#1: How to Create an Inclusive Leadership Mindset with Michelle Mason of ASAE
Episode Details
Transcript
What is the key to creating an inclusive, collaborative and value-driven culture?
In today’s premiere episode of the Association Adviser Podcast, we have the distinct pleasure of talking with Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO of The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Michelle brings her wealth of expertise in association leadership to the forefront in a conversation centered around conscious leadership and the development of impactful Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) strategies.
Join us as we delve into Michelle's personal journey into association management and her unwavering commitment to embracing diversity of thought, breaking down barriers, and empowering every voice within the organizations she leads. We'll explore ASAE's innovative conscious inclusion strategy and its groundbreaking programs like the ReadyMe initiative, designed to prepare the next generation of association leaders with essential skills rooted in DEIA principles. Michelle will share invaluable advice on maintaining authenticity and resiliency as a leader, and she’ll emphasize the importance of creating a culture that is both collaborative and values diverse perspectives.
You’ll learn:
- How to create and apply DEIA strategies effectively.
- The true meaning behind the word “team.”
- How to prepare future association leaders for success.
- How to nurture a global presence.
- How to embrace a change journey post-pandemic.
About the guest:
Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO of ASAE, approaches leadership by building teams, growing membership and engagement, incubating unique innovations, delivering revenue, results and advancing the community through the creation of a welcoming environment of inclusion, diversity and equity. Michelle was selected as the 2020 Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.
Resources:
Recommended reading: Seven Measures Of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don’t, Becoming Coachable
Explore more on DEI Strategies & Inclusive Leadership.
Visit:https://www.naylor.com/
Connect with ASAE & Michelle Mason:
Email: mmason@asaecenter.org
LinkedIn: @ASAE, @Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE
Facebook: @ASAECenter
Instagram: @ASAECenter
Visit: asaecenter.org
Connect with us:
LinkedIn: @NaylorAssociationSolutions
Christine Shaw: christine.shaw@naylor.com
*Please rate us and leave us your thoughts and comments on Apple Podcasts, we’d love to hear from you!
Speaker 0
Team to me is really an acronym. It really means together, everyone achieves more because we're all working together towards the same objectives. And when we're aligned, we can accomplish great things. Speaker 1
Hi. I'm Christine Shaw, CEO and president of Naylor Association Solutions, and I'm your host of the association advisor podcast. We'll learn from successful association executives, partners, and clients on how to grow membership engagement and non dues revenue to create a thriving, prosperous, and value driven association. I invite you to join me in keeping informed and most importantly, keeping your association profitable. Our goal is to leave you feeling inspired, more confident, and more knowledgeable. This is the Association Advisor Podcast. Speaker 2
Hi, and welcome to the first episode of the newest season of the Association Advisor Podcast brought to you by Naylor Association Solutions. I'm your host, Christine Shaw. This first episode is one you're not going to want to miss. We're starting things off with a powerhouse guest. Today, we're talking to none other than Michelle Mason, president and CEO of the American Society of Association Executives. Michelle will share with us her journey into association leadership and why inclusive leaders are the key to success at all levels of an organization. She'll also talk about ASAE's vision for the future, the importance of having a global perspective, and we'll even get a sneak peek into the ASE annual meeting this coming August. I am so excited for this conversation, so let's get started. Good morning, Michelle, and welcome to this episode. You cannot imagine how thrilled we are to have you as our first guest to kick start the relaunch of the Association Advisor podcast. So welcome. Speaker 0
Thank you, Christine. Thank you. I'm really excited for our conversation today. It'll be a really great one. Speaker 2
Great. Well, you know, where I'd love to start is you've been heard saying in different interviews that you sort of stumbled into association management, but you've had this amazing impressive career. So tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are and any accomplishments that you're particularly proud of that led you to this. Speaker 0
