Fueling The Next Generation and 1,900% Growth
As our association wrapped up another banner year and is looking at a record year in 2018, I took some time to give some deep thought to some continued successes that we had in 2017:
Our membership engagement hit an all-time high in 2017 with 83% of members involved in at least one program.
Our annual non-dues revenue is 132% of where it was 10 years ago.
Our Young Executive Series Management Training Program sold out in record time...so fast that we didn't even have time to design print brochures.
Our trade show for 2018 sold out exhibit space in record time.
Our net reserves continue to climb at now 1,900% over what they were a decade ago.
We have triple the volunteers that we had a decade ago.
As I focused on these key successes that we have enjoyed the last 12 years, I began to think about what the driving forces could be. Numerous came to mind, but the one that sticks out is the launch of our Young Executive Series Management Training Program in 2007. This program was designed in 2007 with the help of a military training team, who transferred the military model of building high performing teams with high performing leaders into a business model. In 11 years we have graduated over 325 people.
Over those 11 years, members have told us that the program has transformed the professional and personal lives of those who have attended, and fueled positive cultural shifts in their companies.
True fighter pilots from battle, who had gone into business for themselves after military service, are our program consultants and facilitators. The program brought EVERYTHING that young people, and an association could ask for in a program, fostering your next generation of leaders:
High energy environment
Focused and challenging content
Experiential learning
Engaging and interactive connections
Strategic thinking on the future
Execution strategies for today's challenges
The four 2-day sessions focused on the following:
How to build high performing teams
Personal development
Professional leadership
Emotional Intelligence in the workplace
Plant visits to surrounding member companies
As I think back today on the program and its impact on our Association, it has been monumental. It is the top criteria now for serving on our Board, with now over half of our Board being Y.E.S. graduates. It is the #1 training tool that we use to engage the next generation on the values of the Association. It gives us ten months to build the passionate belief in the mission of the Association; of being involved in something bigger than yourself. It provides an intimate community for each class to develop friends who do what they do in the industry. It allows those relationships to build personal memories during meetings, that draws them into loving the Association for more than just our mission statement.
Our leadership program has been so successful in building C-suite executives, that now many company Presidents have taken the program to take their leadership skills to the next level.
When we first started the program in 2007, we thought we were building a new set of leaders for our member companies. What ended up happening was that we began to build a generation of passion-filled executives who are now, and continue to drive our innovation, leadership, financial health, and success in the future.
Here is the kicker. Registration is $2,500 per person with a company investing another $3,500 in travel expenses per person for the ten month long program. That's a total of $6,000. Many companies will send an executive each year, and some send two or three. That is the proof that the program is working. You don't spend that kind of money on a program that isn't transforming lives.
If you want to get a peek at what the program looks like, CLICK HERE.
If your industry does not have a high-level executive leadership program, I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to move forward with one. For those of you wanting to know who our partner is as consultant/facilitators, it is The Corps Group.
Do it today. It will fuel your member's success and lead to the passion, leadership, and financial success that you desire and want for the future of your association.
