Growing a Lily Society: The Case of a Nonprofit Turnaround

Woodruff Imberman

M any BHreaders and their spouses are member s of volunteer, nonprofi t organizations. Running a nonprofit,

especial ly one that depends on vohmteers , can be a frustrating experience. The Wisconsin Illi- nois Lily Society, an affiliate of the 52-year-old North American Lily Society, has been in exist- ence tier 40-odd years, primarily as a small, paro- chial plant society. By 1990, WILS was at the depths of a long decline; m e m b e r s h i p was small, and leadership was at best inept and uninspired.

Then I became president, a seat I held from 1991 t~ 1997. During my tenure, we grew to 250 Jnembers from a handful, increased our financial assets substantially, and tk)rmcd a strategic alli- ance with the Chicago Botanic Garden- -a l l by t~sing new operat ing methods and starting a wide variety of activities that fueled our success.

Tills article describes the methods by which ~hese ~>bjectives were accomplished, the mistakes made al()ng the way, the new activities, and the less()ns learned. All should be of value to non- l)rolit executives interested in making their orga- nizati()ns more effective,

WHAT I F O U N D W H E N I STARTED

I became president of WILS in 1991 because not){)dy else was willing to assume the lead- ership r<)le in the small, mor ibund organiza-

lion. Why did I do it? I guess because I liked true lilies, I thought tl~e leadership role would help me te,lr]l m()re al)~)ut them, and, well, I thought I c{mld grow the <)rganization.

()nr ()nix,' activities in 1991 were a fall bu lb sale and a Jiffy lily show, neither of which was particularly well o,ganized. Business meet ings were lengthy, poorly attended, and he ld in an officer's home. Discussions of organizational matters were disorganized and interrupted by social chitchat, t { ) the dismay of those interested in accompl ish ing something.

When organizational matters were discussed, much time was wasted dis- cussing the minut iae of how something should be d~me. Thirty minutes were spent at one meet ing debat ing the color of the r ibbons to be used to separate the diffe> ent classes of lilies at the regional show! Responsibili- ties were often vague, and authority delegated t() spe- cific member s to ca rd ~ ()ut projects was even n-tore s<). W h e n some poor soul I~ravely volunteered to be responsible for a task, ,several others would im- mediately complicate his iob by suggesting at length complex details and additions for him t<) can T out. The oft-heard phrase was "'What v~)u should do is .... " Rare was the occasion when the speaker would add, " . . and I'll help by doing .... "

After becoming president, I made a n u m b e r of changes, some immediate, some over time. The task of revitalizing a volunta W organiz:ttkm is quite similar to turning around a trout)led c¢)m- pany: define the mission, devise a strategy t~ fulfill the mission, and finally devek)p operat ing tactics and pr<)grams t~ support the strategy.

S e t t i n g a M i s s i o n a n d C r e a t i n g a S tra tegy

Eve~" nonprofit organizatkm needs a misskm ~)r central goal that gives it focus and a way t() inca- sum progress. At WILS~ tile formal goal I an- nounced was simply "t~) further the kn~)wlcdge and propagat ion of true lilies." It was general, became well accepted, and, surprisingly en~ugh, had never been enuncia ted before. Our key strat- egy to accompl ish this goal was to attract new member s by present ing new programs and activi- ties. This meant marketing: viewing the public as

Growing ,L l,ilv S~x.'ictv: The Case (~t a N~)nprofit Turnaround 55

potential "customers" for our "product"--knowl- edge of lilies. I looked at all our activities, both existing and prospective, and asked whether they were attractive products.

If our activity or "product" was "priced, pro- duced, and marketed" in an inviting fashion, members of the public would "buy" it by attend- ing the activity and perhaps joining our regional society. This would further the knowledge and propagation of true lilies. The questions were always about priorities: Could this activity help us meet our basic goal? And how much of our scarce resources - -money and t ime--could be allocated to accomplish the activity successfully?

Thus, among the questions prospective lead- ers should ask themselves are the following: What is the key goal of our organization? Who is aware of that fact? And what priorities do we have in marketing our concept?

