The Creativity Suite. Episode 166: Creativity is clarity of thought
Interview with Even Bolstad, the Managing Director of HR Norge.
What does, at its core, a professional association do?
Why do they exist?
I am talking about marketing associations, professional speakers’ associations, HR associations, and similar organizations.
It’s easy to say: “to provide networking opportunities for peers”, “to facilitate knowledge exchanges”, “to provide inspiration”, or “to share industry trends that help its members grow.”
All of this is, of course, correct. But if you could only use one description, which one would you use?
The ability to put a word on what you really do is crucial.
When you find the perfect description, you get clarity.
With the exact right description, you get the right perspective on yourself.
And when you have clarity of thought, creativity and action can thrive.
If the description is just slightly off, you risk derailing your direction and your focus.
Just being a bit off can make you very lost.
The problem is that putting the right description on what you do is harder than most people understand.
I recently got the chance to discuss this topic with Even Bolstad, the Managing Director of HR Norge, Norway’s leading professional association for human resources and people management professionals.
In an intense conversation, I pushed him to describe what HR Norge does in just a couple of words.
He replied: “We are takeaway scouts.”
And with those few words, he nailed the reason for being a professional association.
The members of HR Norge come to the association’s events because they want to learn new things, pick up best practices, and get inspired to develop themselves and/or their organizations.
And to give value to its membership, HR Norge needs to deliver that at just the right level.
People come to their conferences to get valuable takeaways – something of value that they can take home and use in their lives, profession, or organization.
Yes, HR Norge also provides networks, courses, and webinars. They also provide insights through reports and surveys and have a clear voice in the public debate. But conferences have been their flagship products. And through all of the different offerings, the aim is to scout out takeaways.
Even, who has been at the helm of HR Norge since its start 24 years ago, has grown the association to the third largest HR association in Europe – impressive, since Norway is quite a small country. And the events at HR Norge are widely considered to be some of the best, if not the best, HR conferences in Europe.
Clearly, Even and his team are onto something.
If you run a professional association, are you looking at yourself as takeaway scouts?
What would change if you did?
And if you are in another profession, how would you describe in a couple of words what you do in a way that gives total clarity?
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Jun