Local Leadership, Global Platforms

July 24, 2017

“Life doesn’t make any sense without interdependence. We need each other, and the sooner we learn that, the better for us all.”
-Erik Erikson

How do you thrive in a world that demands customer intimacy and local knowledge, and simultaneously requires big global platforms to scale and deliver products and services?

The market demands that you stay close to your customer to build trust and to stay in touch with changes in customer habits and preferences. This is true for governments, businesses, education and healthcare. The further away from your citizen, customer, student or patient, the harder it is to provide a solution or product that is relevant.

At the same time, it has never been more important for small and local entities to have access to shared platforms to sell, access advanced technology, and deliver products and services. Cloud computing and marketplace platforms like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba are helping customers sell and deliver products globally while managing their technology needs as they grow.

This co-dependency can be scary for local institutions and small businesses who feel like they are losing control. Large companies have a hard time getting down on the ground to develop relevant solutions for those same businesses. This same co-dependency may also unleash a period of innovation like we’ve never seen in the history of the world.

The duo of local knowledge and global platforms can bring together innovative “shopkeepers” from Mumbai to Marysville. It may bring public infrastructure ideas from Narobi to Newark. And it may bring preventative healthcare from Copenhagen to Columbus.

What an exciting time to work on community and economic development. The challenges and the possibilities have never been more daunting. As we near the year 2020 we need to embrace these interdependent relationships and leverage them to succeed and prosper.

-Kenny McDonald

One Columbus Update

  • Next week, the One Columbus team will travel to Kalamazoo for Consultant Connect’s NEXT 2017, a meeting of the top 30 North American rising stars in economic development.
  • Franklin County and the Columbus Chamber are hosting the Retail Summit on August 9 and 10. Insights and strategies will be shared by industry thought leaders and trailblazers from around the country. Learn more and register here.