I’ve been in meetings the last couple days, so today’s post is a detour from connecting you with the experts around Emerson. It’s about why…

I was influenced by the book, Start with Why. There’s a great TED Talk from the book’s author Simon Sinek, How great leaders inspire action. He makes the case that to effectively communicate something new or change, you must first start with why, before you move on to the how, and then the what.

Most companies and organizations do the opposite in their communications. They start with what, move on to how, and conclude with why. It’s the easiest way to do it, since it starts with what is most known and ends with the least known.

When you join a professional organization, either a trade group, professional society, or other external organization, why do you do it?

For me, one of the biggest reasons is to connect with a peer group with similar experiences and interests. Not only for the social aspects, but also to learn from their experiences. My hope is that these interactions over time are a shortcut to my learning, solving problems, or gaining additional experience.

What about you? What’s your “Why?” in participating in these types of organizations? I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me and other readers of this blog.