– Margaret is in Dothan, Alabama and has a small board of 260 realtors, 400 in her MLS 01:30 – Didn’t start out as an association executive, she was in the dental field, got injured, and started working at the association office for an interesting woman 02:50 – Her boss passed away in the office, she was always smoking and made it a difficult working environment, but this is how Margaret’s career began 03:20 – She is pinned the “black widow” by associates because of how she inherited her job 04:08 – She’s been there for 14 years and enjoys her job – she’s an event planner, travel broker, story listener, and is all over the place 04:45 – She believes in her members and has a great assistant, Emma 05:07 – The biggest surprise moving from dentistry to association life 05:30 – You never want to mess with someone’s children or money, but in dentistry you do both 06:15 – She said she was running an “adult daycare center” and her 6-year-old repeated it so she had to backtrack 06:41 – Being a realtor has difficult times, a boss may have never been a manager, you must be able to adapt 07:43 – You go to training and come back feeling refreshed and with new ideas, but people don’t want change because it’s hard 08:27 – Kiss babies, shake hands 09:11 – AE and incoming president program at Leadership Summit that clearly defines the lines and purpose of each branch of the association 10:11 – She writes up a “prenup” with incoming president to clarify needs/wants/preferences and establish a relationship 10:35 – The AE must be very adaptable 10:53 – What’s the craziest thing an incoming leader has done? 11:04 – For the first time, they made a profit off CE and a committee chair wanted to use extra money to rent a condo for a committee party 12:00 – She had to talk them off that “crazy ledge” 12:17 – Fundraising: Sometimes members must be reminded that they are not a civic organization 13:36 – Strategic plan must align with fundraising efforts 14:13 – Benevolent fund for realtors in need 14:55 – Find Margaret Martin on her personal Facebook, the Dothan Association of Realtors Facebook, or by email at Margaret@dothanrealtors.com 3 Key Points You must be adaptable – change is hard if you aren’t open to new ideas. Establish a relationship with leadership to clarify expectations and management style. Fundraising efforts and spending must align with the association’s overall strategic plan. Credits Audio Production by Chris Mottram Show Notes provided by Melissa Valder