700 Businesses Later …

I recently spoke with Madeleine, an Executive Director from a Southern California Business Improvement District. She began telling a colleague and myself how she took it upon herself to walk into each business in her district personally to ask specific survey questions. Her board of directors wanted to get real feedback from the over 700 businesses in their district. The challenge? They did not have the most updated contact information and/or an easy way to get it. So one day she just decided to go get the information herself and she started walking. In a couple of weeks, she had walked into every business in their district. That is a lot of businesses!

It’s not the only way

It’s important to mention that Madeleine is not necessarily recommending this as the only or best way to get this done. – it took her over several hours a day for two weeks to complete the task. She was just willing to go the distance.

I personally wouldn’t recommend doing this by hand on paper or with an excel spreadsheet, because that just gets tedious and doubles your data work. Of course I would recommend using a cloud based CRM like PBID Manager to simplify just about everything regarding district data, but that isn’t why I am bring this to you.

What are you willing to do?

I bring this story to you to spark conversations in your office by asking the questions of yourselves. “Would I walk into 700 businesses to get the pulse of my district and community? “Would I be willing take the time to just call over 700 businesses?” Or do you find yourself frustrated and complaining that you don’t have the resources you need to get your job done?

There are many Executive Directors and their staff who have been in their positions for a long time. I know because I have talked to many of them. It’s not uncommon for someone to say, “Well that’s they way it’s been and we don’t need to change this or that”, or “That’s not what they hired me to do”. They also say things like, “I don’t have time to do this or that because I am too busy”. These are not a good signs.

Don’t Settle For Status Quo

I understand boundaries and overextending yourself – trust me, I used to be an expert. I also don’t sit around and compare districts for fun. However, it is painfully obvious that there is a vast difference between districts. There are districts that are willing to do what it takes to get the job done, and there are districts that are content with status quo. The latter have board members and staff that are unwilling to change with the times. They have been doing things the same way for years and don’t want the additional work of growing and keeping current.

The districts that are thriving and attracting life to their spaces are willing to invest into keeping pace with the changing times. They are willing to do what it takes to get the job done and it is reflected in their districts’ environment and connections.

Just Ask Yourself

So whether you are the Executive Director, or you are a member of the administrative team or board, the next time you are tasked with something outside of your available resources, thinking process or even outside your personal capabilities, ask yourself, “Am I willing to do what it takes to get the job done?”

I think you would be surprised at your own answer once you ask yourself the question.