Informed Decisions: Leadership Conversations and Q&A with Randall Craig (Video)

💥Member Value, Non-Dues Revenue, and New Association Business Models: Part 3   This part 3 wraps up our conversation for association and nonprofit staff by tackling the tensions that exist in the industry: saturated markets, attitudes towards sponsorships, the new member vs long-time member experience gap, and more.    Topics include: ↳ Associations often offer perks to new members, but what about their existing loyal members? Where should the balance be? ↳ How can we do sponsorships differently to avoid the tension between members and sponsors? ↳ Associations are often operating in a saturated market; what considerations should be made for M&A and competitive analysis?

💥Member Value, Non-Dues Revenue, and New Association Business Models: Part 2   In this part 2 we reach deep to ask the existential question: Is transformation in the association space really possible? What would it take to see a new business model? And are there really new ways to drive non-dues revenue?    Topics include: ↳ Is transformation possible for association given the current culture? ↳ How can we persuade current association staff to see the benefits of running their associations like a business? ↳ Are there really new ideas for non-dues revenue?

💥Member Value, Non-Dues Revenue, and New Association Business Models: Part 1   This one is for our clients and colleagues in the association and not for profit space, but the conversation around value to clients and being brave enough to change the status quo remains relevant across industries. There was so much to talk about this became 3 episodes!    Topics include: ↳ Why don’t we see more significant “transformation” and reinvention in the association industry? ↳ If an association relies on non-dues revenue (eg. products and services) to survive, what is the distinction between running an “association” and a “business”? ↳ What pressing challenges is the association industry facing?  

💥Digital vs Transformation: A Leadership Discussion Part 2💥   Closing up our conversation and Q&A on digital transformation with more perspective, strategy, and practical tactics.   Topics include: ↳ Planning vs Action i.e. speed of decision making: How important is a robust planning and research phase vs speed to implementation or speed to market? ↳ Does “digital transformation” have to be all encompassing? Can’t modernization and digitization or automation be enough? , and ↳ Digital transformation: Investing in technology or investing in people?

💥Digital vs Transformation: A Leadership Discussion Part 1💥 This session is for anyone who feels their organization may have outgrown their current tech stack. Let's answer the questions: Is the prospective digital change really strategic? Is it really transformative? And what management practices need to be updated? Topics include: ↳ Understanding the difference between having a ‘strategy’ and having a ‘plan’ (and why it’s important). ↳ If 50% of organizational transformation projects fail… what aren’t we learning from the mistakes of others? ↳ How can we use AI in our digital transformation?

Rounding out this three-part series on leadership retreat success strategies. This part 3 dives into addressing more challenges you may encounter without the proper forethought, communication, and expectation setting. Topics include: ↳ Addressing the financial optics in tight economic times ↳ The impact of a work-from-home and hybrid team on leadership retreat planning; and  ↳ When employees see a leadership retreat as an inconvenience

💥Powerful Leadership Retreats Part 2💥 Getting into some leadership retreat whoopsie scenarios in part 2 of this topic. WWRRD: What would Randall and Ronja do?? Topics include: ↳ Managing poor attitudes and conflict going into a leadership retreat. ↳ When the most senior leadership doesn't think they need to change; and ↳ When leaders don't have 100% confidence in team members who are at the retreat.

💥Powerful Leadership Retreats Part 1💥 Sharing here the recording of our original live session on what goes into organizing a truly impactful retreats that propel your organization to the next level of growth. We covered so much we got three episodes out of it!  Topics include: ↳ What challenges can a leadership retreat solve (and what problems can it not solve)? ↳ Moving from alignment to implementation and accountability when the retreat is done. , and  ↳ Why do leadership retreats fall flat? (And how to avoid this from happening)?

💥Hiring a Keynote Speaker: 10 Great Questions to Ask Part 2💥 You’re on your way to being expert at sourcing the right fit speakers for your retreats and events after this!  Topics include: ↳ If all professional speakers get the same certifications and learning, is it the same quality across the board? ↳ Creative negotiations in lieu of speaker rates? , and ↳ What's it like working with TOP speakers…

💥Hiring a Keynote Speaker: 10 Great Questions to Ask, Part 1 When clients knock on our door to speak, we make sure it’s a good fit for both sides. In this episode we shed light on the business of speaking, and share the questions you should ask any speaker you are considering. ↳ The speaker selection process ↳ How to identify real quality speakers, and ↳ Speaker budget vs budget speakers: Do you get that much more for paying that much more…?

