KC/IABC CMA 2016 Entry Leadership Development

Transcription

1 KC/IABC CMA 2016 Entry Leadership Development Chapter History and Market Environment Kansas City/IABC began more than 60 years ago as the Kansas City Industrial Editors. Through the decades, KC/IABC has become synonymous with outstanding professional development and networking opportunities for business communicators in the greater Kansas City area a community that connects both Missouri and Kansas. KC/IABC has been named IABC Chapter of the Year six times. Last year we received CMAs for midsize chapter for sponsorship, professional development, and leadership. Our biggest challenges in the 2014/15 board year were declining membership and a dysfunctional website. Despite these challenges, we continued to provide strong professional development, while maintaining a highly engaged board and a strong corps of volunteers. With MMA reestablished, we are starting to recoup membership numbers, and have a new, highly functioning website (kciabc.com), featuring a robust blog. Our diverse membership represents the professions of corporation communications, marketing, public relations, design, videography, and photography. Members work in communications for large and small businesses, agencies and non-profits. We also have a number of self-employed entrepreneurs in our ranks, as well as college students who are looking forward to a career in the field. One strategic project the 2014/15 board undertook was creating personas and a related communication plan. These personas represent our target audiences of young professionals, mid-career professionals, masters, and students (see KCIABC Personas work sample). The hallmark of KC/IABC s professional development is a highly successful Business Communicators Summit (BCS). This all-day conference, patterned off regional IABC conferences, provides diverse professional development to nearly 200 communication professionals in the Kansas City metro area every year. We draw people from as far as Topeka, Kan., and Bentonville, Ark. The nationally recognized keynote speaker, content marketer and author of Epic Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi, truly made BCS 2015 an epic summit. Our three special interest groups, Masters for seasoned professionals, IndyComms for independent entrepreneurs, and Tech Talks with a focus on technology, provide targeted opportunities for learning and networking for members and guests.

2 Leadership Overview By being an active participant in IABC, people learn and develop new skills. Service on a local board offers people the opportunity to practice leadership skills in their own community. KC/IABC always has an eye toward succession planning, moving people from volunteers, to entry positions on the board, to vice presidents, to eventually a president role. All who serve on the KC/IABC board have an experience that helps them grow in their career. The board has VP roles for professional development, communications, membership, and finance. VPs oversee several directors and volunteers in their respective groups, which provides experience managing people. Directors who oversee committees also gain leadership expertise, and these committee volunteers are part of the succession plan, typically feeding into board leadership roles. The president and fellow VPs offer coaching as needed. Goal: Develop a strong and thriving board by cultivating future leaders through training, advising, and practical experience; and to create a succession pipeline by attracting new volunteers. Objectives Provide training twice a year and additional opportunities for board leaders to develop the skills they need to grow. Develop a robust pipeline of leaders by continuously promoting volunteers to higher levels of responsibility, resulting in a full board slate for the following year. Cultivate ten senior advisors to provide support and consultation to board leaders. Budget A budget was established to provide opportunities for leadership development including travel to IABC conferences, recognition and strategic planning retreats. The president was a presenter at Leadership Institute 2015 so received free registration. Leadership expenses included in the budget included: $120 recognition at board meetings. $5,500 travel and registration for four people to attend Leadership Institute. $2,300 travel and registration for two people to attend the Southern Region Conference and Leaders Summit. $600 two strategic planning retreats and other meeting expenses. $500 Lowell recognition and program. o Total budget: $9,020 o Total expenses: $6,334 Savings due to IABC conference attendee savings.

