We just had our first advisory board meeting to discuss the new Greater Good Alliance initiative last night. Let me first thank all those in attendance for your incredible insights and contributions. What seems so clear-cut to someone building a system may be completely unintelligible to anyone else not involved in its creation. We plan to take many of your contributions to heart as we continue to build the model and get closer to a formal launch. (Hey, you can pre-register now to stay in the loop!)
It does bring up a great point, however. Do we communicate enough? And, if so, are we communicating the right information? The reason many great ideas fail to transpire is due to poor planning. I'll be the first to admit we have made some silly mistakes in this company's growth that could likely have been avoided by seriously talking with others. Namely, those who have already made that mistake! I'm fine with making a mistake no one has encountered before, but to commit a common "oops"? That's just a waste of all of our time, and can potentially affect our bottom line, our clients, and the overall success of a program.
If you're looking to a new business strategy, or even a new business, make sure to communicate. Discuss your hopes, worries, and goals with trusted business and personal companions. You might be surprised by what they have to contribute! Don't be afraid to receive criticism, in fact, encourage others to dish it! Keep one "downer" in the group, and I don't mean a boring person, but rather, the one who is so down to earth that they are looking for the potential cracks or failures in your plan.
Doing this will save you enormous amounts of time and money later on. It very well could accelerate your success, and allow you to help those your plan originally intended!
A freshly steeped pot of environmental and social responsibility is calling your name.