How Can Leaders Support Members? 5 Proven Strategies
As much as organization leaders need to be relied on to develop strategic plans to cope in times of crisis, they must also stay focused on supporting their members. With adept interpersonal skills and the use of the latest technology, leaders can reassure members of their committed support.
5 Effective Leadership Strategies for Member Organizations
Your organization’s leadership can support members in several ways.
1. Pay Attention to Detail
Members feel valued when leaders pay attention to all the little things. There are many ways to enhance member experience and show them you are attuned to their needs. Practical examples include offering members tailored service when meeting with staff members or creating customized offers based on the demographics of your members. Details count in creating an environment where members feel valued.
2. Prioritize Personalized Service
Personalizing a member’s experience lets them know they are more than just a number to your organization. In a study undertaken by Community Brands into member expectations, almost 80% of members indicated that it is very or somewhat important that their organization provide valuable, targeted content. Once you understand what value members want to receive from your organization, you can formulate a plan to strategically deliver content to the right members at the right time.
3. Anticipate the Needs of Your Members
This point is not only important to practice with your members but is applicable in all valued relationships. Anticipating members’ needs keeps you one step ahead and in control of the user experience. It is key to offering services and products that add efficiency to your members’ lives and keep them abreast of technological advances and new offerings. Conveniences such as a free membership app or the ability to complete their nominations application online rather than in person are excellent value adds in any organization.
4. Respect Your Members’ Time and Listen More Than You Speak
Members want to feel heard, but getting honest opinions from them can be very time-consuming. It’s important to be considerate of their time and show them you respect them and their business.
Traditional leadership strategies for collecting information, such as in-person focus groups and formulating and distributing surveys, are no longer effective. Expecting members to complete paper-based tasks and remember to return responses often leads to a low response rate.
Quick online focus groups conducted with user-friendly, real-time voting software allow members to offer immediate responses, which accurately reflect feelings and opinions. This efficient system connects you to members in a meaningful way, eliciting authentic responses that are transformed into actionable data to improve your interactions with them. For example, if half your members respond and indicate they would prefer online voting, investing resources into reliable systems that facilitate this streamlined approach shows members you notice and care about their ideas to enhance the organization.
Staying tuned in to what members want brings fresh ideas and new technologies to your organization and helps you adjust before you potentially lose dissatisfied members.
5. Offer Your Members Convenience Through Technology
The integration of time-saving, user-friendly technology is vital in proving to members that they matter to your organization. They will not feel valued when presented with frustrating, outdated, or slow online experiences.
Offering online voting is an excellent way to counter these negative feelings and provide state-of-the-art technology and convenience to your members. Introducing online voting at your next organization election will eliminate the need for paper ballots, which can often be time-consuming and cumbersome for members to fill out and return. A reliable online voting system saves everyone, including organization staff, time while increasing voter participation and engagement.
How to Support Members With the Best Online Voting Software
Give your members VIP service and make them proud to be part of your cutting-edge organization with an easy-to-use online voting system from Survey & Ballot Systems. We have many years of experience and plenty of options to enhance leadership strategies within your organization.
We specialize in providing turnkey solutions to member organizations, resulting in enhanced leader support. To learn more about the difference online voting can make in your organization, contact us today!
Since joining SBS in 2011, Tony has led company communications, branding, and product launches, maintaining SBS as the go-to for governance solutions. He regularly hosts educational webinars and speaks at national trade association events across the United States. Tony’s expertise has earned him media recognition, with features in outlets like Rural Electric Magazine, The Association Adviser podcast, Associations Now, and NBC’s King 5 Mornings in Seattle.