As I said yesterday, I’m catching up on reading, so I’m only now getting to the March issue of Associations Now. The cover story of that issue is by Jeff about the "next traditions" for associations.

I’m hoping everyone has read the article by now, because it’s really important. If you haven’t, go read it now. I certainly enjoy pushing back on Jeff’s ideas, as I have in the revolution "smackdown" in the last few posts. There are plenty of areas where he and I disagree, or are, at the very least, not convinced.

But not in this article. I don’t know of anyone who cares more about associations than Jeff, so he is constantly looking at associations from every angle trying to figure out what needs our attention. In this article he points to six huge gaps in associations. These are gaps that I think escape the attention of many association execs, frequently even the good ones. When you’re trying to get the trains to run on time, you can miss these. I know it takes a lot just to make sure things get done in associations these days, but Jeff has identified six areas of attention that are really important to thriving organizations. You rarely find really superior organizations without these qualities, in my experience. So I would challenge you, if you’re in an association, to honestly take stock of where you stand on the six areas that Jeff mentions. They are:

• Curiosity
• Care
• Imagination
• Choice
• Courage
• Responsibility

And I don’t mean being curious every now and then, or caring sometimes, or using your imagination when things slow down over the summer. These are things that need to be built into the organization at multiple levels. You should see them all the time. Of course if you don’t see them, the good news is they are things that you can start doing today—even if the rest of the organization hasn’t come around yet. Start adding these elements into your daily work, and then notice what impact it has. Push conversations with others, particularly those in authority, about where these elements are missing and how to strengthen them. There is so much value in these elements—so much that can set you apart as an organization. They need your attention.