Reality Check

NEIGHBORHOODS LA-Sometimes we get so absorbed and singularly focused on the tasks at hand that we tend to lose perspective. I was fortunate enough to get a reality check this past week and I’d like to share some of my observations with you. 

I stepped back into the “for profit” world (as compared to “volunteer world”) for a few days after being away for three years. In some ways it was like I had never left. 

For more than forty years I ran a boutique (small) company in the publishing and trade show industry. We started out publishing a trade magazine for the apparel manufacturers and backed into doing trade shows for the same industry. The main reason for initiating a trade show in the then new Los Angeles Convention Center was that one of my competitors had started one in the southern U.S. and our advertisers urged us to produce something similar on the West Coast. 

So what does this have to do with my Neighborhood Council beat you may ask? On the surface nothing … but digging deeper … everything.     

Earlier this week I sat in a room in Las Vegas with over two hundred CEO’s and Managing Directors of some of the largest media companies from twenty-one countries at the annual Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) CEO Summit. The association began twenty-four years ago as a U.S. based organization, which I joined shortly after it started and had the pleasure of serving on it’s Board. 

One of the best parts of this particular conference is the sharing of information. One of the highlights was a “fireside chat” with Sheldon Adelson (see photo). You may know him as the man who finances Republican Party candidates – most recently with a slew of potential presidential candidates making the trek to Las Vegas for a visit. 

The exhibition industry knows him as the founder of COMDEX (one of the first and eventually the largest US computer exhibitions ever held). 

His is a real rags-to-riches story and as a founder of SISO, the discussion was not political. My main takeaway from that session was his discussion of failure. He has made and lost three fortunes - and today is one of the richest men in the world. 

Mr. Adelson said that success is, “The ability to learn from your failures, pick yourself up and continue on.” At first glance, it sounds a little trite, but for those of us who have watched him do just that, it made a lot of sense. 

As an aside, Mr. Adelson sold COMDEX for $860 million to a huge Japanese conglomerate, Softbank.  In three years COMDEX did not exist.  He tried to recreate the trade show each year.  The uniformity of a conservative corporation was the death knell. 

Many times the justification for not doing something is that we are a volunteer not for profit group.  However there are many things that we can borrow or adapt from the business world to make our Neighborhood Council’s run more effectively.  One of the most harrowing times for a new business start-up is when it has reached the point of small profitability and then needs a different format to get to the next level.    

The Neighborhood Council system in Los Angeles is at that point.  It is established and is gaining influence. In entering the next decade we have challenges and opportunities. In some ways we have to recreate ourselves if we are going to grow and prosper. We tend to lag behind the for profit companies. Agreed that we operate under different rules, which end up stiflying efficiency in favor of transparency.  At the same time there is a tendency to use the rules as a reason, when really it is just an excuse. 

For example, SISO members faced the perceived challenge of social media. Would it replace face-to-face events?  They have learned to use the various social media outlets and even developed new profit centers.  They have found that it increases attendance and adds value to the exhibitors.  Most NC’s are just beginning to utilize social media to get the message out to the stakeholders.  The problem is we are reaching maybe 10% of our potential audience. 

EmpowerLA is working with a company to try and get a reliable email database for each NC.  If I own a widget company there are any number of places where I can purchase a customer database broken down by geography, size, sales volume and gender of the owner (the last might be a slight exaggeration, but you get the point).  NC’s do not have that advantage and postage is prohibitive. 

Jill Banks Barad, president of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) and DWP Commissioner was instrumental in getting the NC election news distributed in the DWP monthly bills.  With the impressive new head at the DWP perhaps we can do that on a regular basis. 

Even with a huge jump in distribution, social media outlets did not replace face-to-face events for the SISO members and in the NC case, it won’t replace the personal interaction we need to have with our stakeholders. 

We are midway through the election process and there will be several hundred new recruits - many of whom do not have a clue as to what is entailed in being part of their NC Board of Directors. A certain percentage will - out of boredom or frustration or too much required work - drop out after a few months. What are we going to do to keep enthusiasm going for the rest?  

I receive plenty of emails expressing discontent. Most of them are valid, but in any organization you are going to have the trailblazers, whiners and those who only want the status quo. It is not a perfect system! If we really care about making it better because we want our city to prosper, we need to do a better job in creating new ways of engaging our neighbors. Our biggest challenge is to make them understand that they can make a difference. 

The annual Los Angeles Neighborhood Congress takes place this September 20th at City Hall.  It is a great event and the newcomers to Boards will receive a fine educational experience. It has the potential to accomplish so much more. Hopefully that challenge will be met. We are not so different from the “for profit” companies and face many of the same issues such as: personnel issues, budget considerations, good public relations, creativity and growth. 

The biggest difference is that our “profit” is determined by the success in making Los Angeles a better place for all its citizens. 

As always your comments are welcome.

 

(Denyse Selesnick is a stakeholder in the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and a contributor to CityWatch covering activities, policies and foibles of the 95 Neighborhood Councils.  She can be reached at [email protected]) 

-cw

 

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 28

Pub: Apr 4, 2014