| |
Breaking
Barriers by Breaking Bread
An expanded
"web-only" version of the feature article from the Winter/2001
issue of the ZEITGEIST Client Newsletter
In far too many communities, the Big 3 (Convention &
Visitors Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development
Council) rarely cooperate on anything more than the most mundane of
projects.
The reasons are really pretty basic: Turf Protection (or envy), Visibility
and the very unattractive (but, oh so prevalent) Machiavellian need
to bash the "other guy" in the knee so that you look bigger.
While it's all pretty petty...it's all pretty common. What to do to
"stop the madness?"
 Colorado
Springs CVB CEO Terry Sullivan has the answer...and it
is brilliant in its simplicity. Break Bread.
Once a month, Sullivan and his counterparts get together at one of Colorado
Springs' best restaurants for drinks, dinner and visionary conversation.
And while the talk usually centers on the future of the community, the
real vision comes from the relationships that are forged over these
meals.
So important for the community are these dinners that the restauranteur
picks up the tab for the meal. "The drinks are on us," Sullivan
smiles. Why the benevolence of the owner? "He knows that the ideas
that are discussed and the relationships we are building will benefit
the community. If the community benefits, his business will grow."
So it's not benevolence...it's an investment.
Called the "Fab Four" by those around them, Sullivan and the
CEOs from the Chamber, Economic Development Council and the Sports Commission
make the monthly dinner "a high priority," says Sullivan,
noting that it is extremely rare for one of them to miss. "It's
right up there with Board Meetings on the importance scale," he
says. Today, he calls them his 'wagon masters.'"They're there for
me, as I am for them, as friends as well as business partners,"
he says. "That means that we can always count on each other."
Like now, as the City looks to the CVB to take the lead on a proposed
convention center project. While many CVB CEOs would be elated that
the City recognized them as the logical choice for heading up such an
important project, Sullivan knows that making a project like this look
like a tourism issue could doom it to defeat. Indeed, one can hear the
no-birds now, wailing, "it's not for us and we're not paying for
it!"
But thanks to the existence of the Fab Four, the Chamber has offered
to take the visible lead on the project by establishing a committee
that takes the heat off the CVB. Now, the community sees that its not
just a tourism issue but a city-wide issue. And the not-so-subtle threat
to those that would oppose the project is clear. It won't just be the
CVB they'll have to battle. They'll have to go up against all four.
"We get the job done without seeking the profound credit,"
says Sullivan. And that is where these kind of alliances have their
most significant roots. For the fleeting satisfaction of glory that
one may garner from winning a major project pales in comparison to the
internal satisfaction of knowing that you left a legacy for your community.
And partnerships win more often that lone rangers.
While the monthly dinners are key...they are an outward display and
function of a deeper process at work. Sullivan and his counterparts
have worked, over the years, to be involved with each others' Boards
in the hiring process. "Ultimately, we're going to have to be able
to work together if the community is to benefit," he says. "That
means that our compatibility will be extremely important." So,
3 members of the Fab Four made it their business to be involved last
year in the search for the new Chamber CEO.
"To let such an important hire for the community happen in a vacuum
would be criminal," Sullivan maintains. "We certainly didn't
strong-arm the hiring process...but we let the Chamber Board know who
we thought would be the best fit for the community. And I believe that
is our responsibility to the community."
So uniquely and effectively partnered, the Fab Four is talking about
the unspeakable: shacking up. Sullivan confirms that the four are discussing
the possible purchase of a building in which they can all reside, sharing
administrative costs and board room space. And making the ties that
bind even stronger.
|
|
