Who of you all will be attending? I will be there, and I know Wes Bucey has agreed to be there.

Is there any common platform that we want to present to ASQ? ASQ has not provided much in advance about the meeting, and I am hoping it will not turn into a ASQ HQ/Board selling to the volunteers what we ought to be doing.

Who of you all will be attending? I will be there, and I know Wes Bucey has agreed to be there.

Is there any common platform that we want to present to ASQ? ASQ has not provided much in advance about the meeting, and I am hoping it will not turn into a ASQ HQ/Board selling to the volunteers what we ought to be doing.

Steve,
I will be there representing our section. I hope to see you both.:agree:
Regards,
Govind.

Sorry I didn't see your post before I left, Steve.

So, Steve P, Govind, Graeme, Statistical Steven, and others, how do you think it went?

Honestly, I'm still processing it.

I was favorably impressed by Jerry. He seems genuine.

Whatshername, the consultant turned me off with the "consultant-speak". If I'd heard, how "privileged" we were or the word "rich", one more time, I think I might have "thrown up in my mouth a little" (to quote Rachel). In silent protest, I kept my eyes open during the "Guided Reflection" stuff.

Steve, thanks for articulating the concerns expressed often here in the Cove. You're right. If they want to see how a real community works, they need to come visit the Cove and use that as a model to build a Leadership forum with. Please let me know when/if the forum is established, as I will certainly participate. I gave the same idea to Clay Hodges and asked him to look into it. Your offer to moderate made it real.

I am skeptical and optimistic at the same time ...

I am excited about being invited to participate in the formulation of the change process. It's the first time I have seen that since I joined in 1990. Usually "they" have just told us (sections & divisions) what happenend after it was already decided.
Some of the stuff was too "new age" for me, but a lot of it was just another adaptation of the usual suite of problem-soloving tool we are familiar with. (When you dress the old reliable tooks up in fancy new packaging you can sell it all over again for lots more money. See "Six Sigma", for example.) :topic:
I was impressed by the way Jerry scrapped the formal agenda and adapted to the concerns that were being stated. I got the idea that it was the first time some of them have heard concerns that have been argued at length here in The Cove.
The article that came out the end of last week was a pretty fair look at the process. Certainly not the "company pravda" that organizations so often put out. I forwarded it to my whole leadership team -- no feedback yet.
Like RosieA, I'm still processing it. I'm sort of waiting for all of the other stuff that was promised. I haven't looked at any of the stuff in the four-inch three-ring binder yet!
I hope the executive leadership takes the suggestion to look at discussions here on the Cove -- but I'm not holding my breath for that, either.I will probably hear more at the DAC meetings next month ... I'm curious about what will be happening, especially as the Board meetings are the two days before that.

Graeme

So, Steve P, Govind, Graeme, Statistical Steven, and others, how do you think it went?

I am happy with the interaction that happened between ASQ Senior Management and Section/Division leaders. Inputs were flowing in from all directions for the member value questions and proposals. I thought the questions were not well structured. But eventually we were able to make a common interpretation and move forward. Most of the inputs were at “tactical” level. I was expecting at a “strategic” level. Anyways, it is all useful stuff.

If ASQ had to send a survey to this 183 section leaders, probably 20 of us would have responded. We probably would have received a fraction of the inputs that were received during the summit. So, calling this summit did bring a lot of inputs and interaction. These are very much required for a community like ASQ. If the ASQ management prepares a Business plan based on these inputs and move forward as indicated in the summit, I think this is money well spent for both ASQ and sections.

Monday afternoon started with pretty heated discussions. :argue: ASQ management did respond to most of the questions. ASQ Staff were very quick to compile the discussion points, summit summary and circulate.:applause: I was introduced to this “Graphic Reporting” approach. I collected an additional one of “Blueprint of the Future” and have it hung in my office. This is now creating curiosity for my colleagues to enquire more about this summit.

This summit also created an interest towards this café approach. I am yet to explore the web pages and learn more on this approach. Most members expressed that they wanted more free knowledge, training. In my opinion, “free” does not necessarily mean adding “value”.:nope: Value in one’s perception is a point where necessity and affordability meets face to face.

Meeting several section leaders in that summit, I got a consensus on the issues typically faced by all sections big or small. I was not alone.
1. Declining membership
2. Lack of funding to organize value add events
3. Lack of volunteers to run the section effectively
4. Lack of volunteers leading to succession issues.
5. Poor Program attendance (averaging 7% of section membership)
6. Overall unique participation of section membership not exceeding 20%
7. Difficulty finding speakers for programs
8. Difficulty covering members outside city limits for section events
9. Lack of trainers for certification refresher courses
10. Poor participating by section members on Member satisfaction Survey
11. Sections struggling to even achieve section basics.
and more..


