Future Forward Leadership

In this episode of Membership IQ, host Sarah Sladek welcomes April Ellison, founder of the Lights On Collective. April shares her journey from a long-standing career in membership at the American Dental Association to launching her consulting and coaching firm, focused on helping individuals and organizations realize their full potential. Their conversation explores the challenges organizations face today, including capacity constraints, the lingering effects of the pandemic, and the need for anticipatory leadership. 

They also discuss generational shifts, particularly the evolving communication and collaboration styles of younger generations, and how leaders can foster inclusive and forward-thinking communities. April shares insights from her work with high school students and her Next Steps Leadership Initiative, which empowers underrepresented young professionals. Tune in to gain valuable strategies for navigating change, building strong communities, and leading with intention.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome back to another episode of the Membership IQ. This is where you go to get smart about membership. I'm Sarah Sladek, your host, and I'm. So excited to be joined today by April Ellison, who, oh my goodness, April, um, you and I met a long time ago. I was still a young professional when I met you originally.

Um, so it's so exciting to be, uh, chatting with you now all these years later. I'm grateful that we are. Still in contact and excited to have you on the show talking about where you are now, because when we first met you were working at American Dental Association and now you are in a new venture, new journey, all the new things.

So maybe for [00:01:00] the purposes of our audience, could you just give us a little intro? Sure. And thank you, Sarah. And I, I do like to think that we're both still young professional. So I do too, my bifocals here. Yeah, maybe we can still consider ourselves that, uh, young professionals. But I, like you said, when we first met some years ago, I was with the American dental association.

I actually spent a bulk of my career with the American dental association in the membership, uh, area. So lots of experience and a conversation can be had about what I've learned about membership. During my ADA years, I resigned from the organization in, uh, well, we're in 2025, so that was the earlier part of last year, uh, after about 28 years, I think, with the organization.

So long history there, but I founded the Lights On Collective, which is a consulting and coaching firm, [00:02:00] and I am focusing on helping others realize their full potential. Very excited about that mission. Um, I had a passion for a long time now with doing that, and I'm so happy that I'm able to lend that to organizations, communities, and individuals.

So that is where I am now and really excited to talk to you more about what I'm doing. That's so great. So, uh, before we move on, I am curious, what was the background, why the Lights On Collective? Why that name? Well, I think about light bulb moments. I think about spreading lights. Uh, you know, there's a lot of darkness in the world.

I want to be a contributor to light. And I think most people want that as well. I think sometimes people aren't able to bring light. Because they're not in a good place themselves. So the vision is if we can help everyone realize their full potential, they're in a better position to bring [00:03:00] light to the world.

And wouldn't it be great if we could all gather together and light up the world, uh, to eliminate some of the darkness that we see. So that is the premise. I love that. And yes, you're absolutely right. It's a time of, you know, change, which can bring great opportunities, but also great challenge for organizations and for individuals.

And we're just living through an era of real transition. So that is my first question for you. You know, what is currently top of mind for, um, either for you as a leader, or you can talk about it through the collective experience and, or those that you are serving through, through the collective, but just curious, what is kind of the burning issue right now?

What's the hot topic? I think I think there are a couple. I think, you know, I've been working with organizations. I'm also working with individuals. I'm working with communities and capacity seems to be a top of mind for people. [00:04:00] How do I do the work that I need to do with the staff that I have? And then most of the folks that I'm working with from an organizational perspective are volunteer run organizations.

So how do I leverage staff and volunteers to really impact the mission? Uh, and finding that balance is. is, is more challenging now in terms of cuts, people may have less staff. So they're trying to figure out how do I strategically engage my volunteers. But on that side, the skillset may not be as robust as staff skillset in certain areas.

So I, I see organizations, uh, and myself as well, struggling with how to balance that dynamic. And do you think that's something that's new or that is, you know, why that particular topic? Why right now? Well, I think it's newer because, um, of the economy and some organizations having to make tough decisions about where to cut, [00:05:00] uh, some, some organizations never recovered from COVID or are still trying to figure out, uh, where to go from COVID.

A lot of staff cuts were happened during the COVID period. So now in a season of disruption and change and figuring out how to grow. You may have less staff to think about or to leverage to do that. So it's not a new problem, but it's a different nuance. And the reason the why is a little bit different.

Yeah. I was just, uh, prior to this interview, um, doing some focus groups with young nurses. And it is so interesting because you just mentioned pandemic, like we think that we're out of the woods with that, but man, you know, healthcare and nursing and they're, it's still very real for them. They're still talking about what it was like during pandemic and how difficult it was on their profession and the people in their profession.

