It's about the People

I once took a great course titled The Five Day MBA (thanks, AMA ).

The course started with accounting and finance, and moved on through topics such as strategy and leadership. The first instructor asked us where we worked and what was the primary purpose of our organization. Given that it was the financial portion, it's not surprising that he brought all of our fancy visions and missions and activities down to one common denominator.

He said "It's about the money".

He was wrong

It's about the people.

Working for an association, I really like that we can say that out loud. We are about service and members and doing the right thing.

At the same time, I was responsible for bringing in millions of dollars in revenue for an association. I can see how revenue drives the activies of even non-profit organizations.

But in every endeavor, be it for-profit or not-for-profit, it will not succeed if people are ignored in the financial pursuit. The people who create the product or program, the people who use it, the people who support it, the people who regulate it. Some of whom may be motivated by money, but certainly not all. And until we understand the needs of, and pressures upon, all those people, we don't truly understand our market.