Making the Marketing Strategy Effective

"Delighting your customers" is an oft-repeated phrase, but unlike many organizations--profit and nonprofit a l ike- -we made a conscious effort to do so. To make our marketing strategy effec- tive, we began welcoming all attendees (potential customers) to our functions. The audiences at the educational programs we developed, the crowds at our annual show, purchasers at our bulb sales, and tourists on the Chicago Botanic Garden tours we started were all to be greeted cordially as potential "customers" of our socie W.

Finding and motivating officers, comrnittee chairs, and active members to treat the public in this way is a challenge. Getting this message across to current organizational members often requires repeated presidential communications. Perhaps the best analogy is to ask members how they felt when they were ignored by sales clerks in some retail store. Would they [E~el like coming back, or not? Changing the behavior of volun- teers to reflect the attitude that members of the public are potential customers is sometimes diffi- cult to do effectively. But when it occurs, there is

/ ~ a payoff in terms of a greater appeal to the pub- '~ ~" ~ t . . . 1 . ~ l ie-- the potential cus tomers- -and greater public

~ ...J acceptance of the organization and its goals. In ] ~ }. our case, it was interest in lilies and new mem- ~ % . / / X . , . J bets for the society.

~ d" Changes Made: Operating Methods

k/~ ~ Certain changes were made in our lily society's I v [ organizational practices to support the mission

f.~_~ _ ~. ~ and strategy. Business meetings g ~ ~ ~ { ~ ~ ' " " S -'~ were moved to a Chicago Botanic },,../~,~,, - - . . . _ a ~ / , . ~ Garden conference room, and were

( , ) k - - ~ / ~ / well publicized in an effort to draw more M ~ ~ ~ member& Rather than sitting mute as the

meeting chairman and letting the sessions ramble aimlessly, I presented an agenda at each meeting and did not shy away from being a strong advo- cate of certain programs or activities. An organi- zation pres ident - -be it nonprofit or n o t - - w h o allows discussions to meander from topic to topic often creates delay, engages in micromanagement, and ends up with poorly conceived programs of great logistical difficulty. Possible events and potential plans at our meetings were discussed in general terms to obtain common agreement on what should be done. Then the task was del- egated to someone who decided how it should be accomplished. This was in great contrast to previous practice,

Defining the Market: Who Was Our Audience?

I quickly realized we needed to define our mar- ket and customers. Most of our lily society mem- bers were simply amateur gardeners interested in lilies. They had neither the time nor interest to delve into esoteric subjects such as changing lily chromosome counts or tissue culturing. Success- ful programs and activities had to be simple, have mass appeal, and be conducted in an invit- ing, friendly fashion. Discussions of advanced topics of interest to only a handful of sophisti- cated lily growers were sacrificed for basic sub- jects appealing to a far larger audience.

Changes Made: Developing New Programs

We also made changes in our programming. First, we developed new programs and events to at- tract members, which required a lot of p,z, sidetz- tial listenin£~-just as the CEO of a troubled com- pany seeks internal input to solve operating problems. A nonprofit president must spend time listening to members and interested friends, hear- ing their needs and often divergent interests. In this case, the more I listened, the more I learned about the popular activities of other flc~wer soci- eties. The easier it was for me then to synthesize acceptable and attractive programs that would appeal to my own organization.

A president must also be the supreme idea thief of the organization, be it a faltering steel mill, an orphanage, or a troubled lily society. There is no shame in co-opting the good ideas of others, provided one properly recognizes the sources of those ideas.

Perhaps some nonprofit presidents are satis- fied with their current circumstances. For those untroubled leaders of successful, growing organi- zations who are not inflicted with the fatal itch to improve them, it would be wise to recall the words of Peter Drucker (1992): "Inertia in man- agement is responsible for more loss of market share, more loss of competitive position, and

54 Business Horizons / May-June 2000

m o r e loss of bus iness g rowth than any o the r single factor."

