of everything it does.” The STC has started this process through its Transformation efforts. This follows from many members saying, “If you increase my dues, what additional benefits (values) will I get?” Each member tries to justify the additional cost, yet each member needs to ask himself or herself what they can do to make the STC a better organization.
Quality 2: Earn their trust
The STC leadership needs to earn the trust of its members and demonstrate that they are taking the membership in the right direction. During the STC’s 51st Annual Conference, our leadership held several sessions about transformation—their plans to date and how they will communicate those plans. At the time, I felt that they shared as much as they could with us. The two subsequent publications that they provided during the conference earned my trust.
Quality 3: Give feedback
Trust requires and builds upon our feedback. As the Society leaders are mapping out the expectations and goals for the Transformation initiative, we need to be prepared to offer constructive feedback. Through our voice, they will be able to make changes that will (hopefully) bring members back into the organization by providing additional member benefits. These benefits will cost a little more, but quality always costs a little more. Whether it is your education or professional development, you need to make an investment.
Quality 4: Building enthusiasm
The first major outpouring of the Society’s new direction started at the 51st Annual Conference in Baltimore. The chapter leaders that attended the two transformation Q&A sessions and the members that attended the transformation progression received the latest information available at the time. The Society’s goal is to openly communicate with the membership at large when it has a solid decision as to the direction it will take.
Does this mean that you do not have a voice in the decision? No! It means that you need to look for the silver lining for your chapter, your members, or yourself, and support the initiative enthusiastically. Embracing our professional development and the direction of the Society has one key element: our involvement.
Quality 5: Get involved
Have you voiced your concerns about the Society’s direction? Have you read the information on the Transformation Web site?
The Society’s officers have established independent committees that are looking into various aspects of the transformation, including Communication, Communities, Education, Finance, Governance, Membership, and Technology. Visit the Web site and read Newsletter Issue 2: Communities, where the purpose for each committee is described. I encourage you to get involved by providing your feedback to the officers of the committees. They are not doing all of this in a “closed-door” environment.
Quality 6: Growth and development
The STC has reached its zenith. It is time to help the Society to grow back into an organization that meets our ever-changing needs. In years past, Society members were only technical writers within technical industries. Through the years, we have been able to redevelop ourselves into webmasters, instructional designers, facilitators, project managers, proposal developers…the list goes on.
Many other professional organizations exist that may directly focus on one particular aspect of what we do, but the STC offers you a more rounded opportunity to meet with other technical communicators and to learn from their experiences. Will other professional organizations address our specific needs as technical communicators and experience the same growth and development pains as the STC?
Quality 7: Lead people to improvement
I’d like to rephrase this to “Lead STC improvement.” Leading the Transformation Initiative requires innovation and ongoing improvement: innovation to provide additional membership value, and ongoing improvement to look at how to restructure the Society into a viable professional organization that can continuing meeting its members’ ever-changing needs for professional growth and development.
As Hammers and Gschwandtner say, it takes small steps, common sense, attention to process, and communication in small doses to effect ongoing improvement. The Transformation Initiative is following this process.
Without our acceptance of change, growth and development, and the need to improve, while providing trust, feedback, and enthusiasm, we will not have a Society that meets our professional careers. Let’s support the STC and stand behind it as it takes the baby steps needed to transform itself into a renewed professional organization.
