BNI 821 - When Do We Announce Members Who Left? - BNI & The Power of One

Summary

BNI & The Power of One: Episode 821 – When Do We Announce Members Who Left?

Introduction

In Episode 821 of "BNI & The Power of One," hosted by Tim Roberts, the discussion centers on a crucial aspect of managing BNI chapters: handling member departures. Released on May 19, 2025, this episode delves into the challenges faced by chapter leaders when balancing confidentiality with the need for acknowledgment, ensuring the integrity and cohesion of the group.

Listener's Question: Navigating Member Departures in BNI

The episode begins with Tim addressing a thoughtful question submitted anonymously by a BNI president:

“I've noticed that when members leave a chapter, whether it's for neutral reasons like moving or changing jobs, or have complicated situations like policy violations, personal conflict, etc., it's often treated as a quiet exit. No announcement, no farewell, sometimes not even an acknowledgment. It can feel like they just disappear and we all silently move on. As someone who deeply values the relationship we build in BNI, this always felt a little off to me... How do we as chapter leaders strike a balance between respecting confidentiality and offering closure or acknowledgment of when members leave, especially those who have contributed meaningfully to the chapter?”

Tim Roberts' Insights and Recommendations

Tim offers a comprehensive strategy to address this complex issue, emphasizing communication and maintaining a positive chapter environment.

Utilize Multiple Communication Channels

Tim highlights the importance of not relying solely on BNI meetings for all communications:

“The power of B and I is everything that happens outside of BNI.” [02:30]

He suggests leveraging emails and other platforms to keep members informed, ensuring that important updates reach everyone, including those who might miss meetings.
Preserve the Positive Atmosphere of BNI Meetings

Maintaining a positive and engaging environment during meetings is crucial, especially for retaining visitors:

“When somebody's leaving your group, that is rarely a positive experience to implement. So you really don't want to do it in the BNI meeting.” [04:15]

Tim advises against announcing departures during meetings unless it’s for celebratory reasons like retirement, which can be positively acknowledged.
Implement Weekly Communications

Regular updates help in managing departures transparently without disrupting the meeting's flow:

“I would do a weekly communication, and in that communication I would be sharing things like, you know, unfortunately, Susie Q has decided to end her membership.” [06:45]

These communications should provide a concise recap of meetings, including any member changes, to keep everyone informed.
Respect Confidentiality and Maintain Integrity

While informing the chapter about departures, it's essential to protect individual privacy:

“You do not have to go into the details of it, and you shouldn't go into the details of it for the protection of everybody's integrity.” [08:10]

By avoiding specific reasons for departure, chapter leaders can uphold trust and respect within the group.
Minimize Rumors and Speculation

Proactive communication helps in reducing misinformation and maintaining group harmony:

“You can put an end to a lot of that by just having outside the chapter communications.” [09:50]

Regular updates ensure that members are aware of changes, preventing the spread of rumors and unnecessary speculation.

Conclusion

Tim Roberts underscores the significance of consistent and respectful communication outside of BNI meetings to effectively manage member departures. By doing so, chapter leaders can maintain a transparent and cohesive group dynamic, uphold confidentiality, and prevent the negative impacts of silent exits.

Key Takeaways

Diverse Communication Channels: Relying on multiple platforms beyond BNI meetings ensures all members are informed.
Positive Meeting Environment: Preserve the upbeat and supportive atmosphere of meetings by handling departures discreetly.
Regular Updates: Implement weekly communications to keep everyone in the loop.
Confidentiality Respect: Protect individual privacy by avoiding detailed explanations of departures.
Prevent Rumors: Clear and proactive communication minimizes misinformation and maintains group integrity.

For chapter leaders seeking to navigate the sensitive process of member departures, Tim Roberts' advice provides a balanced approach that honors both the individual's privacy and the group's need for clarity and cohesion.

Get Involved

For more insights and to submit your questions, visit benipowerofone.com. Join the conversation and enhance your BNI experience through effective strategies and community support.

Transcript

A (0:00)

SAM.

B (0:44)