That's a great question. I get asked that question a lot. And, you know, as I reflect throughout my career, I think about saying I stumbled into association management, which is very true early in my time, but I feel like now association management was more of a calling. And what we say around here at ASAE these days is that, you know, let's just kinda reverse that narrative. It's a calling, not a falling. But I did, you know, enter into the community, didn't know much about it at the time, but quickly learned that when you are in the professional practice of association management, you have the opportunities to work for a mission based organization that is a business. Right? So you get the best of both worlds, and I really appreciate that. Throughout my journey, I have always demonstrated a strong attraction towards servant leadership, and we can definitely utilize that. And we are that's the core of association management. So my accomplishments that I'm really proud of are to have worked in some, the leading associations in the country, from small to medium size to large, from national to global, which really helped me to develop a wide range of experience as well as serving a variety of positions from office staff now to CEO. So I think my accomplishments basically is truly embrace what the association community has to offer and take advantage of the opportunities. And now I have a platform where I can pay it forward and help the next generation of leaders. Speaker 2
And speaking of paying it forward, what I love about your leadership style, and many do, is that you're also known for lifting up others and breaking down barriers so that everyone has access to opportunities at the associations you serve. So how do you personally ensure all voices are heard and valued within the organizations you lead? Speaker 0
I think that's important of any leader. I believe that CEOs have the opportunity to encourage a diversity of thought to build trust and empowerment, particularly in today's environment. And knowing that we have that opportunity, we should be able to make a place for all to feel welcome, valued. One of the learnings that I've had over my career is that diversity of thought is very important in the association community. And when you are incorporating different voices, different perspectives, and breaking down the silos, you are really making the place and the space for all. You're making a place and a space for people to have very uncomfortable conversations, which really lead to change in innovation. And so I believe that my leadership style is very collaborative, and I appreciate being that way because that's really the essence of who we are here at ASAE as the hub for associations. So here on my team, they will always tell you that team to me is really an acronym. It really means together, everyone achieves more. Speaker 2
I love that. Speaker 0
Yeah. You know, when we think about it, it's like together, everyone achieves. It's really great. Right? Because we're all working together towards the same objectives. And when we're aligned, we can accomplish great things. You experienced that earlier this week at the exchange. So I'm really excited that I have that opportunity to have a platform where I can help all feel included in strategically where we're going as an organization. Speaker 2
Yeah. And we're gonna talk about this week in a minute, but also what that leads into because, you know, it's easier said than done. Right? So during your tenure at association forum, you introduced a DEI initiative called welcoming environment, and you helped to bolster ASAE's DEI focus since joining this organization as well. So let's talk about what you've done there and the framework you've created for CEOs with the ReadyMe program. Speaker 0
Wonderful. So when I started ASAE, I had the great opportunity to enter the organization. They had a very strong track record with DEIA, diversity, equity, inclusion. And then in the a, we're now becoming more focused on because that is a growth opportunity for us, accessibility. And so I looked at the various initiatives that we have, one being our hallmark program, the diversity executive leadership program. And I thought to myself, how do we create an umbrella strategy that would truly integrate inclusion within the organization? And so conscious inclusion was an outcome of that. So conscious inclusion is an umbrella strategy for us to take our DEIA efforts to the next level. It really was that means is to be very intentional about every aspect that we demonstrate or deliver value in the DEI space, whether it's governance, whether it's the leadership volunteer opportunities, subject matter experts, every aspect of the organization. We are now creating frameworks so that we're asking diverse voices and audiences into the future direction of ASAE. These examples of what we've done have included creating identity based communities or providing identity based communities a place in a space to convene at our annual meeting. It also includes, as you shared, the Ready Me program, which really focuses on essential skill development for this next generation of leader or even the current leader. We know the impact that technology is having on everyone and working remote from home. Sometimes we need to freshen up our interpersonal skills, but this program is really designed for that and to prepare the next generation of leader for success. There are several modules in the program as well as a leadership academy is being led by a group of associate a steering committee that includes association CEOs. So it's really the members are driving, filling, or developing that next talent pipeline in the association community. We're really excited for the success. We have several scholars that have graduated from the program and now are providing testimonials and recruiting others into it. But we also, as I mentioned, have a flagship program, a diversity executive leadership program, which is celebrating over twenty years of success, more than two hundred scholars. So that's very important because we really again, when you have a platform, it's our responsibility to help and bring others along. Speaker 2