There is ano the r aspec t to soo th ing this fatal itch: ach iev ing c o n s e n s u s at the price of med ioc - rity. "1he compr( )mises n e e d e d for unan imi ty of- ten c()n~e at the cost of medi()crity. A leader must insist on s tand: lrds of o~\ganizational a n d pe r sona l p e r f i , m a n c c . At WILS, I insisted that w e "call our sh()ts." 13ct(:>rc an event , w e de f ined the n u m b e r ()f a t t endees that w o u l d m a k e the occas ion an ()rganizati()llal success. Wc then m e a s u r e d Ol_lr succcss, first, by h()w m a n y p e o p l e we actual ly attractecl t(:) 311 evel-l{, al~d sec()nd, by h()w m a n y pc(>ple j(>ined ()ur society :it the event . Obviously , we l ea rned s()me less()ns the hard way, thr()ugh clisct f~t-)()inting failures.

E d u c a t i o n . We started a series of ectuca- ti()nal lectures dur ing the winter na()nths, w h e n the > ind b lew c()ld and the s n o w lay d e e p on the s l eppes ()f Midv,es tern A m e r i c a . These slide sh(,x~ lectures attl-acted nov, m e m b e r s and gener - ated ~raffic l~)r the Chic:tg() B()tanic Garden .

()riginally, m a n y ()f the lectures t a r ranged were es()leric, bee: \use that \vas my ()wn interest. Bul lx)(,r atlcq~ctan('e quickly taught lllC that at- tracting ne\v s()ciet\' Illelllb(H's llluant [)resenting simple, inviting p rograms , As a result ()f listen- ing- -ca l l it an ()ng()ing marke t survey, if you \\,'ill ...... [ s()()n real ized that an attractive cducat i ()n series had t~) be fair ly basic i f it was t(> appea l t() n o \ h e g;Irdeners, the bu l k c)f ()ur publ ic , S() we re\ai~q)ed m()st ()f ()ur activit ies. Slide sh()vv lvc- tures \yore • clmngc(.t t() deal w i th gr ( )w ing l i l ies. s imp le f (xms ()f pr()pag:l t i ()n, des ign ing gardens ar()ui~d lilies, and ll()wcr ph()t()gr:/pl W. These ICCItI1LeS Ctl'e\V Lllly\\.,'}lerC ['F()fll ()() t() 10() peop le , Liil(t ]~ec alnc :l tllLtj()r s()tlrcc ()~ n e w menlbers.

Rarclv did \ re airaF~ge actvcinced lectures t() i l lec l ttlt_' ilc'c'd,', ()1 ()tlr hzlndfcil (H ll-i()i'e s()phisti- caleci menibers . The [(~ss()n? In ;i ri()r~l)lofit, yOLl illLiSl iclci?tifV ;lnct pt lrstte y(>Llr iliOSt p ro in is ing mart,~'ts, N()I all ()f t hem will be interested il-I y()ttr c()Fl~l)lic'ate(l Cadi l lac; m()st will settle to t a s imple Cl~e\ v. Readers ll lt lSl ask themselves w h o t l~eir c)i 'g;iniz;it i()ns p() tentkl l meml)ers clp_d "CtlS- t() i l lers" are. and h()w at )peal ing their ex is t ing acti \ ' i t ies are t() lhe ln.

T o u r s . In 1993 we stal tcd giving gu ided t(>urs of the (]hicag() Botanic G a r d e n ' s then ex- t en s i \ e lily I~eds. At first, we gave these tours only dur ing the w e e k e n d of ()ur Annua l Show. %L ~ devc l ( )ped e m m g h public interest ( " e d u c a t e d our tx)tential cust(m~ers") s() that by 1995 the ( ,arctcn a sked LISt() conduc t these w e e k e n d tours thr() t ighout the entire 1)l()oming season: f rom the early bhx)n~ing Martag()ns in J u n e to the tare t )udd ing ()r ientals and St-)eci()sums in August .

The success of the WILS w e e k e n d tours o p e n e d the G a r d e n ' s eyes to a marke t it had ctiii()tisl)' left unla l )ped . (It g;ive most ()f its o w n

t()urs dur ing w e e k d a y s , w h e n a t t e n d a n c e \vas l()west). On each of our tours, we gave an initial " 'commercial" for the lily s()ciely. ~ (educa t ion) , f() l lowed by a br ief in t roduct ion. Then c a m e the tour, to illustrate lily classification and descr ibe wh ich lilies we re in I-)h)()m (m()re educati()n). ~(,L" a n s w e r e d ques t ions , h : m d e d ()tit ;i t~r(~chure al-)out our lily society, ;end a sked t()urists t()i()in ()ur society ( r eques ted the order) .

