Topic 4 Engaging the community

Planning ahead allows you to manage your staff and activities more effectively and guides the future of your hub in a controlled way. Whether you want your hub to grow or just continue to function effectively, it is crucial to be clear about the key components needed to prepare it for future success.

Looking outside the hub, identify opportunities to develop your hub and the potential barriers you will need to address, so as to ensure success, and to engage the community you want to serve.

  • For ideas to have an impact, you need to plan how you will put them into action.
  • Clearly defined tasks can protect you from becoming a bottleneck, where actions are delayed or not completed. Delegating tasks can help you avoid burnout and ensure you are engaging the skills, knowledge, and motivation of your team. Involving others in the delivery of actions is a powerful way to keep everyone involved and focused on the purpose of the hub.

Action  →  What are you going to do? Be specific - explain in detail the steps you are going to take. Use action words.

Resource  →  What information, equipment, etc. do you need? Are there any barriers you need to address?

Lead  →  Who is in charge? Does he/she have experience, motivation, skills? To whom does this person report?

Support  →  Who else has relevant knowledge or experience? Think about your team and your wider network.

Deadlines  →  When will it be accomplished? When and how do you update your progress?