April 1st, 2015 marked the turnover into Actionable’s 7th year in operation. As the organization and community continue to evolve, we’re noticing unique trends and sub-communities emerging. As you may or may not be aware, there are really three “sub-tribes” that regularly visit ActionableBooks.com.
1. The Personal Development Focused. These folks are here to advance their own learning; to pick up the latest thinking around time management, communication skills, innovation and the like. This is how Actionable started for me, and I have the utmost respect for the proactive nature of your learning path. It’s from this group that the Actionable Book Club (ABC) was born. For those of you who want to take your personal development to the next level – we’ll be launching our fourth cohort of the ABC in May – stay tuned.
2. The 21st Century Leader. Whether your title says HR, Manager, CXO or otherwise, you lead a team of people, and you believe that learning should be an ongoing, embedded aspect of your people’s professional lives. You know that learning cultures are engaged cultures, and that engaged cultures win. In my early consulting years I met you (or someone like you) and I so appreciated what you were trying to do that we created Actionable Workshops so you could continue to grow the learning culture at your own organization.
3. The Consultant and/or Coach. You have dedicated your professional life to helping improve the world of work. You read to stay relevant and because you love to. You’re smart, talented, impassioned towards change and bringing your client organizations into the 21st Century.
Of course, we’re all united in a deep love for, and appreciation of, well-written non-fiction (and likely fiction, too, for that matter) and a core belief that ideas are only valuable when applied.
So, while of course there is a unifying undercurrent to everyone who spends time here, there are enough distinctions between the three groups – the needs, foci and ideal experience – that we’re making a concentrated effort this year to clarify what’s for whom. We want to make it easier for you to connect with the like-minded (should you so choose to engage) and to find even greater and more relevant value in the time you spend with us.
We’ve actually done a fairly decent job of this with the Consultant/Coach group already, I think (so much so that we’ll be spinning off a separate site later this year – exclusively focused on relevant content, community and programming for the independent business consultant). Our Actionable Consultant Program (ACP) has over 250 applicants/year for the 20 spots available*, and the Business Builder Bootcamp – now entering its 3rd season – is being lauded as “the best course of its kind; practical, informative and fun”. Which is flattering and rewarding to hear. But totally irrelevant to you if you have no interest in consulting or coaching.
So we’re going to make some changes.
Later this year you’ll see some adjustments to the site layout. You’ll see an increased focus on leadership and employee engagement. You’ll find clearer and more varied ways to connect with the community of brilliant peers around you as well as heightened exposure of those who are already “dialed in”, so to speak. In other words, we’re working to bring you a more tailored experience, specific to your current objectives, needs and desires. We want to continue to be a “go-to” resource for you on your quest to personal and professional development mastery. You inspire us every day.
*BTW, if you are a consultant and want to learn more about the ACP, I’d recommend acting fast – applications for 2015’s final North American cohort close this week.
