AUDACITY
Marxism, Montréal, and More
I
remember reading in college about
philosophers who were “economic
determinists.” Karl Marx falls into this
category, portraying our motives, cultures,
politics and histories as driven by the competition for survival and wealth. Literature, art,
relationships . . . all determined in the end by
the competition for resources.
Even though nearly all of you would reject
Marxism as your preferred explanation of
just about anything, most chamber executives (and I) do assume that the future of our communities will
be largely driven by sustainable prosperity, i.e., economic determinism.
Those who lead business-civic organizations like chambers
also firmly endorse “on-the-other-hand-ism” as their philosophical approach. There is a pragmatic instinct that shapes their
worldview.
While you might have strong beliefs, you’re forced to recognize that many important people in your town, state or board
room may not share those beliefs. You must seek to understand
where they’re coming from. Your decisions, whether about
programs you offer, prices you charge, or policies you espouse,
instinctively take the other guy’s perspective into account. It isn’t
indecision or lack of confidence; it’s respect. It’s because your job
requires you to undertake the most difficult kind of leadership:
leading without authority.
I’m amused when I hear corporate lobbyists championing a
specific piece of legislation accuse a chamber of wimping out for
not supporting their “obviously pro-business” position. In most
of the situations you face, purity of thought and clarity of direction are rare. For some organizations, a pledge against all new
taxes or parts per billion of greenhouse gas is, frankly, easy. For a
heterogeneous, fiercely independent, consensus-driven organization like a chamber of commerce, not so much. And it is much
easier to launch or kill an event when the only consideration is
the P&L. You must pause and reflect seriously about “the other
hand.”
Just because it’s hard to take bold policy positions doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t take them. Just because it’s hard to decide
between two programs that serve different clusters of members
doesn’t mean you should offer both. In the end, you and your
board get paid the big bucks (?) and sit at the grown-ups’ table to
make such decisions and move forward. You must act.
When chambers are criticized for being ineffective and/or
lacking value (please check a dictionary before calling this “relevance”), the critics are often more frustrated with lack of action
than they are with wrong positions or programs. The safe course
might seem to be “no position” or “let’s do that dinner one more
year.” It might seem smart to try to be all things to all people.
You may believe that your actual mission is to avoid member
resignations at all costs.
I wish I could tell you that endless consideration of the negative consequences of action was the best way to preserve your
personal position and organizational stature. I wish I could tell
you that the chamber could be a safe neutral place, like Switzerland. Unfortunately, in this volatile world, with predators
and competitors on every side—and with generational change
causing investment realignments every few weeks—the no-risk
course for your organization may in fact be the riskiest of all.
ACCE is not beyond such considerations. Two years ago, the
staff and board were locked in deliberations about the risks
and rewards of siting our 2015 convention in Montreal. With
proper vetting but no hand-wringing, we decided that we and
our members were grown up enough for a powerful conference
outside the U.S. border (though within sight of it). “We can do
this!” echoed from the staff meeting to the board room.
Now, here we are entering convention season 2015 with more
enthusiasm than ever. But we’re not naïve. We know people may
worry about speaking or understanding French, even though
they can’t understand cabbies in their own cities or teenagers in
their own families. And we know there will be other issues that
we, and you, will fret about. But the upside of this meeting is
huge for economic determinists like you and me.
ACCE will be modeling the imperative for American business
to think outside its borders. The meeting will demonstrate to
our many members in Canada that they are indeed part of the
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Yes, a superior
proposal from a Canadian city can and should win the opportunity to host. The meeting will give members who have not
traveled internationally a chance to see a truly global city. And,
importantly, it shows that we too can be audacious, but only after
contemplating … on the other hand …
Onward.
Mick Fleming is president of ACCE.
40
Chamber Executive Winter 2015