💥Building Your Business with Partnerships Part 3💥 We had so much to talk about we got three episodes out of it. Getting into the details here…  Topics include: ↳ Reasonable partnership contracts clauses ↳ Doe the 50/50 partnership work? , and ↳ Developing our ability to identify and secure strategic partnerships…

💥Building Your Business with Partnerships, Part 2 Diving deeper in part 2 on sustaining strategic partnerships. Topics include: ↳ Managing brand transfer: Absorbing the reputation of our partners ↳ Due diligence: What to be aware of, and ↳ Partner Disputes: Who decides, and how to avoid a deadlock…

Partnerships are tremendously valuable in your business growth strategy – let’s talk about it. Topics include: ↳ How to focus your partnership strategy ↳ Best practices for partnership agreements/contacts ↳ Most partnership dissolve for the same reasons… why do companies keep falling into the same trap?

💥2026 AI Executive Briefing Part 2💥 We continue in Part 2 of our AI conversation with Q&A.  Topics include: ↳ What happens when your leaders or middle managers are resistant to adopting AI? ↳ Why are people preoccupied with AI errors (i.e. hallucinations) when human error is more frequent?, and  ↳ What will be the human-only skills that will be valuable in the workplace in the near future?

💥2026 AI Executive Briefing Part 1💥 We’ll leave the compilation of how-to generative AI demos and ‘hacks' to the talented Youtube creators – This session is about how leaders should be thinking about AI, and how we see can be strategic about using it to shape the future of our organizations.

Continuing with the second part of our discussion on proactive, forward-thinking human resource management. Topics include: ↳ Building out your HR capabilities: Where to prioritize? ↳ Tackling the pervasiveness of underperformance and disengagement ↳ For growing companies, is the solution better HR or leadership coaching?

People strategy, strategic planning, succession planning, and career paths – it’s never been more complicated to find the right people in the right seats. Topics include: ↳ Managing people strategy for AI-forward organizations ↳ Who really shapes the culture? ↳ When HR is decentralized…

Rounding out this full conversation on conference strategy and execution...  Topics include: ↳ How do we measure if a conference was a success ↳ How can we offer more value to attendees (or members) ↳ The conference post-mortem: capturing the right lessons

Further digging into conference planning, from effective content marketing to risk management.  Topics include: ↳ How to influence registration ↳ The right and wrong ways to hold panel discussions ↳ Conference finances

Topics include: ↳ Association events vs corporate: What can they learn from each other? ↳ The one-day summit vs multi days: What’s more effective? ↳ Free speaker vs paid speaker: is the cost difference worth it?

Listen in on how we use our Trust Curve™ framework as the building blocks of a one-page marketing strategy. Topics include: ↳ What part of the user journey to focus on ↳ D2C and B2B partnerships ↳ Frameworks to develop personas

Your marketing strategy should reflect the buying stages of your prospects. Use our Trust Curve™ framework to build your one-page marketing strategy. Topics include: ↳ How does “awareness” happen? Through which channels? ↳ Persuasion techniques ↳ Best practices on relative spend and focus for each vertical?

Continuing the discussion on internal organizational communications: the business impact is real: poor communications puts the brakes on growth, reduces productivity, and has a negative impact on culture.  Topics include: ↳ Communication is a skill: How can leaders best invest in developing their communication skills, and upskill their team? ↳ How can organizations create more accountability and sense of importance to their internal communications?, and ↳ Internal communications are discretionary and don't have real world deadlines: How can we flag when things are going awry without being the "whistleblower"?

Communications is a critical management tool to build an aligned team. Consider the challenges when done poorly: misinterpretations, incorrect assumptions, disengagement, mistrust, and resistance to change…  Topics include: ↳ What internal communications are needed to power a well run organization? ↳ How do you know if your internal communications are "good enough"? What are the symptoms of a team when there is not enough or too much?, and ↳ How do you create trust and psychological safety so people feel comfortable communicating freely... but colleagues have had negative experiences with each other?

