03/19/2025

The Membership Crisis

Insights shared by Sarah Sladek

The tilt-a-whirl was my favorite amusement park ride as a child. Spinning in circles at unexpected and random moments, hair flying in the wind and butterflies in your stomach brings forth feelings of sheer delight and reckless abandonment. It's marvelous. For a moment.

But have you ever jumped on an amusement park ride and shortly thereafter desperately wanted to jump off? I remember an especially terrifying moment when I was stuck on a ride that malfunctioned – hanging upside down, no less!

Here are now, it often feels like we're on an amusement ride that is anything but amusing. This era of disruption is the equivalent of being strapped into something we can’t control, predict or tame. In the face of fear, leaders can find themselves desperately seeking a ‘quick fix’ and end up making reckless, damaging decisions.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Boardroom.