A little more than a year ago I took the plunge and announced my desire to run for the Web Analytics Association Board of Directors and it's now time to enroll if you want to serve in a leadership capacity and help drive the strategic direction of the Web Analytics Association. I'm now halfway trough my call of duty. When I announced I was running for it, I quoted Tom Davenport and shared my views on the biggest challenge facing the digital marketing industry:
"three things are at the basis for competition: efficient and effective execution, smart decision making, and the ability to wring every last drop of value from business processes - all of which can be gained through sophisticated use of analytics"In a subsequent post, I added:
Beyond stats, web sites and businesses, there are people. After all, some things don't change that much even after thousands of years. We still want to get around the campfire and listen to the sage, help the apprentice, be part of the group and make our mark. Maybe that's why, in essence, I'm running for the Web Analytics Association Board of Director.
Accomplishments
What a year! During the past 12 months I became a Director and the Treasurer of the WAA. I participated on numerous Board meetings, comity discussions, email exchanges. I got actively involved in the Championship, UBC tutoring, along with other volunteers we launched Web Analytics Without Borders, I got involved in the site redesign, and I'm now going on the Certification advisory comity and we just confirmed the hiring of Mike Levin as a full time Executive Director. I did a number of social networking events, spoke at eMetrics, I reviewed the social media standard proposal and I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple of things.It requires commitment and I'm not even getting paid to do it. Am I complaining? Absolutely not! The rewards are numerous: a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of doing something that can make a difference, a passion for the field. On top of that, you get to meet with the top influencer and most brilliant people in the industry. After all, when do you get to share lunch with managers from WebTrends, Yahoo! and Omniture? When can you share tips with practitioners from Dell, Microsoft and Sony or meet consultants from all around the world?
My take
When I hear people complaining web analytics is hard, or the WAA is too US centric and not present enough internationally, or UBC courses should be updated, or the recently launched site has broken links I have to bite my tong. It's a lot easier to wait for things to happen than it is to get involved and try to make a difference. It reminds me of the people who kept complaining about their job but stayed there for 20 years... It takes faith and guts to become a leader and a change agent.Our industry is evolving fast and some of what we do might very well become irrelevant or absorbed in other disciplines. But before getting there - I should say while we get there - you can help. The Association is what we want it to be. You can be an outsider pulling on your side or you can be an insider genuinely helping the community. You can wait for things to happen or you can make things happen.
Maybe you don't have the time and energy to become a Board Member - become a member and get involved! If you do, the WAA is seeking committed and motivated individuals to run for election to the WAA Board of Directors. You have until March 15th to submit your candidature.
4 comments:
>It's a lot easier to wait for things to happen than it >is to get involved and try to make a difference
I agree and since this *may* have been directed at people like me who have been critical over the last few months, some reminders...
Would you call helping to install 3 country managers in Sweden Denmark and Finland and building the awareness in the Nordic region waiting for something to happen (2005-08)?
Would you call helping to arrange one of the biggest web analytics wednesdays in the world (Helsinki Aug 2009 - 300 people) waiting?
Would you call helping to create the first country managers information packs sitting waiting for something to happen? (2006) Or giving hands on advice to volunteers in the early days (2005-7?)
Would you call countless hours on telcos in 2006-8 first with some guy I can't remember from Webtrends, then Vicky, then Neil trying to organize the international groups, sitting waiting for something to happen?
Jim Sterne sent me a signed award in 2008 (I think) for outstanding achievements. Not sure what for, maybe he heard about the next one.
Would you call meetings or seminars arranged AT MY OWN EXPENSE in London, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Paris to discuss web analytics matters publicly and freely all the while giving visibility to the WAA via the work I was called upon to do, sitting around waiting for something to happen?
How about the lesser known seminars I've held in Finland up and down the country since 2005 all of which I've discussed or shown WAA slides towards the end of my presentations. Is that doing nothing?
I am considering running for the board just so that I can start throwing some spanners around because I am tired of people not listening and thinking that we're just moaning across this side of the water for no reason. The fact of the matter is I am tired of watching us do the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
I am not by the way talking a revolution here but small changes implemented locally can make a huge difference.
I'm still pondering and considering whether I should take the step up or step away altogether.
Stephane you're one of the people in the industry I have a lot of respect for. But the WAA has to change if it is going to remain relevant in my opinion.
Steve: I hesitated before posting your comment because of the code of ethic regarding comments I'm trying to convey on this blog... I feel a lot of frustration in your comment but little constructive feedback.
I have my share of frustration, for example, the fact the WAA isn't the owner of its own social events and conference, or the attitude of some high-profile people toward the WAA. Or the lack of "velocity" in being able to address changes or events quickly enough.
I could complain... I also spent countless hours and my own money promoting the WAA. But I believe in its mission and I still get enough satisfaction, pride and peer appreciation that it is worth doing it.
We hope to get more people from outside US on the Board (btw, I constantly remind my fellow Board member that I'm not American... I'm Canadian, and further more, I'm French Canadian!). If you want to get deeply involved, run for the Board! Otherwise, feel free to communicate those "small changes implemented locally" so we can act on them.
Stéphane
Ok, So I ran but didn't get in.
It's up to you guys on the board now. We can do this alone but without WAA backing I think a splinter group will emerge. Here are the small changes we need implemented locally.
http://www.blackbeak.com/2010/05/09/my-waa-wishlist/
The second wish and 3rd size market is the first thing we could do.
Steve: I have commented back on your blog.
One thing I forgot to mention is this kind of strange duality between "WAA is too US centric" and "we want the WAA (head office) to do this and that"...
I'm in Canada, and French speaking, and it never stopped me from being very highly able to contribute to developing the local web analytics market, achieve my personal objectives AND contribute to the WAA.
Stéphane
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