So yeah, you [00:06:00] know, some of these things have a long tail on them. And speaking of it's so funny when you say long tail, one of the things that I was thinking about is we do say the pandemic is over and some people are like, okay, it's over. But when, as a leader, we have to think about the cause and effect and the ecosystem of change.

And some of those. change or the impacts of COVID have long tails, like you said, and we're still trying to figure out how to manage change that came about because of COVID. So COVID may be over, uh, but is it really? I think is a question that we should ask ourselves. I think so too. It was such a monumental, totally shook things up, unprecedented.

Everybody loves that word, but it's true. It was, it was unlike anything else. And, um, so you have. You've been through change, you've been leading [00:07:00] organizations through change for a long time. You've been in leadership roles and I'm curious, you know, what's your secret? What insights do you have to pass on about how to lead in a time of change?

Well, whether it's this one or another one, right? Yeah. I don't know if there's a secret, but there are certainly some learnings that I can share. And, and one is I want to go back to just that ecosystem of change, uh, making sure that as leaders, we have the mindset of cause and effect and thinking about.

If this change is over here, how does it impact what's going to happen over there? And sometimes we look at change in a silo, uh, but I think we have to have a broader perspective on change. That's, that's one. The second one is just the mindset in general. We can get Um, I could say bogged down in negativity about change, but making sure you adopt a mindset of what's possible in the era of [00:08:00] change, I think is very important and balancing barriers against the opportunities and one of the.

One of the tools in the resources that I, I really like, and I, uh, respect, uh, the conversation is anticipatory leadership, anticipatory mindset. And it's really thinking about the change, what's the opportunity, uh, what's the trend. And how can we embrace the trend and think about how it can benefit us from a new value proposition from a membership organization perspective.

So I think a little bit of mindset work is, is, will serve leaders well when managing and leading change. Yeah, I like that idea, anticipatory leadership, and I do think that's a new skill that we're honing and we're seeing, you know, emerge. Because for a long time it was about just being [00:09:00] sustainable and predictable and, you know, like, reliable.

And now, um, now we're seeing that leaders have to be adaptable, flexible, nimble. And, uh, and have that visionary strategic, you know, all the skill sets of leaders, the requirements, it's changing, it's shifting, and particularly this anticipatory mindset is something that leaders can foster, but also volunteers within organizations, the volunteer leaders, having your boards and other committees and councils understand how to be anticipatory, I think serves organizations really well.

Uh, one book, I don't know if I can mention a book, uh, but Dan Burris, the anticipatory organization. Uh, I really enjoy his readings and he breaks down the difference between a hard trend, something that we know is coming, uh, [00:10:00] versus a soft trend, something that we are, that's likely to come. And he gives good, Uh, insight into how to leverage those to think about what is the opportunity for your organization.

So as I've been working with organizations, I've been challenging them to, uh, go through those exercises. So to better prepare for what's coming or what's current. Yeah, that's so amazing. Um, there is one association leader I know that really tries to push her people to think 10 to 15 years out and then they back up and they say, okay, is our organization on the path to still be, you know, are we aligned with?

Where the market, where we think the market's going to be going 10 to 15 years from now. And it's, it can be really hard to think that far out. But it is so important to, you know, you might be making some guesses. Um, and some of it will be well informed. [00:11:00] But, um, but it's just the practice of saying, let's get out of our day to day.

And look at the horizon. I love that you mentioned that book. I'm gonna have to check it out. I have not heard of that. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Please do. Uh, I think you'll find it very, uh, enlightening. Yeah. All right. So talking about anticipatory trends, obviously I love to talk about generations and that's something we're always anticipating is generational change and new generations coming in the fold and all, all of that.

And I'm just curious, what, what are you hearing, uh, in terms of generational trends? What are you observing? What's again, kind of the hot topic or the pressing need right now? Yeah, it's an interesting question, and I know we've been talking about the changing generations for a while and how it's impacting membership and, uh, the different needs and desires of the newer generations.

But recently, [00:12:00] I've been doing some work with high school students and elementary students, and I've had a chance to see it firsthand. And, Sarah, I have to tell you that it is very fascinating, uh, and, but refreshing in some ways as well. Fascinating, refreshing, disturbing, all of those things kind of jumbled up together.

One thing that I'm noticing, uh, is collaboration is not as prevalent as I've seen in some of the other generations. When we do workshops and exercises, uh, You almost have to force the collaboration. Everyone has a tendency to sort of do the work themselves. And if I put folks in groups and I say, have a conversation about X, Y, and Z, I hear a lot of silence.