Stay ing F o c u s e d

Keep ing p r o g r a m s simple, keepir ig the s()ciet\' ()n track, and av()icling ar(.ane p rog rams and activi- ties ()f interest t() ~)nly ,t few peop le requi red cons tant pres ident ia l a l t cn tkm to and reitcnttk)n of the societ.x"s ~)\eratl g()al. We maintainc(I ()ur f()cus ()n the mass market . Careful l istening taught me to insist thai m()st p r o g r a m s and :icti\' i- ties sh(,uld bc ;limed ;it mee t ing the meml~c, r s basic interests: si tnplc iilf()rlnati()i1 (nl whc'rc.' I() t~u\ and h o w t() gr()w lilies.

WHAT I LEARNED

R unn ing a n(mt~lofit such as :t lily s~),.'i<_'l,. is like r unn ing a m()deln c~)rl-)()rati()n, the governa i l cc ()f b()th has m a n ) similaii~

ties. The dut ies ot: the pres ident of an ()rganiza- \ion arc those (>f :~ c(x)rclinator and leader, a s \vL'l[

as :l ch)er, t ie ILIUM li)cus ()n his s(x'ictv's gc ~:lls and strategies ancl c()n~municate them fro( leon\ l \ t(> sut)()rdinales \\ittlin the (xganizat i (m. s() th;n all are \v()rking in ;i c ( , n m ( m directi(m,

Day- to -Day M a n a g e m e n t : T h e Real i ty

"lhe Chic : tg ( )a rea atx)t inds with k)c;ll [l()\ver s()(_i cries with n() cle:~r f(~c~s. Their m e m b e r s :~re in con t imled u p h e a v a l and internal rel~)ellk)n, m~lch like c o m p a n i e s \ \ i th mal ignant ly c()rl()sive indus- trial relat ions t-)r(fl~lem.,,. Members ()ties spend their t ime argLlip_g alll()tlg t hen>e lve s :is t i le \ [)LII'SLI(2 diverse agenda,~, with n() a l )parent uililv- ing pu rpose , l~eadership is (_tucstionab]e, and m a n y ()f their in()lc rali()i-lal i nember s [mvc (itlit in disgusl.

But life is t(x) shoJt t() was te in such acrim()- nious encteav()rs. Ntu t tu ing a gr(w,ing, vial~h_, corp(mt t ion ()r 'volLlntary society requires ;I presi- dent w h o can enunc ia te its overall goal, gain m e m b e r accef) tance e l it, and have a genera l s t ra tegy ()f h()w t ( )acc(mlpl i sh it. W~)rking infi)r- really th rough o the r mcml~ers ()f the s()ciet\', tllc p res iden t shou ld c(.)rlcc:ntr'ate o f t leading public op in ion so that his ideas or p r o g r a m s (h~)wever d e v e l o p e d ) reach fluiti()n. Inchiding ()ther m e m - bers in the effort to think t h rough these i(leas is a power fu l aid in ach iex ing a unified gr()up identi ty :.in(,_{ a co111131()n purp().<,e.

(;r()wing :l l.ilv Nxic'w: The Case ()f il N()npr()fit Turnaround ~,~

I learned eight basic lessons during my ten- ure as WILS president, just as I remembered some of the strategies employed turning around troubled companies . Other leaders of nonprofi ts might apply these eight basic lessons to their organizations.

P r e s i d e n t i a l L e s s o n #1: R e m e m b e r y o u r c u s t o m e r s .

The president must be resolute in insisting that the society define its overall goal and keep it in constant view: attracting audiences (customers) by present ing appea l ing programs (products) in a friendly way (marketing). Although this may cre- ate some unpleasant moments with obstreperous members anti may require some negotiations, the president must be resolute, reject consensus w h e n its price is mediocrity, and insist that the society's overall goal be kept first and foremost.

At WtLS, we attract potential members and retain existing ones by using the {ollowing Diendly tactics (market ing techniques) at all pro- grams and events:

1. Greeters with name tags and smiles wel- come the public and society members at eve W event.

2. We provide a member sh ip desk with mem- bership forms, our brochures, and other printed information about us :It each event.

