Upward-Facing Associations: Part 1
Deirdre Reid, CAE is an association consultant, speaker and trainer focusing on member engagement and social media at Deirdre Reid LLC and Leadership Outfitters. Connect with her @DeirdreReid.
Innovative companies can be a source of new perspectives and ideas about organizational culture and customer (or member) experience. Lululemon Athletica makes hip high-quality clothing for yoga and other “sweaty pursuits” for their 100-plus stores. Last year their sales increased by 50%. Some of this can be attributed to the growing popularity of yoga, particularly among those willing to pay $98 for yoga pants, but there’s more to it. Lululemon has been very intentional in how they brand their stores as community hubs where customers can learn about fitness and healthy living, take free classes, and, yes, buy cool tank tops. What can we learn from them?
Their marketing message focuses on personal growth yet it’s not just talk; it’s part of the company’s culture. They aspire to be a company that provides a life-changing experience to their employees. Upon hire employees are given training to set personal, health and career goals. They’re encouraged to attend seminars and read about personal development. Lululemon pays for them to attend yoga and fitness classes in their community. It’s not only about developing them professionally but personally as well.
Beyond a paycheck and some professional development, what do we provide to our staff? Do we cross a line if we give them tools to grow not only professionally but personally as well? Who put that line there? What are the consequences of moving it a bit as long as we encourage them to do these things on company time? People often have great potential to grow and live more fulfilling lives but don’t know how to get there, or even if it’s a possibility they’d think to pursue. We do annual performance evaluations based on job-related goals; why not ask them to set goals for their whole life? A Ford Foundation study found that people who write out their goals achieve them 89% of the time. Why not help our staff do this?
It’s not surprising that Lululemon encourages their staff to take yoga and fitness classes, jog, bike and hike – that’s their business. Anyone who works out on a regular basis can attest to its effect on their energy level and outlook on life, a positive effect that influences their productivity and attitude at work. Yet we often make it difficult for staff to find time to fit these healthy activities into already busy schedules. It’s tough to do a yoga class at lunch when you only have one hour to get there, change, take the class (generally an hour to 75 minutes), change and get back to the office.
When’s the last time you reviewed your employee handbook and its rules and procedures? Do we operate this way because that’s how it’s always been done, or because it’s Standard Operating Procedure in our industry or market? Society has changed, technology has changed, our lives have changed — has your SOP and organizational culture changed? Can your culture change enough so that your staff is encouraged to have balanced healthy lives? What’s the worst thing that could happen?
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Tags: Deirdre Reid, marketing messages, member, work-life balance
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Posted by SmartBriefScoop on May 27th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Insights contributor @DeirdreReid considers work-life balance & the #association workplace: “Upward-Facing Associations” http://ow.ly/1QS2f
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Posted by Tweets that mention SmartBlog Insights » Blog Archive » Upward-Facing Associations: Part 1 -- Topsy.com on May 27th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Deirdre Reid, CAE and SmartBrief/AR team, maggielmcg. maggielmcg said: RT @SmartBriefScoop: Insights contributor @DeirdreReid considers work-life balance & the #association workplace: "Upward-Facing Associations" http://ow.ly/1QS2f [...]
Posted by bethludwick on May 28th, 2010 at 1:01 am
SmartBlog Insights: Upward-Facing Associations: Part 1: Deirdre Reid, CAE is an association consultant… http://bit.ly/ciakMY #association
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Posted by deirdrereid on May 28th, 2010 at 4:52 am
Thanks @maggielmcg @bethludwick for sharing my SmartBlog Insights post: Upward-Facing Associations – http://bit.ly/90GAtE
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Posted by Splash: Refreshment for your small staff organization » Blog Archive » Friday Top Five: Memorial Day edition on May 28th, 2010 at 6:09 am
[...] Deirdre Reid had a fantastic post at SmartBlog Insights on upward-facing associations. She discusses the innovative company Lululemon (love their yoga clothes!) and how they pay for [...]
Posted by jmcnichol on May 28th, 2010 at 6:11 am
Nice post by @deirdrereid What can we learn from Lululemon’s org culture? http://bit.ly/bvTLhp
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Posted by Janet McNichol on May 28th, 2010 at 6:31 am
Nice post Deidre. I think there is a lot associations can borrow from Lululemon and other companies that foster workplace wellness. We’ve had a lot of success with our program at ASHA. Besides all the benefits that improved health brings it also fosters a sense of community. One of our Biggest Loser participants described this better than I can in a response to a survey, so I’ll just share the quote…
“The community spirit that permeated office-wide was fantastic. Inadvertently, this program managed to create the sense of community that many complained was lost when we moved to this new building. I really enjoyed geting to know the team members better and enjoyed the opportunity to talk with those I’d encountered in the lunch room (or elsewhere) given that we all had a topic of mutual interest. The fact that it was a team effort actually helped me to stay on track with my dietary goals and I am very grateful for having had this program as I really wanted to lose weight but without the structure, may not have been quite so commited. Thanks so much HR for doing this program!!!!”
Working on our wellness program is the most fun part of my job. People expect to paid on time, they expect their health insurace to cover their expenses when they go to the doctor, etc.., but everything we do with regard to wellness is greatly appreciated.
Posted by deirdrereid on May 28th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Thanks @vlaclair @jmcnichol @corpwellness for sharing my post: Upward-Facing Associations (featuring Lululemon) http://bit.ly/90GAtE
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Posted by SmartBriefScoop on May 29th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Insights contributor @DeirdreReid considers work-life balance & the #association workplace: “Upward-Facing Associations” http://ow.ly/1QSdi
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Posted by mindofandre on June 1st, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Check out @deirdrereid’s latest SmartBlog post re: increasing healthy staff http://bit.ly/apuslf cc: @femelmed (corp wellness)
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Posted by marynations on June 2nd, 2010 at 2:56 am
does your org culture support healthy pursuits? because that vibe comes back in through the employees – see @deirdrereid http://is.gd/czsrs
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Posted by SmartBlog Insights » Blog Archive » Upward-Facing Associations: Part 2 on June 4th, 2010 at 8:12 am
[...] Last week I shared how Lululemon Athletica, a successful yoga and “sweaty pursuits” apparel company, encourages employee personal development and wellness as part of their corporate culture. Innovative companies like Lululemon are a source of new ideas about organizational culture and customer (or member) experience. What else can we learn from them? [...]
Posted by Upward-Facing Organizations « Reid All About It on June 9th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
[...] SmartBlog Insights recently published a two-part post I wrote — Upward-Facing Associations (part 1 and part 2) — about what we can learn from innovative companies like Lululemon. I wrote these [...]