2023 SMPS Chapter Leader Symposium Recap
By Justin Nagy, CPSM
In late April, more than 50 Presidents-Elect from SMPS chapters across the Society gathered in Washington, D.C. for three days of learning, connection, and inspiration at the Chapter Leader Symposium (CLS). Each year, SMPS Headquarters hosts an annual symposium for incoming chapter presidents to develop leadership skills and gain awareness of the services and programs available to all chapters. A tradition for more than 20 years, this year’s edition of CLS took on added significance as the Society celebrates our 50-year anniversary.
As President-Elect for the SMPS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (SFBAC), I had the honor to attend CLS this year and the experience did not disappoint! Here are a few of my key takeaways from the experience:
Start with Strategy
The stage was set early when SMPS President-Elect Dana Lancour, FSMPS, CPSM, presented the Society’s new Strategic Plan for 2023 through 2026. This (soon to be published) document organizes a framework of initiatives and priorities that will enable SMPS advance our mission — to engage, inspire, and empower A/E/C professionals for leadership and lifelong learning — and reach our vision of business transformed through marketing leadership.
The following have been designated as strategic priorities for SMPS over the next three years:
1. Invest in digital transformation to deliver community and education wherever people live and work.
2. Cultivate professionals with diverse expertise who are critical to sustaining a thriving industry.
3. Enable a best-in-class experience for professionals responsible for business growth.
With strategic planning, the process is as important as the end result, explained Society at-Large Director Ben Sawa, CPSM, PMP. When done right, strategic planning not only develops priorities and creates a roadmap to achieve goals, it also creates alignment, engagement, and excitement about the future. CLS attendees were encouraged to approach strategic planning with a focus on engagement from the start, involving leaders past, present, and future — along with outside advisors — in order to capture a variety of perspectives. This requires the skills of an expert facilitator to amplify everyone’s voices. Ben reminded us that “sometimes the quiet folks are the ones who are thinking the most about things.” Building a communications plan as a key component of the strategic plan also furthers the objectives of alignment, engagement, and excitement with a broader array of stakeholders. This focus on starting with strategy guides our direction over the coming months as SMPS SFBAC develops our chapter’s strategic plan for the next three years. These suggestions are equally helpful for strategic planning within our firms.
Draw It Out
In an engaging session to kick off the symposium, guest speaker Nora Herting, CEO of ImageThink, led the group through a series of drawing exercises to showcase the value of visual communication. In an opening icebreaker exercise, we were asked to draw three designs (with a time limit): one representing our name, one representing what makes us feel most energized, and one representing a strategic goal or initiative. This was followed with an opportunity to explain our drawings to a neighbor, who then had to explain them again to another participant. I hadn’t done this type of drawing exercise since grade school, and while my artistic skills have (sadly) not improved since then, I appreciated the prompting to exercise different communication muscles. Add this to your list of ideas to make your next brainstorming or team-building meeting more engaging and fun for participants.
Adopt a Growth Mindset
One of the most interesting parts of the CLS experience was the opportunity to meet other Presidents-Elect and hear about challenges that other chapters are working through. Some of the common challenges mentioned by many chapter leaders centered around growth in membership, volunteerism, and impact. Growth requires us to get outside our comfort zones, emphasized by speaker Alicia Mojica Washington as she challenged us in a session focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Just as a business needs a growth strategy with clear roles and accountabilities, so do chapters seeking to implement practical and impactful DEI initiatives. The session provided helpful context about the Society’s commitment to DEI and steps to integrate this work into every aspect of our business. Those ideas include defining leadership roles focused on new member recruitment and increasing student outreach efforts. We’ll look to build on SFBAC’s previous work in these areas with even more intentionality as we develop our next strategic plan.
Conclusion
I left CLS even more energized to contribute to the wonderful community that is SMPS and our SFBAC. We have so many opportunities to engage, inspire, and empower our members and firms to realize the SMPS vision of business transformed through marketing leadership. The Donald McGannon quote “Leadership is an action, not a position” rings true here; every member can make a difference in forging a more innovative, inclusive, and impactful SMPS. If you haven’t yet, volunteer with SFBAC and join a committee. Consider nominating yourself or someone you know for SFBAC’s Board of Directors (nominations are open from March–April each year).
Above all, help spread the word about the value of SMPS to others in your firm and in your network. Together, we can make this an accessible and indispensable community for all professionals who drive growth and sustainability for A/E/C firms.
Justin Nagy is the Marketing Director at Stok, and is the SMPS SFBAC President-Elect.
