These topics are only intended to be a starting place for your group, not an extensive or exclusive listing.
The topics fall under the basic “cylinders” that were described earlier. Your Synergize.Me engine can run on as many cylinders as you want it to!
Below is a brief description of the “cylinder” areas of discussion, and suggestions for various types of people you might want to invite to your group for their specialize expertise in these areas. Understand, ANYONE can lead a discussion on ANY topic… It may be a CPA that leads a discussion on technology, or a flower shop owner that leads a discussion on an HR/Personnel issue. The suggestions regarding different personalities or professions below are just that- suggestions.
The “Discussion Cylinders” we’ve discussed are:
1) Book Study- Choose a book on leadership development, business strategies, people skills or anything else. Everyone should read the assigned text for the week, but it’s best if one person leads the discussion. This should NOT be a book report, but rather a time to ask questions of the group about what they read. Dig deeper, argue, expand and enjoy the mental jousting! Educators, leadership development consultants and successful business owners would be great team members for your group in this area! And the list goes on…
2) Technology/Hardware/Software- It’s an amazing time to be alive, and there are all kinds of new technologies emerging every day. Explore new apps that might be helpful to your business. Organize writing reviews for each other’s Google places sites. Look for technology geeks, IT people or just social media gurus to bring into your Synergize.Me group! And the list goes on…
3) Marketing/Advertising- This primarily applies to small business owners, but share unique ideas with each other about how to get the word out about what your business can do for people. Creative marketing campaigns, good deals on advertising campaigns, miserable tales of failure- share them all! Any business person who has been around for longer than a couple of years will have a lot of experience in this area, and would be a great asset to your group! And the list goes on…
4) Event Management- Many businesses and organization have events from time to time. Some are social events within the business. At other times, they are events to raise funds or awareness for a charity. Learn from each other about how you might better plan, strategize, manage and evaluate the success of the events you lead! Church leaders, civic leaders and even politicians would have much to contribute to your group in this topic area! And the list goes on…
5) Legal Issues- In this litigious society, it’s critical we stay aware of property and tenants rights, privacy and information issues and more. Discuss ways you can protect yourselves and your businesses from spending time and money in court. Legal consultants, lawyers and people involved with the justice system would be helpful in these arenas! And the list goes on…
6) Finance/Taxes- Should you incorporate? If so, how? What are some great tax savings you’ve found, or tax questions you might? What are you doing with your assets as they grow? Learn from those who are doing it right, and even from those that have messed up! Look for CPA’s, accounts, finance managers and other money people to contribute to your group discussions in these areas. And the list goes on…
7) Strategic Planning- Where do you want your business to be in 5 years, 10 years? How will you determine if you need to expand your business, hire new staff or buy new equipment? Discussions about staff expansion, budgeting, market study and more are covered in this area. Successful business owners are the best resource for this discussion area, since evidently they’ve already navigated some of those decisions well! And the list goes on…
8) Discussion Questions- Sometimes you just need to lighten up. Have a little fun! The Discussion Questions are a group of “sometimes silly, sometimes serious” questions that can help us build relationships with our other group members, and have fun doing it! Leaders for this time need to be good at leading a discussion and moving it along. And the list goes on…
9) Personnel/Staffing Issues- Unless you’re a one man show, you’ll need input in this area. HR issues, payroll and benefits discussions, conflict resolution and team building are issues that barely scratch the surface in this topic area. HR Managers, team leaders and business owners are great resources for leading in this area, as are leaders in non-profit organizations. And the list goes on…
10) City of Character Trait- The International Association of Character Cities works to promote development of quality character traits by helping cities partner with their business, school, community and faith organizations. Primarily this is accomplished by promoting one character trait per month through all of these organizations. You might choose to do this with your Synergize.Me group, and talk about ways to take that back to your individual organizations. And the list goes on…
11) Q & A Time- Don’t underestimate the value of a time for meetings to simply ask, “Does anyone have a question, challenge or problem that you could use some perspective or advice on?” Most of us have felt alone or overwhelmed at some point, and this group can serve as a great resource to help it’s members through those times.
So there are our Cylinders of Discussion for your consideration. Will the list above change, grow and develop over time? We hope so! Send us your ideas, and we just might add them to our list!