• First, outline the three rings of your work, personal life and community involvement as described by Ella Bell in Circus Acts. Label the performers and compare to others in your group. Discuss the symbolism of each performer and their purpose. What safety nets exist?
• Then, as suggested in a previous month, take a group outing to the circus. There's the standard Ringling Bros., the modern chic Cirque de Soleil or perhaps a local one. In San Francisco there's the Splash Circus, a youth-only specialty circus, and in Australia there's the Art Media clown shows.
• Observe the specific performers you made on your three-ring outline previous to the show. Afterward re-evaluate your outline. What is the corporate culture of the circus? Who are the ringmasters and clowns in your industry? Are these roles fluid? Where do you place yourself?
• Seth Godin tells us of an independent band and persistence. Check out the site of Onehanded Molly to learn more about their music and what they stand for. Every city, regardless of size, has an independent music movement that needs support. Find out if anyone in your group is in a band and if so arrange an evening out to see one of their shows. If not, survey your group to see what kind of music they like and adapt a local band. You can find bands to choose from at Indiemusic.com and listen to samples at MP3.com. Also look up the music clubs in your area that feature local bands-- they should come in all genres from rock to jazz to country.
• How do you react to Tom Peters's True Confessions? Consider starting a COF bookclub where group members all read the same business-oriented book each month or every two months. Make the first selection Tom Peter's 'In Search of Excellence' and keep in mind his nine confessions when you read it. What other revisions would you make to this book, and do you think the book still holds credibility despite Peters's confessions. What was true in business 20 years ago that isn't true now?
• Read more about Tom Peters on his Web site and his profile in Reason magazine. Discuss the accountability factor in business writing. Should writers be held accountable if they know what they're writing is based on flawed reasoning, alterior motives, or even false data?
• Play a word-association game in your group with the following Peters buzz words:people, customers, action, numbers, bureaucracy, control, ideas, liberation and speed. Which associated words come up several times. Which of these business concepts do you value?

Daniel Richards contributed this month's Next Steps.

December 2001 Connexus | Flash Points | Next Steps

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