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The Acorn Alliance

Putting Relationships First and Business Second

by K. Jack Speer

Shouldn’t personal relationships come before professional ties? Not everyone will agree on this question, but there are a growing number of professionals who do. They feel that friendship is first and that networking with the sole purpose of looking for advantage in knowing another person leaves them cold and is alien to their value system.

Building an Organization Beginning with Personal Relationships

K. Jack Speer
President
The Delta Associates
Mike Bown and Tom Carroll  of International Sematech
Putting relationships first in an organization is the idea that Tom Carroll and Mike Bown, two trainers at International Sematech, an international high tech membership organization, think is important. That’s why they put together an organization they call the Acorn Alliance, a group that looks at the people before putting together the meeting agenda.

"Mike and I would hold regular lunches together and talk about ideas," explains Carroll. "We would invite other people who enjoyed the discussions so much that the table became too little. It was then that we decided to begin a larger group."

Although most of those who attend the meetings are involved in the field of corporate training, the personal connection between the people who attend is the most important aspect of the organization.

"We were struck by the number of people who feel lonely and isolated in today’s world," says Carroll. "There is a real fear in people of being alone. We want to create an embracing world where they know there are people who really care about their lives."

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"We work to find out what the person’s passion is," says Bown. "We look for people’s natural talents. We want to know what the person cares enough about to do it for free if they could afford to."

Developing "Inclusivity" Rather Than Exclusivity

Unlike other organizations designed for exclusivity of industry and rank, the Acorn Alliance reaches out to the broadest spectrum of professions possible. They also gently nudge people to be active participants in the group. "If you attend the Acorn Alliance for a while," says Carroll, "we’re going to ask you what you want to do, how you want to present your passion."

The Acorn Alliance places emphasis on acceptance of differences. They feel it’s not only important for each member to find his or her passion, but also that individual members appreciate and value the differences.

The Programs Are Designed to Build Relationships

The meetings themselves are designed to build relationships. They are once a month and include a social hour, a meal, and three presentations, beginning at 6:30 pm and ending at about 9:00 pm. "Stories are important," says Mike. "We like to tell stories because they’re fun and illustrate points we want to make."

The meeting feels like a combination of seminar and encounter group. One program included a meditative exercise by Kay Christopher, an Austin trainer and transpersonal psychology practitioner.

Austin icon Anne Robinson (88 years young and funnier than Jan Leno or any other late night comedian) makes the audience roar as she recounts her trip to the hospital where she created "Rumper Stickers." She convinces glum nurses to tie bumper sticker shaped signs onto their rears (Rumper Stickers) proclaiming their message to the world. She organized us into tables to create our very own. (My contribution was, "My other one is a Jennifer Lopez!")

The goal of the Acorn Alliance is for individuals to form friendships and alliances. "We’ve had experiences of people getting together as friends and finally doing business," Carroll and Bown both report.  For more information on the Acorn Alliance go to http://www.abilitynow.com.

 

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Translating Organizational Vision Into Market Reality
Specialists in Organizational Strategy, Assessment, Research, Management Development and Sales Training

The Delta Associates - PO Box 33411 - Austin, TX 78764
Telephone 512.498.9780 - Fax 512.373.4222 - Email