3. Rovers at our Annual Show circulate around the show floor constantly, asking attend- ees if they have questions. One quest ion often leads to another, then another, and soon sonae of the quest ioners arc escorted over to the member- ship desk by a friendly rover for enrollment, We normal ly sign up 25 to 30 new members each year at our Annual Show.

4. We offer educat ion programs. Most cus- tomers will "buy" your product only if they un- ders tand it and can learn how it will benefit them. Avid gardeners and prospective lily grow- ers want information. The slide show lectures in our educat ion series oft how to grow lilies have proved very popular. Educating the public about lilies is one of the basic purposes of our Annual Show, at which the lectures are conducted, ques- tions answered, free literature provided, and tours given. What similar tactics can you use to attract new members to your organization?

5. Tour guides are equ ipped with special WILS brochures. At the start of eve~ T summer tour we lead of the Chicago Botanic Garden 's lily beds, our tour guide gives a one-minute commer- cial about WILS anti hands each tourist a copy of our brochure. The commercia l is repeated at the end of the tour.

6. Membersh ip forms and our special bro- chures are available at all slide show presenta- tions given at area garden clubs by WILS mere-

bers. A 90-second commercia l about our activities is always presented at such events.

7. Each of the above is done with a friendly smile because we genuine ly welcome new mem- bers. Remember, sa lespeople don't get an order until they ask for it. Your nonprofit will not get members unless you ask people to join.

P r e s i d e n t i a l L e s s o n #2: Ins i s t o n resu l t s .

Leaders of nonprofi t organizations must be reso- lute and insist tlaat their vice presidents and ap- pointed c lmirmen do their iobs effectively. Before anyone is nominated as an officer or appointed as a committee chair, the president should review the position's duties carefully with him. Candi- dates should know what is expected of them if their tenure is to be successt\fl. The more care- fully a president does this, the fewer misappoint- ments will be made.

Presidents lnust see that their sitting officers and chai rmen handle their responsibili t ies in a timely, effective f~shion. This means some mea- sure of effectiveness has to be communica ted initially to subordinate officers. Then the presi- <,tent must see whether responsibili t ies are being flflfilled. In this manner, he will learn which offic- ers are effective and which tire not. Alth<mgh elected officers are sovereign in their own right due to their periodic elections, the duties of inef- fective ones m a y somet imes have t o b e trans- ferred to an effective, appoin ted committee chair- man for the rest of an officer's tenn. Alternatively, the officer's duties may have to be assumcct tem- porarily by the president. When an appointed committee chair proves ineffective, he can always be asked to step aside, or the president can rede- fine his function to co-opt the talents {>f other, more energetic members .

A president should also have the predomi- nant wAce on the organization's nominat ing com- mittee, if there is one. He knows how effective the subordinate officers have been, anti which appoin ted committee chairs fulfill their roles most responsibly. Officers should usually be picked from appointed commit tee chairs who have den> onstrated energy anti results.

Be thankful R)r the help and volunteers you get. At WILS, some members want to be commit- tee chai rmen or work on committees. Others will he lp tit the Annual Show for a few hours. Still others are content merely to enter several stems in a show, buy a few bulbs, or attend an occa- sional lecture. Some, if asked, will become more active and w)lunteer more of their time to help tit a society activity. As a nonprofit president, don't be ashamed to ask- -beg , if neces saw- - fo r help.

One of a president 's most difficuh iobs is to find members who wish to be active and moti- vate them t() help as much as the society's activi-

56 Business Horizons ,,' May-June 2000

ties require. Quite frequently, more respond than might be expected.

P r e s i d e n t i a l L e s s o n #3: Mot ivate f o r re su l t s .

"What's in it f~)r :in officer?" Often, recognit ion is the most powerful (and only) tool a nonprofi t president has to motivate w)lunteer officers and encourage others to seek such posts. Be a cheer- leader. Celebrate the successes of your subordi- nates, wheneve r they occur. Reward them with public praise :~t a general meeting. Mention their successes in the organization's newsletter, show- mg their peers the type of approved activity or energy. Or find an event or create a special one- l ime :issignment for them to hcmdle that can give them a certain a lnount of thanks and recognition.

