Like SURGE, the articles in this week’s Friday Five are aimed at helping you and your organization grow.

In order to thrive, your organization must rely on staffers and members to be professional, courteous, inclusive and focused. 

Utilizing these six building blocks to create a foundation conducive to innovation will propel your organization into true change, meaningful discoveries and support future endeavours.

Rather than prioritizing a singular business goal — such as attracting more members — the Open Garden model empowers associations to expand their mission and increase their impact in new ways.

Just as established professionals can impart the wisdom and skills needed to succeed, newer additions to your organization bring innovation, experimentation and fresh ideas to their peers.

Show your employees you value their daily work. That way, they’ll feel as if every work day matters and that they are making an impact in the association. 

That kind of understanding and solid relationship-building can only happen in an organization where people listen to one another. The employees’ concerns, feelings, and ideas need to be heard by their leaders and co-workers. 

While it’s true that institutional knowledge can be priceless, associations must balance the impulse toward continuity with innovation or risk being left behind.

If your team walks in smiling and ready to dive in, you know you’ve built a good culture. But if everyone seems uninterested in their work, productivity and morale will be low, and turnover will be high.  

Business and leadership coach John Spence has narrowed down a list of values that represent the needs of all generations that might be working with you: stability, dignity and purpose. Here’s how each one might look in the workplace.