No. And that's what I love about what you've just said is we hear about DEI and now DEIA quite a bit. But taking it from words to action Yes. Is where a lot of leaders struggle. So the fact that you're creating frameworks and programs to help people learn and to change behavior is amazing. And speaking of amazing, so you never stop, Michelle. As soon as you do one thing, you do more and more, and you created the first program called The Exchange, the first year event, a women's leadership experience, which I had the honor of attending this week, and I was blown away. So let's talk a little bit about that, what the vision was for that, and how it all came together, and what the future looks like for that event because we're excited about that. Speaker 0
Yeah. It was a magical moment. You participated in that experience. It's one of those moments where you had to be in the room as we really thank you for your sponsorship and your support of the exchange. The exchange was an opportunity for us to gather powerful women in a room to have conversations they would not ordinarily have. Right? We wanted to talk about topics such as menopause. Right? And that's not a taboo word, but that's something that is a medical condition for women. And we need to articulate that in the workplace and not be apologetic. And so we had two over two hundred fabulous women dialoguing over a day on topics that range from workplace issues to health issues to generational issues. And it was a really candid discussion, making connections, creating community. We're really excited about the offering. The offering came together recognizing that we the majority or over sixty percent of our membership is female. We needed something to respond and to celebrate and bring that audience together. We recognized that we also needed this next generation in the room with us having the real conversations and learning from the wisdom in the room. But we also wanted to, as I mentioned, create a safe space. So the future of that event is very broad. What we've heard during that, experience is that you need to double the attendance, but there's something to be said for the intimate conversations. So we will as we always do here at ASAE, we will collect voice of the member to help us to decide the next steps with the program. Because what we always say is it's for the member by the member, and so we're looking forward to it evolving over time based on the needs of our female audience. Speaker 2
Yeah. And what I also noticed about that room, Michelle, which you did a great job, within that room, there was diversity as well. So the amount of women and backgrounds and races, it's just amazing to see that all come together. So kudos to you and your team for that, and you will always have our support in events like that and more. So let's shift gears because there's a lot of exciting things going on at ASAE, and I'd love for you to share a little bit about your priorities and what you have on the horizon and the vision you've created for the next couple of years for the association. Speaker 0
Wonderful. So I had the great fortune when I started here, at ASAE in September of twenty twenty one to have a strategic framework that was created during the pandemic. And as we know, post pandemic, organizations have really evolved. And so working with the board and the staff team, we identified four priorities that created a strategic framework called destination twenty twenty six. And those four priorities are very simple. One, create member value, workforce development, the power of associations, and culture and infrastructure. And we identified these priorities because we realized over a three year period, we really needed to address those issues to position ASAE for the future. And so we've worked in collaboration with our volunteer leaders, our council, and committee members to identify programs and and value opportunities for our members. So Destination twenty twenty six has been a road map to lead us to where we are today. A few success stories from that we've acquired on the destination. Again, as I mentioned, ASAE community groups, we have formed or provided a platform for groups to form such as Black Association Executives, LGBTQIA plus, Asian American Pacific Islander, and so many more because, again, we want their voices to be heard within ASAE, and that helps us to create stronger member value that's relevant to them. Additionally, through member value, we listened to our members. We understood that AI would be an area that they wanted us to truly focus on. So we expanded our MMC conference, our membership marketing conference to include tech this year. We had a sold out audience in in Washington, DC, over twelve hundred participants, and we actually embedded AI into the program. So, again, listening to our members and creating member value has been, the forefront for us. Fostering workforce development, that's extremely important from not just from a programmatic perspective, but from an advocacy perspective. Delving deeper into our advocacy issues now, advancing the legislation, freedom to invest in