Plan Your Summer, Prepare for the Fall

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
-Benjamin Franklin

I have three school age kids and summer is coming quickly. That means our family must do some serious planning for kids’ sports, camps, tutoring so their brains don’t go dormant, and perhaps a few long weekends.

When it comes to our economic development work, the same is required. The months of June, July and August offer time to reflect midway through the year, take some time to plan as a team, and even get your board leadership to reflect on what is next for your organization. Just as a football player must train for the fall season all summer, so must we prepare for fall business development missions and community activities.

Summer is not as casual as it used to be, personally or professionally. However, with some thought and collaboration, it can be a time to recalibrate, make some mid-course corrections to your annual plan, and carefully prepare for the activity-filled fall and holiday seasons.

Take a few hours with your team to discuss your summer program before Memorial Day. What meetings do you want to have, and what do you want to accomplish before Labor Day that would make the rest of your year more productive?

-Kenny McDonald

One Columbus Update

• It’s Economic Development Week, and communities around the world are celebrating the achievements of economic developers.
• This week, the One Columbus team is in Italy to meet with companies. Back at home, our team is hosting companies and preparing for meetings with Mid-Atlantic companies and consultants.