And so I walk around and I say, uh, okay, guys, well, when you're in groups and you're collaborating, um, it means you have to talk to one another. So really pulling that out of some of the younger generations to [00:13:00] have them have that type of. Conversation and collaboration I see is a dynamic and it makes me think about it from a workforce perspective.

What does that mean when they show up in organizations and they have to work in teams and groups? So that's really interesting. But I think there's some work that can be done at that level to help prepare them for. Uh, the workforce. The other one is social emotional learning. Uh, and you have the research, Sarah, and I don't know the research as well as you do, but I imagine that social media and being siloed in terms of how some of the younger generations are engaging has created some social and emotional disconnects.

And there's opportunity to develop those skill sets, uh, those soft skill sets as lead for leaders, um, as they move into the workforce. So, I, I'm recognizing that those are some key opportunities. Oh my goodness. Yes, [00:14:00] it is fascinating. And, uh, when you think about it, you know, yes, social media has allowed for so many wonderful things, um, building community in new and different ways and expressing your opinions and ways, uh, having a platform, but those, those aspects of communication and social development, brain development.

Definitely have another side to them as well. And so we do see more isolation. And I have to share this little story that, because talking about putting young people into groups, um, I do generational workshops all the time. And it's so interesting now that seeing Gen Z come into the workforce. Because I'll, I'll break people up by generation, then I'll mix people up.

And it's, it's always interesting when they are first together as a generation and, um, looking at [00:15:00] kind of how they come to conclusions and, and have conversations as generations. And then what happens when you mix people up? And, um, I mean, I've done this with hundreds, thousands of groups and, uh, you know, Typically, baby boomer groups, when they're with their peers, are very gregarious, they're loud, they're confident.

Gen Xers, when, you know, when they're told, stand in a circle, uh, they kind of make an awkward oval. They're not very, they're like very independent. They're kind of having some, side conversations, right? Uh, Millennials, it's, they are always the group that stands the closest together, like almost shoulder to shoulder, um, which is also interesting.

And then now with Gen Z coming in, um, I've noticed that the groups When you tell them stand in a circle, they will stand in a line [00:16:00] and look at each other this way. It's side to side. And it's so fascinating. And I've, I've kind of asked like, you know, and explored and research and ask questions after the fact.

Why not stand in a circle or why is it difficult having a conversation? And part of that ties back to, I'm just not comfortable yet. Face to face. I'm used to, I'm way more comfortable online, or I need to get to know someone first before I'm comfortable initiating a conversation or they don't know. It's like a foreign concept.

Wow. That, that, standing in the circle seems way too intimate. Isn't that, that's something. Yes. It is really wild. So, um, so yeah, I think that's, but again, when we see changes, um, like this, um, I I think it's important for us to be aware of it, notice it, accept it for what it is, don't [00:17:00] necessarily try to change it.

But yes, to your point, it is an opportunity for your organization to think about is, is how we communicate and train and educate and inform and lead. Um, is that relevant to everybody? How do we adapt to make sure everyone feels a level of comfort? But wow, it's wild, isn't it? It is. It is very wild. It makes me think about meeting people where they are.

A lot of organizations, a lot of older generations are trying to fit the younger generations in this box that we've created. And they're not fitting. And, and so people are frustrated and, uh, and have started a little bit of a negative connotation or negative narrative about, uh, the, the newer generations.

I think it's unfair because the, the flip side of it is because they haven't, and they don't. You know, they're not bought [00:18:00] into these boxes that we've created and other generations have created and, you know, not bought in completely to tradition. It really frees up their thinking and their mind, and I've seen some amazing things happen in terms of their thought process and innovation and creativity.

So I think there's an opportunity for us all to take advantage of that because we talk about how complex the world is now. We're going to need that creativity and that innovation to move us to the next level. So I think we should all kind of give the newer generations a break and think about how we can leverage their difference for the greater good.

Absolutely. There's that creativity piece. And there's also, they are more willing to hold leaders accountable, which is actually a good trait in a really changing marketplace, like, okay, do you not just Talk the talk. Do you also walk the walk? Absolutely. And uh, that's important. Okay. So my next question, which [00:19:00] ties with this one, you are so good at building community.

I've seen you do that throughout your career. And so would you share some insights, experiences, ideas, tips with our audience about how to build a successful community of people? Yeah, it is something that I've been involved with for a while. I enjoy it because I like to see people come together and it's fascinating when it happens and you see the impact.

