Published in December 2020

Entering December 2020, there is rightly lots of focus on creativity and innovation in the association and event world – but I think stamina and mentality will increasingly become key indicators of team performance. It is natural to feel a sense of relief as we come to the end of a year few will remember fondly. However, the reality is that we are only at the beginning of a new, highly competitive, phase in play… and the ability to keep on going through the dark winter months will be essential.

Stamina will potentially be a differentiator and a question of business continuity, especially for small staff teams. The risk of burnout is real. Uncertainty around personal finances, potential school closures or elderly relatives is exacerbated when many are unable to enjoy their usual de-stress activity of choice.

From my experience in this sector it is easy to remember bad days or meetings, and tough weeks or months rolling out organisational change or new event projects, but we do not usually face such arduous, year or longer, challenges. So, looking for inspiration on this topic, I thought who puts themselves through this all the time? The first answer to come to mind was elite sports teams.

Adapting to Association Staff Challenges

So what has this got to do with associations and events? I think it’s a timely reminder of what it takes to succeed when competition is intense.

Both leaders and team members need to show a combination of intense dedication to the vision and goal, with a demand of excellence when “on the pitch”. At the same time, empathy on both sides is needed. Not everyone plays their best in every match and leaders won’t get every decision right. Association and event professionals can’t be at their best working round the clock, juggling family obligations and health concerns. Another issue with so much uncertainty and change, is those who had “mastered” their roles may have suddenly found themselves uncertain of their skillset and in need of increased support or training opportunities.

Thinking beyond holidays to how squad rotation works is also interesting. In Germany, “Kurzarbeit” was introduced to share jobs and reduce layoffs (albeit with subsidies) but elsewhere companies like Unilever are testing a 4-day work week. So, is an increasingly flexible schedule, especially with work from home now established, an option more organisations should look at? Will flexibility be as important as salary when trying to recruit team members in future?

Additionally, most organisations in the sector cannot afford to retain all the staff capacity and skills they will need on their payroll, and in 2020 many have had to downsize their teams, losing valued members for financial, not performance reasons. Should 2021 see a bigger focus on supplementing core staff with shorter term recruits (including consultants, freelancers, IT experts or other third parties) to bring in fresh energy and ideas to work on complex problems? Or to work alongside full time staff during periods of peak workload?

In complex organisations, there are lots of ways to improve, so it should not just about getting the job done, but doing it better, and bringing onboard the right resources at the right time. Even Liverpool with all their resources, have added a specialist throw-in coach who is not part of their full-time staff but an expert who visits 6 or 7 times a year.

If you’re leading an organisation into 2021, think about how you can build out your core squad, temporary replacements and advisors with the long season ahead in mind, not just the matches week to week.