Finding unique opportunities.

The strength of organisations and communities improves as the standard of business acumen and business knowledge improves across the community.

You have most likely sat through yet another “community development” meeting where a government bureaucrat announces a new tool that will change everything. You’ve nodded as they explain, but everything always looks the same. You’ve watched your organisation and the community spend their limited funds on change initiatives that never came to anything.

You’re not alone. After 50 years in business and community development, watching hundreds of organisations, from governments and corporations to home-based businesses, struggle with change, I can tell you the uncomfortable truth: most change management is expensive and leaves everyone frustrated and cynical, as it rarely prioritises what is important to the people who live and work in the community.

Your greatest asset is understanding customers in your chosen market segments and being able to support them.

What are the ‘engines of change’ impacting your community?

You can’t stop change or the population ageing, and people will not stop researching tomorrow. What are the people in your community good at? Where is their passion? What do they like doing? What are their strengths?

Experiential communities can make all the difference. Start with what you have.

It is no good just wishing and hoping that things will get better or complaining about “If only I had …”. If communities and their businesses are to move forward, they have to take a fresh look at what they have, understand the actual value (not necessarily the perceived value) of what they have, and make a start. Every journey starts with the first step.

Knowing where to start can be challenging, as new ideas and opportunities can paralyse progress. An experienced facilitator will save a lot of procrastination and valuable time, months, or even years. In the meantime, valuable people may already be deserting the community, and you must decide, “Can you afford the loss”?

Quotable quotes.

“If you want your town or village to work well, don’t use other people’s strategies and actions without modification to fit the unique circumstances”.  Peter Sergeant

“It is critical to tailor strategies and interventions to the specific context of each regional town and village, considering its unique businesses, vulnerabilities, strengths, and resources”. Peter Sergeant