ASQ Summit is a good start. Hopefully addressing the root causes resolves the above issues one by one. Most of them are interrelated. If we happen to attend the Milwaukee WCQI 2006, we will pick up from where we left. Hope to see more “covers” there.

Regards,
Govind.

Summit details have been posted in this ASQ Web page
http://www.asq.org/media-room/news/2005/10/31-leadership-summit.html

and the sharepoint site:
http://asqgroups.asq.org/summit/

You may notice all the "Graphic Reporting" in the Page:
http://asqgroups.asq.org/summit/Graphics/Forms/AllItems.htm

Summit picture are available at:
http://www.asq.org/members/volunteer/leadership-summit-2005/index.html

Regards,
Govind.

Thanks, govind, for posting the links. As you are aware, I have a special interest in how our association follows through after this meeting. I am really sorry circumstances forced me to miss meeting with you all, especially since it was only an hour drive away for me.

My regret about the links is the photos didn't have captions of who was who. I didn't see a photo of Steve - the only one of our gang of four I know by sight.

I was really impressed by some of the artwork and caricatures displayed in the gallery - someone had talent.

I can really imagine the first day was near chaos - no one was really prepared [I'll bet] for the type of situation engendered by the cafe style of meeting. I infer from the one report that others besides Steve put some ASQ feet to the fire to develop "actionables."

Let's continue to follow up and press for results on the actionables. It's been a month - where is the Discussion Forum which Steve was to moderate? I consider its presence or absence a key marker for the actionables. When it does become reality, I expect ASQ staffers to actively participate. If not, I would have the definite feeling all you folks got was some expensive lip service.

My regret about the links is the photos didn't have captions of who was who. I didn't see a photo of Steve - the only one of our gang of four I know by sight.

I was really impressed by some of the artwork and caricatures displayed in the gallery - someone had talent.

Let's continue to follow up and press for results on the actionables. It's been a month - where is the Discussion Forum which Steve was to moderate? I consider its presence or absence a key marker for the actionables. When it does become reality, I expect ASQ staffers to actively participate. If not, I would have the definite feeling all you folks got was some expensive lip service.

I did end up with a caricature . . . the one labeled you're witholding the business plan.

Larry Smith, Pat Corkran, and I had a conference call last Thursday. ASQ Staff refused to do anything without the call first. Now, they are starting the process to create a new board. It will be limited to ASQ volunteer leaders (but I will post any interesting tidbits here and take inputs from the Cove). It may take several more weeks, ASQ says.

There was a period a few years back when I felt like a righteous Jeremiah outlining the sins of ASQ staff for highjacking the association away from its members.

Lately, I feel like some shrill fishwife harridan railing away at deaf targets.

In the intervening years, I re-read a book from my college days which quoted social philosopher and commentator, Edmund Burke, as saying, "The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing."

It was a great epiphany. Now I understand the reality of the situation in ASQ. The problem is not that the staff highjacked the association; the problem is that so many good men [and women] have stood idly by and let them do it.

SUGGESTION:
To seal off 100,000 members from the debate carried on by their volunteer leaders (assuming the discussion forum becomes reality) is wrong. Instead, the discussion forum should be at least "read only" for the 100,000 members so we can shed the light of day on what our leaders do.

REASONING:
It is immaterial if those 100,000 EVER read the forum, it IS MATERIAL that they have the right to read it.

The United States legislative bodies have very few closed sessions. Those are for national security matters. Almost every other activity by our legislators (and most of the activities by our administrative and judicial branches as well) are carried out in the public eye.

Just as the general public does not get a voice in the senate or a cabinet meeting or a courtroom, it still has the right to watch its surrogate (the senator, the president, the judge, and prosecutor) in action. So, too, should the 100,000 members of ASQ have the opportunity to see its elected officials and surrogates (the volunteer leaders all are affirmed in office by vote of the members and they, in turn, are subject to scrutiny on appointments they may make of staff and other assistants.)

Such is my reasoning for opening the discussion Forum of our volunteer leaders (volunteer in they are paid no wage, but may be reimbursed for expenses incurred on behalf of the association) as read only to the remaining members.


How do others feel about this subject?
What action would you take to advance your position?

Pointed out by Bob Rinderman in an offline email.

See

http://www.asq.org/about-asq/how-we-do/pdf/asq-business-plan-05-06.pdf

Steve frequently talks about one of the writers he admires taking on the topic of "branding."

It occurs to me ASQ needs to expand its efforts in branding beyond the narrow confines of current members and their coterie of acquaintances.

Among the trade magazines I get, I came across this article in CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
http://chiefmarketer.com/cm_report/10_New_Rules_of_Branding_11152005/[/color] ]

Simon Williams: The 10 New Rules of Branding
By Tim Parry

Savvier-than-ever consumers and a plethora of new media mean that the familiar marketing saws no longer cut it. The marketing community needs a new set of branding rules, says Simon Williams, chairman of New York-based branding consultancy Sterling Group. And he’s more than happy to supply them.


