Fast Company is a favorite read at my house. Each magazine is thoroughly read, pages dog-eared and torn out. When I read Robert Safian’s April 2014 From the Editor column I understood why. “If Fast Company presents only the ideas of Bob Safian, it will get narrow predictable and boring.”
Safian gets it. One person cannot consistently create amazing work that inspires (or even appeals) to a wide audience. “By including more voices, more ideas and more perspectives Fast Company can offer a more dynamic experience.” From the Editor, Fast Company, April 2014
The same is true for associations. Each individual can only bring so much experience, perspective and skills to the table. To create smart innovative experiences for your members you must engage a diverse group of people and leverage their insights, knowledge and experience.
Ed Catmull wrote in Creativity, Inc. (another fabulous read) “find, develop and support good people, and they in turn will find, develop and own good ideas.”
Three things to consider as you develop and engage your team:
- Do your people understand what it is the organization wants to achieve?
- Do your people have the skills they need to participate?
- Do your teams have access to the resources necessary to succeed?