Here is h()w we did it at WILS. The Chicago Botanic Garden hosts an annual h_mcheon, to which leaders of all the flower societies using its facilities are invited. More than 30 societies send several representat ives to this yearly aft;air to discuss plans and renew friendships. I first in- ,iced n~y vice presidents t<) attend the event with me. Tl~en I sent them both alone. I subsequent ly asked at least one appoin ted commit tee chair to attend, as :l reward for past efforts. Soon, being asked to attend was considered a status symbol, :t sign proclaiming that WILS was tin organization with depth, n()t lust a presidential appendage . In short, 1 was trying to build an organization, not :in empire.

By using "patronage" in such a titshion, a president can reward the hardest workers in the ()rganizalion, thus inf luencing all subordinate ()filters and ttleir behavior. Be creative. If your society does not have such a natural event for rec<)gnizing tt~e work of vour officers, invent one.

P r e s i d e n t i a l L e s s o n #4: P r o t e c t y o u r o f f i c e r s .

The president must handle this part of the job with s<mle delicacy. Ahhough the goal of an as- s ignment is def ined at the project's i ncep t ion - - say, a hospitality chai rman having refreshments reacly before and after a mee t ing - - t he president shotlld inot nnicromanage the effort, and n-lust not ,illow ()thers to clo so either.

Rc.sponsibility and authority go together. The <)bjcclivc has been outlined: cake and coffee for "30 pe<)ple at 3:00 pm. Let the hospitality chair- man determine what kinds of cake to purchase and ,,\here, listen to interested members , and decide which of their ideas to accept. A smart chairman will accept the rational ideas and co- <)pt those who offered them into he lp ing imple- ment them, If the task is beyond the chairman, or his tastes are too bizarre, these facts soon be- come ()l)vi()us and signal to the president that it may be time to seek a new chairman.

This cannot be overstressed: ~ T ~ The president must crystallize : . - , " - ' ~ - ~ - - " - ' - ' - - ~ ~ . , li-' l i ~ -" and communica te wt]at needs _ j ~ ~ t l l l , _ l ~ ) "J to be accompl i shed within ...,.~-~,,--i i / r ~- / / g) ~ , . ~ fairly broad parameters. It is up I -_ ~ f / # ...._,,%, i

job to decide how to get it clone " . " ) jttl f i w.ithin those, parameters, •, and do it. ~ ' " N o t h i n g i s w o r s e t h a n w a s t i n g t i n l e a t ~ 1 a meeting, with half a d<~zen people nitpicking ~ . / ff the details of how people should accomplish ,~i.~.,/ their given tasks. Allowing this c o m m o n crime t~ , i ~ ] OCCtU" is the mark 0f a p<)0riy l"t_in oFgar'l iZati()i~l [ ( I f and an inept president, t~ /

P r e s i d e n t i a l L e s s o n #5: F o r m s trateg ic a l l i a n c e s .

Scan the horizon to find organizatioris or institu- tions with which you can fornl strategic alliances and support one another 's activities. WILS gradu- :lily formed such an alliance with the Chicago Botanic Garden. Achieving the Garden 's coopera- tion was possible only t~y emphas iz ing to its se- nior executives how they w<)uld benefit if v,.e conducted our <mtreach programs there, cmd why v,.e should receive special privileges in retmn.

Our educat ion series opened each year with a slide show presentati<m on the Garden's ()\,vn lily beds, presented by ~ne of its horticulturalists. This publ ic ized the Garden, increased its traffic (and reventle) on a snowy winter Sunday, arid was well appreciated bx its senior executives. Every summer weekend, knowledgeab le mem- bers of ()ur lily society, armed with our own br~)- chure, give tours of the Garden 's lily beds t~) "show people what lilies look like in real liR'." During <)ur Annual Show, the tours arc hourly. These tours tire also well appreciated by the Garden 's staff. Our more expert members supply tl~e horticuhuralists v,itli specialized catalogs and advice on what types <~f lilies to buy cund where to buy them. Often, they even seek bulb tic)na- t ives for the Garden.