"About once a year we put our thoughts together and look for trends and patterns," Williams says. "For the savvy marketer, there won't be a lot of new thoughts here. But the patterns we detect make successful brands."


Williams outlined what he calls "The 10 New Rules of Branding," and what marketers can do to follow the guidelines. Sterling Brands finalized what Williams calls the 10 New Rules of Branding in October. "If you follow these 10 rules, will you build a brand? Not necessarily,” he says. “But they are nuances you need to consider when aiming for stars."


Without further ado, the rules:

1) Brands that influence culture sell more; culture is the new catalyst for growth.
"Look at Google. They are changing the way we behave online," Williams says. "Nike is a brand that has become a part of all culture. If you get into that split screen, you become part of the lexicon of life."


2) A brand with no point of view has no point; full-flavor branding is in, vanilla is out.
Love or hate Fox News, you know where it stands on issues, Williams points out. And Ben & Jerry's is more than just ice cream; it's a company that stands for a cause. "Younger consumers have grown up in a consumer world. They're flexing their muscle, and they want their brands to stand for something.


3) Today's consumer is leading from the front; this is the smartest generation to have ever walked the planet.
Today's consumers are more discriminating and more experimental. "They have very strong opinions on brands, and a lot of brands are getting consumers involved,” Williams says. “Take Converse and the Converse Gallery, where consumers can make a 24-second film that will run on their site. It's consumer-generated creativity and a natural savviness."


4) Customize wherever and whenever you can; customization is tomorrow's killer whale.
The second advent of the Internet has consumers wanting something all their own, Williams says: "Consumers say, 'I need something that is mine, not mass-produced for everybody.'" The best example, he says, is Apple's iTunes Website. Instead of buying a CD, consumers are buying the tracks they want and putting them on their iPods. Williams also points to Starbucks, which creates whatever beverage a consumer wants, and Nike, which allows you to design a shoe online.


5) Forget the transaction, just give me an experience; the mandate is simple: Wow them every day, every way.
Apple and Coach, Williams points out, found that the best way to give consumers a brand experience wasn't just to sell product in store but to control the entire experience. "This is why they build stores in major cities. Looking for the other brands to soon be involved in the ‘experience.’"


6) Deliver clarity at point of purchase; be obsessive about presentation.
There's an "option overload" in the supermarket aisles, and anything that simplifies that for consumers is welcome, Williams says. "If I'm a consumer and I stand in front of a shelf, I see a wall of product. Brands are beginning to recognize that you have to be clear about what they are selling at the point of purchase."


7) You are only as good as your weakest link; do you know where you're vulnerable?
Today's younger consumers show zero tolerance when a brand makes a mistake. If a Website isn't good enough, they will ignore your brand, and if you get negative PR about something, it will stick no matter what you do to rectify it, Williams says. "Brands like Wal-Mart and Nike are still connected to negative PR about alleged abuse of foreign workers," he says.


8) Social responsibility is no longer an option; what's your cause, what's your contribution?
Consumers now expect corporations to get involved in cause marketing. Businesses are doing a better job at getting behind causes, Williams says, pointing to Timberland (“Take a stand against genocide”), Target (“Every day Target gives back to the community”), eBay (its Giving Works program, for starters), and GE (which this year launched its Citizenship Report, an annual report of sorts regarding the company’s environmental and safety initiatives). Not all businesses promote these efforts, however, because they're worried their efforts will be seen as commercial.


9) Pulse, pace, and passion really make a difference; had your heartbeat checked recently?
"We're in a crazy world. We keep piling more devices upon us. The more you have, the more you need. If your business does not have a high metabolic rate, you're not going to survive," Williams says. "Companies like Google move fast, and that means the older, slower companies are doomed."


10) Innovation is the new boardroom favorite.
"Brands are inspired by Apple more than anyone else," Williams says. "They transformed the music business, and people are taking what they did seriously. Procter & Gamble and GE are driving this and have made innovation the core of their corporate strategy."
Items 6, 7, and 9 strike me as particularly applicable to ASQ. What do others think?

My regret about the links is the photos didn't have captions of who was who. I didn't see a photo of Steve - the only one of our gang of four I know by sight.

I wasn't in any of the pictures, but I look just like my avatar. :D .

ASQ has started up a Member Leader discussion board at http://www.asq.org/discussionBoards/thread.jspa?threadID=2278

This action comes from the October meeting. It does appear that it is only open to "member leaders" of sections and divisions, but I'll be happy to bring forth any thoughts from the Cove.

Thanks, Steve...I'm curious to see how long it takes for the member/leaders to hear about this form headquarters.