LEEA, membership growth and the double-edged sword
When it comes to membership, the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association prioritises quality over quantity, explains LEEA CEO, Ross Moloney.
Growth is seen almost universally as a positive thing. Governments prioritise it to improve living standards and keep their electorate happy. Commercial organisations seek sales and profit growth, while shareholders demand it.
But growth can be a double-edged sword, and for some organisations, of which LEEA is one, membership growth should not be the overriding objective. As an organisation set up as not for profit, we are here exclusively to deliver on our organisational vision to lift standards worldwide. Consequently, we live by a different set of rules to commercial organisations. As I describe it to whoever will listen, the lines around LEEA’s pitch are our three strategic priorities, which are to:
1. Support our members to identify and manage risk.
2. Protect and promote our members’ interests.
3. Provide our members with a competitive advantage.
Our vision and our strategic priorities shape and inform everything that LEEA does both now and in the future. So they are key to what I will discuss now.
You will know that our membership numbers have grown over the past few years and we now have 1172 members in 72 different countries. But let me be clear where the LEEA Board stands on growth – it can be a double-edged sword.
Any trade association with increasing member numbers is clearly doing something right. That new companies want to join the association shows that it is being noticed and has a place in the market. Having more members is always useful when speaking to policy makers and key decision makers. For example, when I met with the Institute for Apprenticeships recently, talking about our member numbers and sector coverage really helped in those early discussions.
But the Board of LEEA is clear that growth of membership numbers is just one indicator of success. There are many others.
LEEA’s 15 organisational KPIs include member satisfaction, engagement with end users and influencers and performance against plans and budgets. There is no KPI on increasing member numbers.
Top end of the quality spectrum
Joining the Board of any organisation such as LEEA is a significant commitment.
Every quarter we hold in person Board meetings. But Board members also give their time in many other areas such as phone calls, individual meetings with the LEEA team and document reviews.
A recent initiative in 2018, led by the Chairman Paul Fulcher, is that LEEA now has monthly Board meetings by conference call on every second Tuesday of each month at 8am. In these calls the Board from around the globe give the CEO challenges, comments, criticism and views from the membership.
Additionally, each of the senior team has a Board ‘Champion’, who meets with the LEEA team to act as a mentor, coach, advisor and sounding board. Just recently we had Tim Burgess come from Alnwick to visit with our Finance Department in Huntingdon, and Paul Fulcher was in the office to be with the Business Support team.
Kat Moss also serves as the Chair of the Learning and Development Committee. Derek Buck chairs the Technical Committee.
Joining the LEEA Board is hopefully an honour and a privilege, but it is a significant commitment. Of course, it also means that you have to work closely with me!
I also deliberately have personal meetings with members. Just recently I have had the chance to spend time with colleagues from Lockheed Martin, Babcock, Scotia Handling, LGH, Tiger Lifting, Speedy, Crosby Premier Stamping and others, in addition to the stakeholders with whom I meet on a regular basis.
Perhaps the key message that I am hearing from the Board and from LEEA members across the globe is that LEEA membership must be a sign of being at the top end of the quality spectrum.
I hear concerns about LEEA chasing new members across the globe. I understand the criticism when members tell me that they think we are more interested in securing growth than servicing the current membership. Finally, I hear it loud and clear when our members tell us they believe that the criteria for even becoming a member should be higher.
New approaches
So LEEA is looking seriously into these issues and is developing some new approaches.
In the July board meeting I took an initial set of ideas to the Board and they are working with me closely to shape the solutions.
For the purpose of clarity about the direction in which we are headed, and to avoid surprises, let me tell you where we are right now.
Firstly, I fully intend to raise the requirements for being a member of LEEA. Measures I’m exploring include a minimum time that new applicants must be trading, appropriate accounts, references from customers and demonstrable dedication to professional development.
I am looking at how to improve the Audit. My aim is to make it more effective, supportive and efficient.
We are committed to cleaning up our membership list. Any appropriate company can join LEEA, but in our DNA is that the LEEA badge must be recognised as a market signal of excellent standards. If a member does not want to abide by LEEA rules, they don’t have to, but the consequence is straightforward, they must leave LEEA. If they leave because of a serious rule infringement they can’t return until after a cooling-off period.
We will be examining the LEEA membership and my team will feel empowered to clean up the list wherever necessary. Some of this will be brought about through new rules, some will come from enforcing existing ones.
Let me be clear: LEEA is here because of our members. Your rules are my rules. I am leading an organisation that is here to help you, our members, rather than to catch you out or for any other purpose.
Members are always welcome in our offices. We will gladly talk about our work. You can come and spend some time in the Programme Office and see the 84 projects that we’re working on across five programmes of work. Come and look at our risk registers and see how we are managing them. Come and drink our nasty coffee!
I am grateful for your passion and interest. Please get in contact with me if you have any views on this or anything else to do with LEEA. I am always keen to meet with members and will move my diary around to fit in with you.
Contact Ross Moloney: mail@leeaint.com.
