'We've got to let it simmer'

Last week, I was at a team meeting where the subject of growing memberships in their group came up from the members.

This group had added 8 members in the past 3 months and they are feeling pregnant.

And one of the ways we grow a group membership is to organize a recruitment activity via a guest day where members invite their contacts to a meeting for an overview of the group's activity.

So, they solicited my view on the matter at the end of their discussion.

Now bear in mind that it's now November and we are approaching December, where it's the holiday season and many people, including the members in this group, not to mention myself, are on holiday mood, to wind down after a very eventful year.

So I said to them, 'Let's add another 4 good and established new members from our regular weekly meetings, and now, make the total new recruits to say, 12 (remember they had added 8 recently).

'Let's ride out the year-end period with some fun activities for members and their families, for example a dinner and gift-exchange nite out. That will keep members connected, and build bondings.

'Let's not boil this pot now. We should start boiling early next year, just a few weeks after the New Year, but for now, let this simmer.

In building networking groups, sometimes we push, sometimes we pull. It takes a bit of wisdom to figure that out, but for now, I like this: 'We've go to let it simmer'!