Aptify

The life of a consultant in the association community is interesting. Typically, our charter is to help an association improve the way it does business in one form or another. In the case of Association Management Systems (AMS) providers like Aptify, we work on improving processes by adopting practices that have been proven. The challenge you run into every time is staff resistance to change.

What we’ve found over time both internally and externally is that the art of “No” is critical to achieving the results the association’s CEO and Board of Directors signed up for. Middle management and staff at an association are of course important stakeholders in any process change. Ultimately, a consultant is accountable to the association’s membership, Board and CEO. When we get hired to implement an AMS, that is how we think about it and remembering why you are there and who you are accountable to is critical when in the midst of fighting for change.

So, why do the best consultants say “no” more than “yes”? Simple – if you too easily agree with what a client says they are “used to” or “comfortable with”, you don’t get change. Nobody hires a consultant to give them a pat on the back and say “attaboy”. There is, of course, a need for artistry here, the best consultants use their ears more than their mouths and find a way to adapt processes to be optimal for each association. They also work hard to bring forward folks that are initially resistant to change and make them champions. The bottom line is that associations hire consultants to create meaningful change in their organizations. Without saying “No” regularly, and backing it up, you end up perpetuating mediocrity in many instances, and that isn’t why the association’s members, board and executives asked you to help.

What do you think?