tomorrow's workforce act is something that we have been really focused on when we think about workforce development. And that basically is an act that will expand qualified expenses under five twenty nine savings plan to include post secondary training and credentialing programs, such as licenses and voluntary certifications offered by associations, which will really expand the workforce. And one program in terms of workforce development that I'm really excited about is called meeting community needs. And that's important because we partner with host cities, and we're convening our annual meeting to partner with a charitable organization that focuses on high schoolers because we really need to dig deeper into the talent pipeline to expose these young students, high school students, to association management's career profession. Again, we want it to be a calling, not a falling. So in Atlanta, we partner with a nonprofit organization that focuses on high school students and career development. And prior to our meeting in Atlanta, we visited. We had a panel discussion explaining association management as a career choice, hospitality management. We also invite those students to our annual meeting to experience our trade show floor and some education. We're doing the same thing in Cleveland. We're partnering with an organization, Youth Opportunities Unlimited. The target audience for that organization is eighteen to twenty four year olds. And so they will help us with our annual meetings from volunteering to providing education, visiting our trade show floor. So, again, we have to show and demonstrate through our actions how we're building the talent pipeline. And we have so many different initiatives under the other, priorities that I've identified. But, however, this is, again, an opportunity for us to really get very specific and detailed on how we are advancing the association community. And now the board is having conversations regarding what does the future look like at ASAE? What is that aspirational view? And so we're really excited to share that in the near future. Speaker 2
You know, what I love about this, Michelle, is you're not just creating frameworks for success today, but you're building a cultured environment that's pulling the next generation, attracting the next generation. And that's something many industries struggle with. And, you know, we learned a little bit more about the multi generational work environment at the exchange earlier this week too. So I think it's amazing because they are our future, and it's important to create that environment that attracts them to want to have a career in the association space. Well done. Also, let's talk a little bit about the global influence you're starting to create. You've taken some steps towards that with some of the collaborative groups with Europe, Africa, and Asia. So let's discuss how these partnerships contribute to growth of associations around the world. Speaker 0
Global partnerships are increasingly important to ASAE and today's rapidly changing environment, especially the post pandemic landscape. I'd say that is a growth area for us. So our strategy really centers around partnership collaboration and content distribution. So we have a variety of partnerships from Singapore, Africa, the European society, and we're entering their markets to learn what their cultural needs are. And we believe that the best way that we can deliver value from a global strategy perspective is to adapt our content to their local environment. And so we're very intentional about the audiences that we engage with. The board is having conversations or will have conversations regarding what is our global strategy of the future and what would that investment be. We believe that we have a very broad database of content that is relevant to an audience outside the US. So that's really our focus at the moment. We are developing toolkits with our global audience. We just released this week a toolkit titled getting started in terms of your global development as that's available complimentary to ASAE members. Speaker 2
That's amazing. Those are great programs, and I love the content collaboration piece of it too because that content is what attracts. So fantastic. More to come on that. And then in terms of non dues revenue, we know that a lot of associations rely on that because you have your membership revenue. But to invest in some of these strategic initiatives, etcetera, it takes revenue. So could you tell us a little bit more about how the ASAE ensures that non dues revenue opportunities provide value for both your members, sponsors, and advertisers? You guys, in particular, do a really great job that, so I'd love to have you share some learnings. Speaker 0
