To get where we're going, there's more to be knowing.
One of the biggest moments of realization for me this year was scrolling through the list of Bureau members and realizing how many I don't know on a personal level. I've seen them in the Slack channels and maybe had a nice email convo, but I'm clueless as to what makes them who they are. Even with Bureau folks that have been good friends for years, I still don't know where they need support.
So before we can move forward with the Bureau's evolution, we need to slow down and understand more about who we are. See, we aren't just splitting everyone up into smaller groups, we're building new communities around them. Their challenges, their strengths, and what makes them who they are. It's gonna be a LOT of work, but awesome things always are. Read on for more on our approach to creating the new Bureau Communities.
Getting to Know You
We've been working on a survey that will help us understand more about Bureau members. This info will be the cornerstone of how we re-architect the Bureau from one giant community into several smaller, more focused ones. And while there is a lot of info we want to know, we also need to keep it simple. Sounds easy enough, let's go!
Strategery
In the future, I'll share more about the high-level structure of the new Bureau Communities. But today I want to share why it's so important we learn about our members. And not just work stuff, but personal stuff. I know this may sound weird, but while many people look at the Bureau as a professional business organization, I experience it as a professional, social and intimate support group. That's what makes it special. And it's what's at risk as we've grown so quickly. So what kind of information are we asking for?
The Work Stuff
Of course, we need to know members names and where they work. What do they do there and how long they’ve been doing it. We'll use this info as the first level of review to make sure that digital agencies are with digital agencies, marketing shops with marketing shops, and in-house teams with in-house teams. It will also help us make sure we're sending members the info they want versus sending everything to everyone.
The Personal Stuff
So it turns out we aren't robots. And just because we have the same context at work doesn't mean we're even close to the same in life. I think this is part of the secret sauce for the Bureau. We've never shied away from the human stuff. Some of it is focused on professional challenges. And special interests like what members do for fun or to stay healthy. But most importantly, we want to understand how they show up in the world. Knowing them at this deeper level will help us connect members with a diverse group where not only can people appreciate all of our unique glory, but where they won't feel like an "other."
The Growth & Accountability Stuff
OK, we've been talking about members a lot because they’re the reason we're here. But let's shift a little to take a look at us. As we approach 1,000 members, how diverse are we? And not just diversity we can see or that's listed next to a checkbox. The reality is none of us fit nicely into a string of letters that are supposed to sum up who gave us life or who we love. No two of us are the same, but we all share similarities. And yet, to answer the question "how diverse are we?" we need to analyze a lot of info. Without something to track, we can't hold ourselves accountable.
A quick disclaimer, being held accountable isn't why we need to be a diverse community. It's the other way around. To be a diverse community we have to be held accountable. And while we've tried some things and think we've seen some success, we just don't know.
So the toughest part of solving this puzzle is how we treat the community as individuals while also creating a bigger picture of who we are and tracking which way we're trending. Because that info helps us all see our reality and helps us focus more on who we want to become. And by sharing what we find out with everyone as we grow, we'll all be able to play a role in guiding the Bureau to more inclusive waters.