Always Done It That Way

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We Have Always Done It That Way: 101 Things About Associations We Must Change

by Five Independent Thinkers (Jeff De Cagna, David Gammel, Jamie Notter, Mickie Rops, and Amy Smith)
Lulu Enterprises, 2006

Yes, Jamie Notter is one of the authors of this book, so we can't very well provide an objective "review" of the book. So, here is a review that a reader (Jesse Wilkins) posted on the book's web page:

I stumbled across this book in a link from David Gammel's blog, High Context Consulting. He and four other influential association people, Amy Smith, Jamie Notter, Jeff De Cagna, and Mickie Rops, form "The Five Independent Thinkers". Together they argue on a joint blog, http://www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com, that associations can no longer afford to do the same old thing they've always done and remain relevant.

The subtitle of the book is "101 Things About Associations We Must Change" and the book itself consists of those 101 things the authors consider the most important. These are blog posts, most of them fairly short, and the book itself is eminently readable.

The posts/essays are grouped into six broad areas:

Changing the Way We Think
Changing the Way We Lead
Changing the Way We Manage
Changing the Way We Execute
Changing the Way We Work Together
Changing the Way We Involve Others

Its 165 pages including appendices and indices, and the nature of the post/mini-essay format makes it very readable - probably a few hours for most. Yet as I read it, I was struck by how many posts rang true if I simply replaced "association" with MY associations. Mickie Rops asks, "Do You Know What Your Members Know?" - which raises the questions, have you identified the current body of knowledge in the field your members work in? Is there a certification based on that? Are the two in sync? David Gammel immediately follows with the assertion, "Membership Should Be More than a Discount" - and the question arises, what does a member get that a non-member doesn't? A discount on books or the conference? Access to members-only materials? More? Less?

This is one of the best books I have read in a number of years. It's a fresh new look at a key aspect of professionalism, the associations we all belong to, and how they need to change in order to remain relevant. I cannot recommend this book more strongly to anyone who is a member of an association, and in particular, those who would lead them, whether at the local chapter level, the association committee level, or even at the association's board of directors (and HQ staff!).