04/09/2024

When to Make a Statement

Leaders are under more pressure to speak out on hot topics

For a lot of associations, the current news cycle is stressful—at least two major global conflicts, an election year, plus anxiety over immigration, the economy and more. Even if you as a leader don’t see the need to weigh in on today’s hot topic, there’s a good chance a substantive group of members or other stakeholders do want to see you speak out.

But even if you decide it's worth making a statement, there’s the question of what the content of the statement should be and who’s involved in crafting it. Managed poorly, the process can create severe divisions within your association—I know of at least one small association nearly cratered over this situation. In the current moment, an action plan is essential.

Writing in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Leading Edge’s Seth Chalmer lays out some of the do’s and don’ts around these discussions. First, and most essential, is to avoid being reactive—to put out a statement just for the sake of doing one, or because a vocal group within your association is pressing you to. “What’s important is to craft a deliberate strategy instead of falling into one by default,” he writes. “Jumping directly from ‘seeing big news’ to ‘drafting a statement’ is a common way to fall into this trap; statements and other tactics should be downstream of a smart and explicit strategy.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.