It's messy

So I’ve seen my fair share of economic development plans of late. All well intentioned.

Socio economic data, stakeholder engagement, industry trends, action plans. All there. Great pieces of consulting work. Solid.

But I feel most (if not all) miss an important point.

It takes people to make it happen.

People who want to participate. Aligned. With a shared sense of endeavour. A shared identity.

Since caveman times, that's been about telling stories about a better future.

Stories and rituals that help us create order out of a messy reality.

It is what built tribes, nations, movements.

That is what I believe is missing when it comes to so many economic development efforts. A better story told, again and again.

As Ben Horowitz, Partner and Co-founder at Andreessen Horowitz once said - "The company story is the company strategy."

The same applies to countries, cities and communities.

So I’ve been wondering, how can economic development agencies and governments become better storytellers?

At it simplest, I think hire some copywriters when crafting the strategy; and event and content producers when rolling it out. Think movement, not management.

How else?

Would love your thoughts.