Managing associations can be challenging, even for the most experienced among us. As an AMC, our job is to help our clients succeed through mutual collaboration. Sometimes that means sharing best practices, and telling a client something they don’t want to hear.
Sometimes, clients need to speak up when something goes wrong. An executive director might not know she is falling short of your expectations. AMCs strive for excellence, but being dependent on humans, can make mistakes. All involved are
usually striving to do great work, but if they are not, don’t suffer in silence.
My best advice is to first talk with the person involved. If that doesn’t solve the problem, bring the concern to management. While nobody likes to hear criticism, a surprise contract ending is worse.
As management, we have an obligation to let our clients know when there are problems. Sometimes management will end a contract. Nobody wants this, so when concerns are raised, it is important to try to resolve them.