3 Implementation Volunteer Recruitment Pr ogram Volunteers are introduced to the chapter through committees. By providing people an inside view of how the chapter works, and getting them involved in specific aspects, they become familiar with the chapter. Committee members are identified through event surveys, monthly newsletters, and direct outreach. A Google excel document tracks current and potential volunteers to ensure there is no overlap between requests. Committee members often become board members. In fact, for our board, five of the six new board members volunteered on committees in Identifying future board members is a constant work in progress. During Leadership Institute in February we start identifying the potential board slate for the upcoming year. That provides enough time for one-on-one discussions to take place between candidates and president/president-elect. In addition, a survey is sent to current board members asking if they want to return, what role they would like to take on, and their interest in the president role. One-on-one conversations take place with individuals to review job descriptions and determine roles. The person holding the current role meets with their replacement one-on-one to provide background, review the job description, and share lessons learned. A standard transition document (see sample KCIABC Board Transition) is provided for each member to use to ensure all the right information is provided (for example, committee member names, passwords and links to online tools), along with additional documentation relevant to each position. By July, the full incoming board is set and all members understand their role and expectations. They are ready to get started on another robust year at KC/IABC! We are fortunate to have numerous senior advisors in the communications field who serve as special advisors. These advisors take on specific projects, and provide counsel as needed. In particular, one highly influential consultant in Kansas City serves as special advisor to the president and incoming president at no charge. Eric Morgenstern, APR, CEO of Morningstar Communications, meets with them regularly to provide leadership advice. He also provides support from his firm by allowing his staff to advise on special projects. In 2015, one of his employees led the board s midyear retreat to help develop personas. This is all provided pro-bono. Two other influential local leaders assisted with special projects. Julie Bartels Smith, ABC (president of JBS Communications and Masters Special Interest Group leader) assisted with special projects for the president. Megan Neher (president of Megan Neher Communications and past chapter president) helped ensure a positive experience for this year s Arthur E. Lowell winner. The Lowell Award was established in 2005 to recognize outstanding communication leaders in the Kansas City area. In the 2014/15 board year, Matt Anthony, cofounder and chair emeritus of VML, a digital marketing agency serving fortune 500

4 companies, was selected. He was recognized at the BCS conference in February. He presented at BCS and other events throughout the year about his journey as a leader. He is working to engage communicators at VML to support KC/IABC through volunteering and attending events. A special effort was made this year to create a past leaders group (called Communications Champions). This group of nearly 50 people included past presidents, Lowell winners, and those involved in the Masters Special Interest Group. An group was created to enable reaching out directly to this group to communicate needs and keep them involved. A special event is scheduled for December to identify new senior advisors and volunteers. We also communicate via the LinkedIn Masters group (200 members). Training and Development Program Orientation is provided in June (prior to the start of the upcoming board year) for members new to the board so they fully understand the operations, purpose and background of the chapter. At this time, the president and president-elect share information about chapter makeup, bylaws and policies, as well as general information about IABC. Communication tools are also covered, including how to appropriately use the group project management system via Basecamp, and how to use IABC tools including MMA and the Leader Centre. Each board role has a job description (see attached KCIABC Job Description), which is shared when recruiting for that position. A transition document for each role is also provided (see work sample KCIABC Board Report), providing links to specific tools and resources. The president and past president meet regularly for coaching and to ensure operations are running on schedule. This allows for a smooth transition, and provides support for the current president. In an effort to help board members understand different aspects of the local chapter, region and International, the president quizzes the board about different aspects of IABC at the beginning of each monthly board meeting, passing out candy to those who can correctly answer. This is a light-hearted way to help leaders learn about the resources and materials available. At the July strategic planning retreat, the president provided an overview of the new brand, including appropriate font, colors and usage, as well as brand attributes. Top contributors are also selected to attend the Leadership Institute in February where they learn more about becoming a successful board leader. The KC/IABC board budget supports attendance and transportation. There are 19 board members, divided into five groups. The VPs lead their groups, providing individual guidance as needed. The VPs hold regular meetings outside of full board meetings to ensure their group is on target. The format of these are

