Building Peer Groups

Two weeks ago, we hosted an exclusive community event with Lithium to bring 20 of the highest ranking community people together to discuss and share issues in a safe, private, environment. We all learned a lot from it.

The remarkable thing here is just how cost-efficient this is. People leave with a sense of not being alone, a collective validation of their efforts, and an assortment of new ideas and thought processes. Most of all, they get a group of people they can contact for help in the future.

I’ve lost track of the number of solutions private peer groups have helped us with over the years. This ranges from the prices of different platforms, opinions on prospective recruits, feedback on different implementation vendors, information on potential leads, heads up on possible problems, and solutions to some of our toughest challenges…along with all the emotional support.

It’s hard to talk about some things in public. This is especially true in places where community members, colleagues, or your friends might read your innermost fears.

I suspect there are opportunities in every sector and for each of our careers to build more of these. It doesn’t cost much and can save you huge amounts of time, money, and prevent mistakes.

p.s. blog post from Joe here.