Wrapping up with part 2 on this episode about organizational growth; business development, process, people, etc. It’s likely that your approach – however good – might benefit from a fresh perspective… and put-into-action-now new ideas.  Topics include: ↳ What are the contributing factors to a business pulling apart from the pack and succeeding? ↳ When to niche down your services and when to expand your offerings?, and ↳ Partnerships without clear boundaries.

You’ve grown to a certain level, but breaking through to the next is new ground. What changes must be made in Marketing? Tech? People? Would a new approach to business development open up new markets? And how about the ROI of your current investments? Topics include: ↳ What is your advice to entrepreneurial leaders whose biggest challenge is business development? ↳ Client surveys and the net promoter score, and ↳ Referral sources that work with integrated business models.

Completing our Q&A on corporate culture and work-from-home teams. Topics include: ↳ The impact that recordings of virtual meetings have had on working relationships. ↳ Repurposing the “savings” from work-from-home employees to employee perks. ↳ The impact and ethics of “moonlighting” by both employees and organizational leaders.  

🎙️Developing your Culture with Work-From-Home and Hybrid Teams: Part 1 For many organizations, hybrid and work-from-home are here to stay, but how can leaders build a strong culture, and ensure that team members are connected to the organization and the team without the benefits of sharing physical space?  Topics include: ↳ How can leaders of work-from-home and hybrid teams create the culture they aspire to? ↳ Picking up bad habits: Role modelling at work, and ↳ Do you think there's a type of person who is best suited for a work-from-home role or a work-from-home team?

🎙️Two Perspectives on Retreat Planning: Facilitator vs Event Planner: Part 2 Continuing with this part 2 of the conversation between Randall Craig, as leadership retreat facilitator, and Dwayne Rutherford, as corporate event planner, to share a behind-the-scenes look at how we help our clients focus on the goals of their executive offsite without distractions.  Topics include: ↳ Calculating the ROI of a corporate retreat: The cost of doing business and employee engagement ↳ Virtual retreats and development days: What is the role of virtual?, and ↳ What are teams doing that is getting in their own way and preventing best outcomes for the corporate retreat?

🎙️Two Perspectives on Retreat Planning: Facilitator vs Event Planner: Part 1 In this episode we are joined by Dwayne Rutherford TAG HIM], corporate event planner, to explore leadership retreat planning and execution from the dual lenses of Randall as facilitator, and Dwayne as event planner. Catch the full episode.  Topics include: ↳ What might we not understand about the corporate retreat industry, and corporate retreat planning? ↳ What are purposeful and goal-driving reasons to have a corporate retreat?, and ↳ Managing expectations for your corporate retreat. Let’s talk about: ↳ How to demonstrate our impact on the outcomes of the event. ↳ Avoiding the biggest mistakes and challenges of planning an executive retreat. ↳ How to create an environment that is conducive to team learning. ↳ (And if you are considering holding a corporate retreat, what are the tough questions you should ask.)

There is one mode of learning that many leaders have not had experience with: A peer mastermind group!  Topics include: ↳ Go fast alone vs go far together ↳ Peer mastermind group vs professional association membership ↳ Facilitator or no facilitator (and do they need subject matter expertise)

How important is executive presence, and how much should it play into your hiring process?   Topics include: ↳ Executive Presence and Local Culture: Do core qualities of executive presence transcend geography? ↳ Executive presence and succession planning ↳ How best to elevate your executive presence

This episode is for leaders in their role as mentors and role models.    Topics include: ↳ Executive presence as a learnable skill: Can anyone get there or are some personalities better suited? ↳ Executive Presence vs Professionalism ↳ Having Hard Conversations: How do you talk about "executive presence" with your employees?

Gain new perspectives on how to incorporate greater efficiencies into your operations and processes so that your growth will be smoother – and faster..    Topics include: ↳ 4DX or alternative frameworks? ↳ Whose “job” is it to resolve inefficiencies? ↳ When head office won’t change… but you want to do something new in your division?

