This month, thanks to ASAE and The Center’s “big ideas” month, there has been a ton of talk this month about big ideas and innovation and change. I’ve loved reading the many, many “what if” posts in the community.

But I’m worried that this is all just talk – and no one will actually step up and make some changes.

Why? There are many reasons why change is frightening. “That’s the way we’ve always done it” is a common excuse. A difficult board can make affecting change challenging, especially if you work for a small-staff association or a smaller chapter. Maybe it’s “not in the budget.” Maybe you’re already crunched for time. I get that. We’re all busy.

This post is partly in response to Jeffrey Cufaude’s “What’s so big about big ideas?” Jeffrey wrote, Engaging in an exercise that generates and discusses big ideas is worthwhile. But ultimately we need to develop the organizational culture, attract the talent and knowledge, and turbo-charge our daily processes and systems to enable big thinking and big execution on a routine basis.

Maggie McGary’s recent post, which questioned if association leaders are ready to give up their jobs if a big change deemed it necessary, also inspired me. Maggie says, Change isn’t easy and people don’t like it; in fact, they go to great lengths to avoid it. Talking requires no follow-through, no shifting of priorities or increased workload.

Associations shouldn’t adopt new practices and ideas just for the sake of innovation. There has to be a clear motivation and objective. Taking baby steps is OK … any step forward is a step in the right direction. But you should take a more forward-looking approach to everything you do. “How will this help the association’s long-term goals?”

Don’t be afraid to get rid of programs that aren’t working anymore. If a program or service isn’t successful anymore, why isn’t it being changed or stopped? There’s no need to keep putting money into an aspect of the association just because it’s been around for a while.

Once again, Joe Rominiecki of Acronym and I are on the same page. Joe’s Wednesday evening post echoed my sentiments dedicating time, money and staff to creating new programs and initiatives. But be careful to not be innovative just because you think you have to be.

One of my goals for my “winter break” (aka “long weekend”) is to brainstorm ways to improve this blog. Never be satisfied with just getting by – there’s usually always room for improvement. It’s dedicating the resources to creativity that can be troublesome.

(Image via Capture Queen on Flickr.)