In return, we get to rise tt~e Garden 's facilities free of charge for our meetings and shows. Our fall bu lb sale and early spring educat ion programs tire given prime locations often unavai lable t() others. 1 was often :<resulted (a t ime- : ( resuming bcisiness) ab{nat Gardei~ activities when they were being planned, so wl~en ttley occurred our s<~ci- ely and lilies could be in the spotlight. Finally, our activities often receive prominent publicity in Garden Talk. the Gardcn 's newsletter.

Other organizations may not h:tve such a natural ally close :it hand. For those that don't, again, be creative. The worst anybody can say if you ask is n(~. And if y,>u ask properly ( remem- ber, an alliance must benefit both partners>, the answer may well be an enthusiastic yes.

(_]rowillg : t Lily Society: The Case ()f a Nonprofit Turnaround S ,"

P r e s i d e n t i a l L e s s o n #6: Use p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s .

No matter how attractive your organization's ac- tivities may be, people will not attend if they are unaware of them. Good publicity programs at- tract attendees to your events. If the events are well-designed, some attendees will join and be- come active. One simple key to successful pub- licity is developing an up-to-date list of editors and news directors of the media in your vicinity. Learn their deadlines, and respect them reli- giously. Above all, find somebody with news sense. Send short, terse, coherently written re- leases. You will be surprised how many will be published. Scan the horizon. Think strategically. For us, good public relations not only promoted our specific society events but furthered an over- all public awareness of lilies.

P r e s i d e n t i a l L e s s o n #7: Be a s y s t e m a t i z e r .

Frequently, a president becomes the initial doer of a new task or organizer of a new program. In the process, he becomes aware of the pitfalls and can systematize the task. Once it shows promise or proves successful, he can delegate the job and move on to new things. Because he has the ex- perience, he can pass along what he learned to others to whom the task can be delegated. The president should put his experience in writing and supply checklists detailing the pitfalls he found. Then new helpers can use this informa- tion without repeating the same errors. The presi- dent can then spend time being a cheerleader, exhorting officers and committee chairs to greater success in the assignments delegated to them. And again, success should be celebrated wher- ever and whenever it occurs.

F i n a l P r e s i d e n t i a l Lesson: C o n c e n t r a t e o n t o m o r r o w .

The final duty of the president is to realize early on that he is neither irreplaceable nor immortal. No one is; nonprofit presidents seek or accept the role for a variety of reasons---ego, perhaps, or a sense of responsibility, or the realization that somebody has to do the job.

B eing a nonprofit president is not a life- time appointment, no more than an as- signment to restructure a troubled com-

pany. No matter what the initial motivations, one's views may change, or one may tire of one's

duties. A successful president should seek strong vice presidents and groom them (evaluate their effectiveness) so that there are several good fu- ture candidates for the presidential chair. Then he should step aside, help the new leaders in their tasks, hope the new leaders have absorbed and will apply these eight lessons, and spend more of his personal time in other activities. For me, it was spending more time in fny expanded gar- dens hybridizing great lilies, gl

References

Alfred Chandler, Scale and Scope: The Dynamics of Industrial Capitalism (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univer- si W Press, 1990).

Peter Drucker, Managing for the Future.. The 1~90s and BeFond (New York: Dutton, 1992).

Eugene Finkin, Successful Corporate Turnarounds (New York: Praeger, 1988).

Woodruff Imberman, "The Golden Nuggets on the Factory Floor," Business Horizon& July-August 1986, pp. 63-69.

Woodruff Imberman, "Save Your Company by Restruc- turing," USA Today, July 1992, pp. 24-26.

Woodruff Imberman, "Turnaround Management: The Mission, the Methods," Business Credit, April 1992, pp. 18-21.

Woodruff Imberman, "Unsuccessful Executives in Auto- motive Manufacturing," Business Horizon& March-April 1997, pp. 2-6.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, The CDange Masters (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983).

Richard Neustadt and Earnest May, Thinking in Time: The Use.; of History for Decision Makers (London: Collier-Macmillan. 1986).

Woodruff Imbermon is the president of Imberman and DeForest, Inc,, a man- agement consulting firm headquartered in Evanston, Illinois.

58 Business Horizons / May-June 2000