5 determined by the VP, ranging from in-person monthly or quarterly meetings to phone calls. At each board meeting, VPs present progress on goals and needs, allowing directors to share information on their particular area of responsibility. People who have demonstrated work above and beyond are recognized through kudos and small tokens of appreciation ($5 gift certificates). Each board member provides a board report the week before the monthly board meeting. This allows everyone to stay upto-date on overall progress, and know where assistance is needed. Board reports help keep everyone informed on the activities completed in the past month and create accountability for activities on the horizon. We explain the philosophy behind board reports as a 15-5 which means it should take around (or less than) 15 minutes to complete and about five minutes (or less) to read. The board report template asks three key questions: 1) What board activities have you completed in the last month? 2) What do you need help with, or do you need time on the board agenda? 3) How have you gotten closer to achieving your legacy goal? Each board member is responsible for posting their board report to our online project management site, Basecamp. The process is helpful because everyone has access to review these reports prior to board meetings. Additionally, we are able to plan more efficient board meetings by having an advance understanding of key topics to cover. Board members are also recognized at events as leaders to talk to for more information about the chapter. The director of operations tracks points for participation and engagement. Those who have the most points, and have shown interest in becoming a future president, are selected to attend IABC s Leadership Institute. The president and president elect attend the regional IABC conference. For the Southern Region, there is also a regional Leaders Summit at that conference. Strategic Planning Half-day strategic planning retreats are held twice a year to establish and manage progress to goals. The first is to kickoff the year with new board members and role leaders. VPs break out with their groups to determine goals, objectives and tactics, which are approved by the president. These goals, called Legacy Goals, are reviewed quarterly. Each monthly board report includes a question on legacy goal progress. Additionally, each major event creates a communications plan and project plan with timelines and budget. The second strategic planning retreat is held mid-year to check progress on goals. For the 2014/15 board mid-year retreat, the group focused on developing personas to guide program development and communication planning.

6 Recognition Programs Board members are recognized in different ways according to merit. As noted above, participation points are tracked, with those earning the most points invited to Leadership Institute. Small tokens ($5 gift cards, candy and thank you notes) are presented at board meetings to recognize individual efforts. Committee members and board members receive extra discounts off event fees. A volunteer of the month is recognized in each e-newsletter. Election Procedures According to the chapter s by-laws, members must vote to approve officers that include President, Past President, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Membership, Vice President of Professional Development, Treasurer and Director of Operations. All elected members also serve on KC/IABC s Executive Committee which meets via conference call every month the week before board meetings. Voting is accomplished by a survey shared in an to the membership. Most, if not all, of the board roster is established by May to provide time for a successful transition and smooth start in July. Challenges For the 2015 year, there was one key role left unfilled, the KC (Bronze) Quills director. The VP of Professional Development took the lead and established a strong committee to plan and execute the event, which ended up being a big success. The awards competition garnered an additional 18% award entries and exceeded budgeted profit by 115%. Additionally, three committee members were secured to fulfill board positions. Another challenge is that there were many people new to the board, and even to IABC. Because they were unfamiliar with protocol, this led to some initial bumps and missed expectations. Lessons were learned about ensuring people new to the board are fully on-boarded, and given one-on-one support and coaching. While all went through orientation, regular meetings would have been beneficial. Other challenges were unforeseen. The new board year started in July with not only the president elect established, but her successor in line. Unfortunately, both had life changes that resulted in them stepping down. We are now in a position where we need to identify a president-elect. These individuals also had VP roles, leaving gaps that needed to be filled. Another co-chair was not able to renew his membership, which left another hole. Due to a strong pipeline of volunteers and potential leaders, we ve been able to fill the VP roles, and have identified some candidates for president-elect. We are also reaching out to the past leaders group for their assistance filling these gaps. Results and measurement

7 Last year s board was a success, even without a leader for the Quills event, as other board members and volunteers stepped up to help. The new board year started off in July with a full slate, and objectives were met or exceeded. Objectives: Provide training twice a year and additional opportunities for board leaders to develop the skills they need to grow. Two strategic planning retreats were held that led to setting and achieving goals. Personas were created that are instrumental in creating the communication plan that serves as the roadmap into another successful year. Other training was provided for specific roles such as how to manage the /newsletter platform, and event platform (Cvent). Orientation for new members was held the month prior to the start of the year. Develop a robust pipeline of leaders by continuously promoting volunteers to higher levels of responsibility, resulting in a full board slate for the following year. We have been able to continue to cultivate volunteer leaders into director roles on the board, who are primed for VP roles. Out of this group will come the next presidents. By exercising their technical and leadership skills, these board members will grow in their careers and develop new leaders to continue the cycle of succession. As mentioned earlier, the board started with a full slate, the first time in two years. We have had one board member resign, but quickly filled the position with another volunteer from the previous year. Cultivate five senior advisors to provide support and consultation to board leaders. We have identified 30 go-to senior advisors who provide special counsel as needed, five of who are highly engaged on an ongoing basis. These advisors help fill the KC/IABC volunteer and membership pipeline by sending their staffs and supporters to events, and encouraging them to get involved in the chapter. By creating the past leaders group, we re able to ask for assistance on specific projects when needed.

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