Welcome back. B9 the Power of One thank you for joining me again today. We're back with your questions, topics, et cetera submitted@bnipowerofone.com continue to do so. I appreciate everybody who does. We will get through all of them. I might have to do a marathon session a little bit, but I really do appreciate for two reasons. Number one, it does bring value to me selfishly, instead of just talking about whatever I feel like. I do appreciate when people have questions and it's a great way to help too, and way more important. I believe, and I'd love to hear from you guys, that it provides significantly more value for those listening because again, it makes it more real for what you guys are dealing with or challenges you might be facing. And oftentimes, if you have the question, many people have the question. So keep them coming in. Okay, let's get Today's question was asked to be kept anonymous, so we will do so Question for the podcast Navigating Member Departures in BNI says hi Tim, I hope you're doing well reaching out with a topic that's been on my mind as a BNI president, and I think it could be valuable for the podcast, or at very least I'd love your perspective on it. I've noticed that when members leave a chapter, whether it's for neutral reasons like moving or changing jobs, or have complicated situations like policy violations, personal conflict, etc. It's often treated as a quiet exit. No announcement, no farewell, sometimes not even an acknowledgment. It can feel like they just disappear and we all silently move on. As someone who deeply values the relationship we build in bni, this always felt a little off to me. We become like family. So when someone leaves under our under unclear or unexplained circumstances, it can lead to confusion, speculation, and unfortunately, rumors. On the other hand, I understand BNI's policy around privacy and the importance of protecting the integrity of the group, especially with the visitors in the room. So here's my question. How do we as chapter leaders strike a balance between respecting confidentiality and offering closure or acknowledgement of when members leave, especially those who have contributed meaningfully to the chapter? Is there a best practice or example you've seen that navigates this gracefully without drawing unnecessary attention or creating discomfort? Any insight, advice or stories you can share would mean a lot. I want to be intentional about leading my chapter well, though the celebration through the celebrations and awkward goodbyes. Thank you for all you do for the BNI community. Appreciate your time and Guidance. Okay, that's a great question. And yes, there is a best practice. And the general part of it is don't rely on your BNI meeting for everything. And it's funny because I just had this conversation. The power of B and I is everything that happens outside of bni. And that's true. Even with communication. You got to remember what the B and I meeting is all about. The B and I meeting, especially as you're growing, is really just a recap of what we did last week and telling each other what we're looking for this week. And it's also an experience that you need to be positive and fun without being goofy, but enjoyable, both for the current members and for the visitors. Okay, so for the visitors, it's the experience they have that will dictate whether they want to join or not. And it's the overall experience of the meeting that really plays an impact on whether people stay or not. When somebody's leaving your group, that is rarely a positive experience to implement. To implement in that chapter meeting especially, and many times can be a very much a negative one. So you really don't want to do it in the BNI meeting for that reason. The exceptions to it would be, I would be celebrating things like retirement. If somebody's like, hey, listen, I'm retiring, I've reached the end, I've hit my goals, I, I'm closing my business, I'm gonna go sail the world, I'm gonna do whatever, I would celebrate that. If they've been a long time meaningful member, I would sell it. Because ultimately that is the goal, right? Like, I have no problem when one of my members leaves because they're retiring. I celebrate that. When I find that out, I usually, well, email them or whatever and just say congratulations because they've hit what they sought off to hit. But that's not like the majority of reasons people leave. People leave for a thousand different reasons. Like you talked about. They move, they change careers. Maybe it didn't, they didn't get results from it, which I would blame them mostly, but whatever. They no longer felt like it was the right fit. They can no longer do a Tuesday. They had a policy issue, attendance issue. They got complaints. Some, you know, all the those things, those don't bring any value to the meeting at all. But that doesn't mean we just ignore it like it didn't happen. This is why, as president, you should be communicating with your group outside of the BNI meeting every single week. Yes. Email. Hey, here's a recap of the Things that happened at the BNI meeting this week, because oftentimes the education moment, or you guys will be setting some kind of, you know, whether it's a new chapter policy or a chapter update on the meeting venue or a focus the group has that week or month, upcoming events, those kind of things. Put it all in an email to recap. Don't rely on everybody to take dubious notes at the BNI meeting. And then you have people who are absent or maybe had a substitute. So I would do a weekly communication, and in that communication I would be sharing things like, you know, unfortunately, Susie Q has decided to end her membership. Unfortunately, there was a situation and so. And so has been asked to leave the chapter. I would not. Whenever those are the cases where they get removed for whatever policy conflict, whatever. I would not go into details about why, okay, we do want the confidentiality and the trust in the membership committee that they are making the best decision for the chapter. And sometimes the best decision for the chapter is somebody has to go or an applicant is not accepted into the group. Those are same things like members invite a visitor or they see a visitor come in, we know that they applied and then we never see them again. The chapter should be made aware, like, hey, you know, everybody knows that, you know, Jim Smith came in and he applied for membership. But through the interview process and through the. The approval process, the membership committee has decided it's just not the right fit for our chapter at this time. There you go. That way people are aware of what's going on, but you don't have to go into the details of it, and you shouldn't go into the details of it for the protection of everybody's integrity. So, yes to your question, just ignoring them like it never happened. Awkward. Everybody knows, does leave the rumors, does, you know, those kind of things. Speculation. You can put an end to a lot of that by just having outside the chapter communications. You're not going to eliminate it entirely because, again, the membership committee doesn't share the conversations they had. And all the reasons are the things that popped up that they found or whatever, but it will take care of a lot of it. The other part of the meeting that you have to do, kind of chapter discussions, if you will, would be the visa orientation part. One of the reasons visual orientations take place outside the meeting room is to give you that opportunity for chapter stuff. But it's not a big window and it's. I would not recommend going into, you know, starting things that could get out of hand for lack of a better term in terms of conversations. That would be more, again, reminders, those kind of things of what's coming up. I I think the best presidents I've seen rely on just the BNI meeting for their leadership and their communication. They keep everybody engaged throughout the week. So you have, let's say, your BNI meetings on a Tuesday. They're recapping it Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning, Friday, they're reminding people of certain things for next Tuesday. Multiple communications a week. They don't have to be crazy detailed and fancy and all that, but multiple communication points throughout the week. It eliminates forgetting. It eliminates the excuse of you never told me. It keeps everybody in the loop, but it keeps it out of the BNI meeting, which you're trying to keep as positive and as fun as possible. So that would be my advice on it. I think it's a great question because I think a lot of chapters are doing it the way it sounds like yours might have been or is currently. And it does lead to some issues. And once rumors start, I mean, it's like high school and then it's the phone game, right? Everybody's story changes slightly and everything else. So communicate, communicate, communicate. That's the way to do it. And if your chapter hasn't been doing that, start it now. So thank you so much for the question, as always. For everybody else, go to benipowerofone.com leave yours. There can be anonymous if you want, just like this. Have a great day.