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Suzanne Carawan

By: Suzanne Carawan on July 25th, 2014

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Fat, Dumb & Happy: Disease of the Association & Non-Profit Market

Association Industry Commentary

mailto:demo@example.com?Subject=HighRoad Solutions - interesting article

I just read David Nour's article on the FD&H curse which he wrote in response to his work within the insurance industry. I can summarize the entire article and extrapolate all principles to apply to the association industry by stating that FD&H stands for Fat, Dumb and Happy and is Nour's way of explaining this board/C-level phenomenon of rejecting growth. His article cites insurance execs who push back on anything new and embrace everything that's been by using some favorites found within the association world including:

  • We tried that 5/10/15 (pick a year) years ago and it didn't work
  • No one's asked for that
  • We didn't invent it, so it can't be worth it/accurate/true
  • I don't personally do/need/want that so no one else does

Nour's article is worth a read because we'll find the keys for identifying many of the blocking points within associations. All of his insights really boil down to a mindset: the fixed mindset. This is the mindset that says that our way is THE way and that "this is how we've always done it" means that "we will dig in and do the same thing even if it means our extinction". The fixed mindset of FD&H means that we all have to agree to being in total denial and ignoring any outside signs, trends or cultural/organizational/political/financial shifts that are happening in the world.

I feel David's pain as a consultant. Individuals with a fixed mindset detest consultants, changemakers and even playmakers. They want stasis. No change. No growth. Nothing new. They don't necessarily want to die, but fail to see the connection between staying still and decay. Stasis would be fine if we were in a scientific laboratory and could freeze humans and the society in which they operate, but the kicker is, we can't. Therefore, there is no such thing as a state of stasis for humans: there is either growing or dying. 

Having said this, it should not come as a surprise that organizations that are being constrained in their growth by FD&H leaders will eventually have the equivalent of an organizational heart attack. This volatile episode will either lead to explosive change (think about how fast an association can change when a new CEO/ED is brought in and replaces the Old Guard) or the organization will die.

David Nour puts out a call to insurance companies to identify and treat the curse of FD&H; I'm putting out a call to the Boards and executives of associations and non-profits to do the same. Let's make the changes now to ensure that the next generation has an association or a non-profit in which to partcipate.