BNI 824: Your Director Said What? - Detailed Summary

Podcast Information:

• Title: BNI & The Power of One
• Host: Tim Roberts
• Episode: BNI 824: Your Director Said What?
• Release Date: June 4, 2025

Introduction

In episode 824 of "BNI & The Power of One," host Tim Roberts delves into a pressing concern raised by a listener regarding changes in mentorship assignments within their BNI chapter. The episode focuses on the importance of mentorship programs in maintaining high retention rates and offers strategic insights into optimizing these programs for sustained success.

Listener's Concern: Director Consultant's Directive

At [00:25], Tim introduces the listener's question, which highlights a directive from a Director Consultant:

"Our director Consultant visited our 53 member chapter for the first time since November and informed us there's no assigning mentors to new members. Do your region still assign mentors?" (00:25)

The listener underscores their chapter's impressive retention statistics, boasting over 90% overall retention and high 80s% first-year retention rates. They question the rationale behind relying solely on the MSP (Member Success Program) and the Passport program instead of continuing the mentorship assignments that appear to be yielding excellent results.

Host's Response: The Vital Role of Mentorship

Tim Roberts responds emphatically to the listener's concern, emphasizing the critical role mentorship plays in member retention and chapter success.

Retention Rates Analysis:

• [02:15]: Tim explains that achieving a 90%+ retention rate is exceptional and not commonly seen across BNI regions in the United States, where the highest regional retention hovers around 77% with first-year retention below 80%.

"There's no region in the United States of America with those kind of levels." (02:50)

He stresses that while high retention rates are commendable, they necessitate robust support systems like mentorship programs to sustain such numbers.

Challenges Beyond Control:

• [04:10]: Tim acknowledges factors affecting retention that are beyond a chapter's control, such as members moving, retiring, falling ill, or facing personal tragedies. He highlights that these natural attritions mean that aiming for a 100% retention rate is unrealistic, and an 80% goal is both achievable and practical.

"We can't be 100% right. It's just like hiring. Nobody bats a thousand on these things." (05:30)

The Importance of Mentoring Programs

Effectiveness of Mentorship:

• [06:45]: Tim draws parallels between mentorship in BNI chapters and employee retention in companies. He emphasizes that just as businesses benefit from mentoring employees to fit seamlessly into their roles, BNI chapters thrive when new members receive dedicated guidance.

"This mentoring program is designed to help chapter new members do that, get up to speed, get moving with the pack, get into it." (10:00)

Critique of Over-Reliance on Online Training:

• [08:20]: Tim critiques the shift towards comprehensive online training systems like MSP and Passport, pointing out their limitations. He notes that while online programs can ensure completion rates, they often lack the personalized interaction necessary for effective learning and integration.

"Because it's online, a good percentage of them hit play and walk away or hit play and they're listening but they're not really listening to it because they're doing a variety of other things." (11:15)

Case Study: Florida Northeast Region:

• [09:30]: Using data from the Florida Northeast region, Tim illustrates the shortcomings of solely relying on online training. Despite having one of the lowest "No MSP" percentages in the country (1.9%), the region experienced stagnant retention rates until they reintroduced live MSP trainings. This change led to a 6% increase in retention, underscoring the effectiveness of interactive mentorship.

"We went back to doing live MSP trainings to give those kind of things. So do we need to do it? Do we need to lot? Nope, by every account... our retention rate went up about 6%." (12:50)

Leadership and Program Implementation

Leadership's Role:

• [13:00]: Tim criticizes the directives that undermine successful programs without understanding their impact. He suggests that leaders should be data-driven and seek to understand why a program works before discontinuing it.

"Sometimes they will look at things and say, okay, this mentoring program was implemented in blah blah, blah year and retention hasn't changed. So it's not working." (13:30)

Advocating for Mentorship Continuation:

• [14:00]: He encourages chapter members to advocate for maintaining mentorship programs, highlighting their integral role in member success and retention.

"I would challenge you to push back or at least don't give up the mentoring program. It's still a part of being I connect. It hasn't gone away. So you can still do it." (14:10)

Conclusion: Upholding Successful Practices

Tim wraps up the episode by reaffirming the significance of mentorship programs in achieving high retention rates and fostering a supportive chapter environment. He urges chapters to maintain these programs, especially when they are clearly yielding positive results, and to question directives that may undermine effective strategies.

Closing Remarks and Call to Action

The episode concludes with Tim inviting listeners to submit their questions and topics for future episodes via the BNI Power of One website. He emphasizes the importance of feedback and continuous improvement within the BNI community.

This episode serves as a compelling reminder of the power of mentorship in business networking and the necessity of questioning and understanding leadership decisions that impact chapter dynamics and member retention.