I once had a government job as a manager with a small direct-report staff and responsibilities for training more than 200 employees. I was called into my supervisor’s office and asked to stop talking about mistakes I had made and failed business efforts. I was destroying employee confidence in me it seemed. Our corporate cultureContinue reading “Learning from Failure”
Category Archives: Planning
Not all those who wander are lost . . .*
Phil Hewlett and David Packard of HP fame suggested that “management by walking around” is an extraordinarily useful tool for seeing how operations are going in the workplace. Just getting out and seeing how your employees are working and interacting with each other can tell you far more than staying in your office and onlyContinue reading “Not all those who wander are lost . . .*”
Five Reasons Why You Should Have an Interpretive Plan
I cringe when I hear the words Ready-Fire-Aim used to describe the planning approach that many organizations use in developing new programs and facilities. I cringe because it was my favorite approach thirty years ago. I simply had no planning experience and it seemed reasonable to try something, anything, and hope it would work. FundersContinue reading “Five Reasons Why You Should Have an Interpretive Plan”
Who’s really in charge – power, authority, or influence?
Think of the last time you had a dinner party. Perhaps your spouse invited the boss and his family and now you’re faced with figuring out the menu. You ask your spouse what to serve, and he or she says, “It doesn’t matter, you decide and I’ll be fine with that.” Okay, you’ve been givenContinue reading “Who’s really in charge – power, authority, or influence?”
The Lettuce Tower
I have been a gardener my whole life and Lisa and I have now established eight large raised-bed gardens behind our home in Fort Collins. My mother and sister were florists, my dad ran a lawn mower business and my grandparents were farmers. Growing things has always given me a source of renewal and connectionContinue reading “The Lettuce Tower”
Making a Difference on Purpose
Dr. Sam Ham is a well-known name in the interpretation profession. He has just completed a new book entitled Interpretation – Making a Difference on Purpose. His classic first text, Environmental Interpretation – A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets was published in 1992 in English and Spanish. It has servedContinue reading “Making a Difference on Purpose”
Product or Experience?
Are you planning tourist or visitor products or experiences? It matters how you think about it. Tourist products, like tours, boat rides, or programs, are often viewed by visitors as commodities. They compare your two-hour tour to other diversions of two hours, like a movie. Price becomes an important factor in the decision to buyContinue reading “Product or Experience?”
Akagera National Park and Ruzizi Lodge, a Wildlife Experience
We recently visited Akagera National Park in northeastern Rwanda to fill in our understanding of the amazing progress being made in this small nation to protect important habitat and wildlife populations. Akagera, named after the river of the same name, includes montane forests, savannah and wetlands in its 1120 square kilometers. The park was badlyContinue reading “Akagera National Park and Ruzizi Lodge, a Wildlife Experience”
Beware the Memorized Spiel
I once attended a guided tour of a large, expensive visitor center for a major religious group in the United States. Elders of the church met people at the door of the center to offer a free, guided tour. I joined a tour and our group obediently followed the guide as he delivered what wasContinue reading “Beware the Memorized Spiel”
A Motivation by Any Other Name
I have questions about visitors, clients and customers. Who are they? What do they want to do? What do they enjoy? What kinds of experiences appeal to them? Is it enough to know their age group or their family status? Many planners have spent many decades developing visitor experiences with market segmentation approaches that areContinue reading “A Motivation by Any Other Name”
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