Uh, I'll start just from an organizational perspective. For a long time, I again worked in an organization where there were three levels. national state and local from a chapter and a national, uh, grassroots perspective. And when you have an organization where a member has to belong to all three levels, it becomes really important to build that community, not only from an organizational perspective, but [00:20:00] also from a member perspective.

So I spent a lot of time in space, uh, building that community and bringing people together. Uh, one particular thing that I'm very, proud of that I put together before I left the ADA are partnership principles. And it's, uh, really a common document when you're dealing with multiple stakeholders and trying to build community, how do we all want to work together to make sure that community is happening?

Uh, because it can be lost if you're not intentional about it. So I think having those types of, uh, agreements and having everyone put. Bring their perspective to the table on what that looks like is is is a tip that I would give, uh, the and from a community perspective in terms of. neighborhoods and, uh, uh, different areas.

I'm involved in a project now where we are building a new community, if you will, in an area where [00:21:00] the dynamics and the demographics have changed tremendously. Uh, it was one, um, almost a hundred percent, one, uh, racial and ethnic group. Now it has changed. So how do you build community with those changing demographics?

And it's so funny because some of the, Learnings and the experience from membership organizations, Sarah, the tactics and the techniques are exactly the same. It's engaging the residents, it's starting early, it's design thinking, not building it and thinking that they will come. So, we are engaging stakeholders, we're bringing the residents and the community together to get their feedback.

We're surveying early, building on that, those surveys. kind of not scaling too fast, uh, doing some pilots. And the, the one thing that I will say when we talk about the high schoolers and elementary, um, students from a community building perspective, sometimes they're forgotten and they're not asked. to bring their perspective to the table, [00:22:00] but we're being very intentional about going to the high schools and going to the elementary schools to ask them their perspective and bring their thoughts to the table because we think their voice will be important as we continue to shape the strategy.

Well, you know, I love hearing that. I love hearing when young people are included and yes, just, you know, again, you said a really key word, intentional. And, um, I mean, I just hear it so often that, um, You know, here we are, why is no one showing up more or less? And, or here we are, here's our executive team and everyone else can just kind of follow along.

And in this era of change. That's just not a sustainable model anymore. You have to be really intentional about relationship building and being inclusive of different people, different [00:23:00] backgrounds, different ages, different skill sets and collaborating together. So yeah, absolutely. Everything's so complex.

I'm not sure why an individual leader or an individual organization would think that they can do it. all on their own. It's just, it's almost impossible. You have to have that, um, broader perspective and people are willing, uh, to lend their voice and we should all take advantage of it. Oh, absolutely. So before we conclude our time together, which has been fantastic, but I'm curious to know, April, do you have, you know, a success story to share or any, any, uh, additional advice to pass along to our audience?

Well, I'll share one quick, um, success story because I'm really passionate about the next generation of leaders. And one of the programs that I have is the Next Steps Leadership Initiative. And it brings [00:24:00] young adults together, um, Typically folks who've been in underrepresented communities or, or, you know, systemic or experience systemic barriers to moving forward, bringing this group together.

And we talk about meeting people where they are. So not everyone has a formalized education in the groups that I bring together, the skills are varied. It's different, but what I've learned is if you have a willing mind and you. Give people the tools that they need, uh, to succeed. It's amazing what can happen.

And I think about this one gentleman, um, who went through the program and you could just tell by the way he engaged that he had great potential and he just needed some help. And keep in mind that my mission is to help people realize their full potential. So very excited about this. Uh, post program. Uh, he went on to start his own photography business, and it is thriving, uh, not just surviving, but [00:25:00] he's, he's booked, um, most of the time, and he's actually on my website, and he really talks about how the Next Steps Initiative helped him gain some new skills and really motivated him to move forward in this space.

So when I think about that type of impact that I can have on the next generation of leaders, I get really excited about that and look at that as a success story. Oh my gosh. Yeah, that's fantastic. So, uh, and I love that, you know, the lights on, uh, you're turning the lights on for people and community building in a variety of ways.

And, uh, including with really, really young people and still in, you know, those. elementary grades. So, amazing. April, I'm so thankful for the work that you've done and I'm thankful that you're on the XYZ University Advisory Board and that I get to work with you, uh, throughout the year. It's, it's Well, thank [00:26:00] you for having me.

I'm excited to be a part of, uh, your movement. Yeah, fantastic. All right. So thanks for tuning in to another episode of the membership IQ. We'll see you next time.