So when I started at ASAE post pandemic, we recognized that we needed to go on a change journey. Organizations after the pandemic, post pandemic, needed to revisit their business models, double down on non dues revenue, which meant the creation of new program opportunities that would be a value proposition to help their members during the recovery process. And so we created an incubator through our for profit subsidiary, ABSI, that allowed us to incubate new programs while we are transforming or evolving the five zero one c six, ASAE, as well as the c three, the Research Foundation. So we have several new non dues programs that are starting to become and will be revenue generating over the future years. So the program is an incubated program in ABSI. We have a new compensation practice, and we have new strategies around workforce development. And one initiative that we're very proud of is the Association Governance Institute. So from a non dues revenue perspective, we needed to immediately build out new programs that have revenue generating potential over a period of time that were not dependent on meetings. Right? Because what we learned is that through the pandemic, we were drastically impacted by not meeting and convening together. So in terms of our partners, our partners make everything possible that we do. So we are very focused on providing premier service to our partners, helping our partners to understand the portfolio of work that we have available at ASAE, but most importantly, engaging them in the process. So as you experienced, Christine, you were at the table. You participated in the exchange. We learned from you just as much as you can learn from us because you impact and you work with a broad cross section of organization associations, and many of them are members. So, again, going back to partnership and collaboration be the hallmark of how we deliver value when we work together in service to the association community. Speaker 2
Look. I agree with what you said. I mean, not only are you creating all these amazing programs that you give your members access to, but you also are giving your partners access to the membership so we can learn and continue to be better partners in what we're providing to the association world as well. So it's a win win from, I think, everyone's perspective. And, you know, these learnings hopefully encourage other association executives to take on some of those initiatives as well. And then one other topic I wanna talk about is disruption. So you talked about COVID, which brought on a lot of disruption, and we all had to learn how to change not just how we operated, but how we communicated, interacted, engaged. And now, you know, hybrid remote is more commonplace, but there's environmental issues, global unrest, technology. You talked about AI. So let's talk about some of the challenges you anticipate associations facing in the coming years and how, not just ASAE, but all associations can prepare to the extent we can. Right? Speaker 0
Yeah. And I think COVID was the biggest challenge, to be very honest with you, and we were able to navigate through it. But let's learn from it, and let's not go back to the past. So, you know, we need to embrace the learnings. We need to embrace the innovations that we did not have a choice but to deliver during that whole process. But let's also keep the mindset of resiliency. Let's keep the mindset of innovation and bring that into this new environment. AI will is an opportunity. It's not a challenge. It's a compliment to our work. Our opportunity is to embrace it as that. There's a lot of complexity with it. There's a lot of ambiguity. There's a lot of unknowns. So, again, ASAE's role is to be a resource to provide the tools and the resources to help our members do their jobs better. And so we recently created an association coalition for artificial intelligence, and that coalition is designed to help our members address AI from a policy perspective. We know that there will be regulations in the future. We also have created a framework to help our members with the tools and resources needed to deliver or understand AI in their work environment. So we we look at the ecosystem from a top down, bottom up perspective. We are working with a coalition of CEOs from a policy perspective. We definitely need a seat at the table to amplify the association's voice to articulate the fact that associations are your trusted, validated resource, particularly during this time. We also have a responsibility to deliver the tools and the resource necessary to truly understand and navigate this unique space and time that we're in. So for example, we've had a very successful AI summit with over four hundred attendees. We are we've identified through our foresight research, our trend research, drivers of change that AI will impact. We have study papers, etcetera, that we're releasing to help our members understand how to navigate this in their environments. So as it relates to disruption, our role is simply to be that resource to help our members navigate through. Speaker 2
And I love that. The resources you're creating are just so instrumental to the success of everyone, and I think what we've learned is collaboration. And speaking of collaboration, your conference theme for this year's ASAE annual meeting is in unity we thrive. So can you give us a little bit of a sneak peek about what we should be expecting at the annual meeting coming up in August? Speaker 0