“Work smarter, not harder”, they say – but what does that mean exactly? Especially in growing businesses, leaders know what they know, but don't know what they don’t know…   Topics include: ↳ Is “getting ahead” a myth? ↳ How will AI impact how we work? ↳ How can we prepare for disruption?

Our 2nd segment on how and when to pivot.    ↳ Should organizations buckle down or take more risks when there is uncertainty? ↳ When is an “inspiration to pivot” wise vs a distraction from testing the current business model? ↳ Organizational pivot.... or create a new business?

In business, there is always change, particularly when you are chasing product-market fit. How do we decide to stay the course or look for new opportunity?  Topics include: ↳ Proactive pivots vs reactive pivots ↳ The role of "weak signals", and how to identify them? ↳ Predicting the future vs creating it

Going deeper into work-life balance for leaders, including frameworks from Randall’s bestseller Personal Balance Sheet.

A perspective on work-life balance that incorporates the realities of leadership and team dynamics (finally!).  Topics include: Managing by minute vs managing by objectives What should leaders share (or not share) with teams when trying to role-model work-life balance? Perceptions of work-life balance for younger employees who prefer a flexible schedule. And understanding the difference between work-life imbalance vs burnout.

We continue exploring digital strategy with live website feedback, questions on Google Adwords, and how to scale a tech startup.

One of the biggest drivers of business growth is Digital Strategy… so are your digital investments actually yielding the results you expect? Or is there a better way? Let’s talk about: Is your tech working together to actually drive business? Or are there disconnected silos of technology? Will AI be just another “bolt-on”, like social media and other shiny digital objects from the past? And how does what you have now build your reputation as a thought leader, improve engagement, and improve trust in your brand?

We continue with more on delegation as a key skill for leaders of growing organizations. Topics include: Making the decision to do it yourself or delegate to others Empowering your team and employee over-reliance Developing trust Letting go of the outcomes, and more.

This session will address delegation as a lever for business growth. Catch the full episode. Topics include: Proper way of delegating Obstacles and the flip side of delegation Impact of delegating to managers and employees Setting boundaries and expectations, and much more.

We continue with more ideas on how to upskill your team and retain the learning. Topics include: New Management Teams: What are good professional development topics to start with a new team coming together? Improving the impact of professional development for senior leaders. Professional Development Priorities: Build deeper expertise or train on skill gaps? When professional development topics are rejected by the team: Where is the disconnect?

New ideas on generating alignment while upskilling your team. Topics include: ROI: Getting the most out of your learning and development budget? How to leverage (and improve the impact) of your team’s professional development. What is the most efficient and effective approach: external trainer, internal dedicated resource, or other?

More on how to set up an advisory board to successfully support organizational leaders.  Topics include: ↳ Advisory board compensation: cash, or equity? ↳ Advisory board diversity vs “cohesive” culture? ↳ Building trust between board members (and with the leader).

Many leaders don’t fully take advantage of their Advisory Board… or even know why they should have one. Topics include: ↳ Key considerations when setting up an advisory board. ↳ Recruitment, engagement, and Setting the meeting agenda? ↳ Keeping it fresh: board succession planning (and how to off-board “stale” advisory board members?

Wrapping up this three-parter on planning impactful conferences with a focus on lessons we can learn from our conference planning efforts.  Topics for part 3 include: ↳ Reinvent the program anew or rinse and repeat what previously worked? ↳ How do we measure if a conference was a success? ↳ Conference post modems (and what if a conference falls flat…)

You are planning a conference and want it to be as successful as possible. This episode will offer some fresh ideas and insider perspectives to help you create a truly memorable conference. Gain insights about: ↳ Who does it best? Association events vs the corporate world ↳ How long?: The one-day summit vs the multi-day conference ↳ Building the agenda: Networking time vs content ↳ Free Speakers vs Paid Speakers: Why pay when so many will speak for free?

Wrapping up with part 3 on creating change that sticks.  Topics include: What is the appropriate timing and method of acknowledging the negative impact of a change? Incremental changes vs transformative change? Partner Dynamics: How can partners set up their relationship to avoid conflicts and allow for necessary change to roll out?