06/22/2026
June is a natural planning month for voluntary bar associations.
New boards are sworn in.
Presidents step into their roles.
Retreats are scheduled.
Calendars begin to fill.
But here is the challenge: a plan created in June cannot assume the organization will look the same in September.
Member needs may shift.
Board capacity may change.
A major event may take more energy than expected.
A committee may lose momentum.
A new opportunity may appear that was not on the original calendar.
That does not mean the plan failed.
It means the plan needs to be agile.
A strong strategy should provide direction without becoming a cage. It should clarify the mission, define outcomes, assign ownership, and create room for adjustment when reality changes.
Too often, voluntary bar leaders treat the annual plan like a final document instead of a living leadership tool. Once the retreat ends, the plan sits in a folder while the board returns to managing events, emails, and urgent tasks.
By the time the organization realizes something is not working, months have passed.
Agile strategy prevents that.
It asks the board to keep checking in:
Is this priority still connected to the mission?
Do we still have the capacity to execute it well?
Are members responding the way we expected?
Does this activity deserve more support, less support, or a different approach?
What needs to change before we lose momentum?
The best bar leaders do not abandon strategy when conditions change. They use strategy to make better decisions inside changing conditions.
A frozen plan may look disciplined.
But a flexible plan is often what keeps the organization moving.
If you want the full “Is Your VBA Self-Sabotaging Its Strategy?” guide, comment “STRATEGY,” and we will send it over.