Well, the annual meeting in Unity We Thrive, that thing was identified with great intention. We are in an election year, and we need to just galvanize together as a community as one collective voice. So we're really excited about that. I think what you can expect is a lot of collaboration, excellent education as we've all experienced from ASAE, elevating the association voice, listening to our members, again, within the annual meeting is a great opportunity to have over fifty six hundred attendees all working together towards a common purpose, learning and growing and understand making the appropriate connections. You know, we believe that, this theme really will emphasize the high level of collaboration and connection that's necessary in the association community. And that really kinda drives home this whole conversation around diversity and inclusion, which means whether you are an association professional or a business partner, we all we should be working together towards a common goal and a common purpose. So our speakers and the topics were selected with that intention. We are mindful of the trends and the issues impacting associations. So we've really focused on making sure our content is relevant to articulate and deliver value in that space. So Amanda Gorman is our opening keynote speaker. Adam Kinziger is our speaker as well. We have a CEO summit. We have all sorts of opportunities for anyone and everyone to engage with us. Registration is an all time high. We are pacing ahead of twenty nineteen, which was pre pandemic. So I'll guarantee you'll have a very engaging experience. Speaker 2
Our whole team is excited to go, and, you know, we always get a lot out of attending the annual meeting. And this year will be no exception, I am sure. So we look forward to that. You have so much to offer to not just the community, but the style of what you've created. Everything you touch and do has to do with being intentional, inclusive, collaborative, giving tools and resources. So let's have some advice for this next generation of leaders that you're helping to attract. What advice would you give them for their careers coming into this and what you've learned? Speaker 0
You know, that's a really good question. I always struggle with it. Yeah. But the advice that I would have for the next generation is just embrace your authenticity. Right? Just embrace who you are. We're living in a world that that has more important now than ever before. So embrace who you are. Embrace your authenticity. Listen. Surround yourself around good people, but also surround yourself around people who will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Yep. So I would offer that. Speaker 2
And I love that, and I think it's such a step change because, you know, growing up in a corporate world, we were taught just the opposite. It was conform to the standards that you're in. And now it's really a shift in mindset that it's okay to be your authentic self. Yeah. And we're more accepting of that, which is making, I think, more room for more voices and inclusion. So I think it's exciting. So one of the things we ask all our guests, Michelle, and you're no exception, is we would love to learn what you're reading and what books you would recommend so our guests and listeners can continue to learn after this amazing episode? Speaker 0
There are two books. One book I just started to read is called Becoming Coachable. And, so that's a really interesting read, and I've I've just started it. And the other book is we are reissuing or we're revitalizing seven measures of success, what remarkable associations do that others don't here at ASAE. That book includes an all time bestseller at ASAE. We are revitalizing it because we believe that the measures are more important now than ever before. We're conducting workshops across the country, and and I think it's a really important read for associations. It's very specific to associations. So I would offer that. It also presents an opportunity for our members and our partners to engage in the process of understanding the metrics and the impact that they're having on the association community. Again, collaboration, partnership, engagement, that's how we all become successful in this community. Speaker 2
Well, I will definitely be grabbing a copy of both those books and excited to read. Summertime always gives us, we think, anyway, a little extra time for reading. Okay, Michelle. Could you let our listeners know how they can get in touch with you? Speaker 0
Sure. Follow me on LinkedIn, or you can email me directly, m mason at a s a e center dot org, or visit our website. Speaker 2
Well, Michelle, as always, it's a pleasure. This has been a fantastic learning experience for me and I know for everyone listening, so we thank you for your time and really all the contributions you're doing for association executives. It's an inspiring leadership style. And by the things we attend, I'm not surprised by the blowout attendance record that you're seeing at the annual meeting and what was in the room. So you are a person who attracts and gathers, and it's so great for this space. And I'm just delighted to be part of that with you. So thank you. Speaker 0
Thank you. Speaker 1
Thank you for listening to the Association Advisor Podcast brought to you by Naylor Association Solutions. If you'd like to access more resources to serve your association needs or join our newsletter, you can visit our website at nailer dot com or just click the links in the show notes of this episode. Please be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast listening app, like Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to your podcast so you won't miss an episode. Also, I'd love to hear from my listeners directly. Feel free to email me at christine, c h r I s t I n e, dot shaw at nailer dot com. Until next time, we at Naylor are wishing your association success. 
