Finding Your Association’s Swing: Leading with Clarity and Conviction in a High-Stakes Era
WHEN I LOOK out across the association landscape today, I see many leaders under extraordinary pressure. Polarization, relentless news cycles, member skepticism, and cultural flashpoints all converge to make your work harder than ever. Leading associations has never been “easy,” but right now, it requires an extra measure of clarity, conviction, and trust.
The good news? You don’t have to feel stuck in survival mode. Associations can thrive, even in turbulent waters, by anchoring themselves in mission, building trust, and developing practical frameworks that help navigate complex decisions. Let’s explore how.
The Power of “Swing”
Rowers have a word for the moment when all individuals in a boat move in perfect unison: swing. It’s when coordination, trust, and rhythm converge to create effortless speed.
Associations long for their own version of swing – a sense of unity and forward momentum despite differences among members. But in 2025, with polarization at a peak, achieving swing is more challenging than ever.
Trust is the foundation of swing, whether in rowing or association leadership. Without it, members hesitate to follow, boards fracture, and communication falters. Your job is to cultivate that trust by being consistent and being transparent about your decisions, especially when external events test your resolve.
Why Associations Feel the Strain
In preparation for the New Ideas Annual Conference, TSAE asked members what keeps them up at night. Your responses were sobering:
- “We can’t assume a majority of our members will agree on any given issue.”
- “My team holds conflicting values – it’s hard to foster open dialogue.”
- “People no longer assume the best about each other.”
- “How do we manage when everything is breaking news?”
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Organizations everywhere are grappling with similar challenges. The sheer pace of cultural and political events creates constant pressure to respond, whether doing so serves your mission or not.
Knowing When to Engage
In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, social media and the airwaves were flooded with blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Everyone wanted to show their solidarity, and many did so by issuing statements.
While many institutions joined the bandwagon, the University of Texas at Austin (UT) took a different approach. Instead of rushing to issue a statement, leaders asked: How does this connect to our mission? Their answers: (1) convene a public forum with issue experts to share knowledge, historical information, and geopolitical insights, and (2) reach out directly to affected international students with offers of support.
UT’s response favored internal audiences over pressure from external stakeholders and importantly, focused on its mission. That clarity of alignment made their engagement authentic, defensible, and importantly – useful.
Lesson: You don’t need to weigh in on everything. But when you do, your response should be rooted in mission, vision, and values.
Guardrails: Mission, Vision, and Values
When you’re pulled in competing directions, your mission, vision, and values act as your compass. They tell you what you stand for, why you exist, and how you’ll behave when tested.
Companies like Zappos, H-E-B, and Buc-ee’s are crystal clear on who they are. Their values permeate every touchpoint, from customer interactions to marketing campaigns. By contrast, Jaguar’s ill-fated 2024 rebranding campaign, which featured an avant-garde group of futuristic, colorfully dressed actors – and no cars – alienated loyal customers and tanked sales because it felt disconnected from its identity.
Associations are no different. Members join for networking, advocacy, and professional development, not necessarily for your perspective on cultural flashpoints. Unless your mission explicitly includes the issue in question, weighing in can create confusion or backlash.
When in doubt, return to your compass. Your values should give you clarity and prevent you from being swept up in the bandwagon effect of viral cultural moments.
Action Over Rhetoric
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some organizations rushed to make public statements. Others stayed silent. One organization took a third path: it didn’t issue a press release but reminded employees about healthcare benefits and access to support should the decision impact them.
That message was private, valuesdriven, and actionable. It didn’t risk angering employees on one side of the issue or the other. It also reflected a core truth: words without action ring hollow.
Associations should favor action over rhetoric. When members observe consistent, values-driven behavior, it builds trust, even if they don’t agree with every decision.
Guarding the Boundary Between You and the Association
As an association leader, your personal beliefs matter, but they aren’t synonymous with your association’s stance. Members expect you to steward the mission, not to use the organization as a platform for your personal views.
That means being intentional with your own social media presence and public statements. The higher your profile, the more easily members conflate your voice with the association’s. Protect both by staying anchored in the mission.
Building a Decision-Making Framework
Crisis moments demand speed. That’s why associations need a decision-making framework – a set of agreed-upon questions that help determine if and how to respond to social or political events.
A strong framework might ask:
- Does this uniquely impact our members or mission?
- Are the right decision makers in the room?
- What are the risks of engaging – or of staying silent?
- Can we tie clear action to any message?
- Is this aligned with our values?
It’s important to share the framework with your board and members. Transparency helps prevent surprises and reinforces that responses are strategic, not reactive.
Institutional Neutrality: A Valuable Lens
Many universities have adopted the policy of institutional neutrality – something advocated for in the 1967 Kalven Report birthed out of the tumult and discord of the Vietnam era.
The report argued that institutions “should not take official stances on such matters but rather should foster an environment where diverse individual voices can be heard and debated.” This allows leaders to resist pressure to issue statements and stay focused on core priorities.
While associations may not adopt neutrality wholesale, the principle is instructive: Create a strong presumption against weighing in unless the issue touches directly on your purpose. That way, when you do speak, your voice carries more weight.
Manage Issues Before They Become Crises
Sometimes the best crisis management is prevention. One client I worked with created “holding statements” for every potential failure in the rollout of a new technology. None of the scenarios ever materialized, but the plan gave leadership peace of mind and prevented panic.
This represents a key principle for all organizations: Manage issues before they become a crisis. Ask yourself: “What’s on the horizon for our association? What issues will impact our members?” Build scenarios, plan responses, and rehearse them. That preparation and planning will keep you out of a reactive crisis mode and in a posture of proactive management.
Building Trust Reservoirs
Trust is like a reservoir: you build it in calm seasons so you can draw on it during storms. Communicate your mission and values often, not just in moments of crisis. Align staff and board members around them. Encourage consistency across messaging.
The more predictable and transparent your association is, the more confidence members will place in you – even when tough calls spark disagreement.
Key Takeaways for Association Leaders
By adopting these best practices, you’ll find it easier to know when to speak or act as an association. Help your association find its swing.
- Know what you stand for. Let mission, vision, and values guide when and how you engage.
- Favor action over rhetoric. Pair words with tangible steps.
- Mind the gap. Keep a clear boundary between personal beliefs and organizational stance.
- Build a decision framework. Decide in advance how you’ll evaluate complex issues.
- Communicate consistently. Live out your values daily so members aren’t surprised when you act.
- Plan ahead. Anticipate issues before they escalate into crises.
Associations can’t avoid turbulence, but with a clear-eyed focus on your mission, you can keep your organization rowing in unison – and maybe even find your swing.
is the principal of Sarver Strategies, a communications consultancy. She has more than 25 years of experience in media relations, crisis communications, speechwriting, coalition building, and media and presentation skills training. Her career has spanned the corporate, nonprofit, and political worlds, helping clients develop messages that will resonate with their core audiences and create strategies for effectively delivering those messages through the appropriate communications channels.
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