We’ve written before in this blog about Arlin Sorenson, CEO of Heartland Technology Solution, and the Go-Giver-themed business retreat he held this summer on his farm in Harlan, Iowa.
Arlin from Harlan hasn’t stopped there. Arlin operates a business peer-group organization called the Heartland Tech Groups (HTG), where owners of different companies in the same industry get together once a quarter for two days of face-to-face meetings to share their experiences and best practices in an open-book, utterly noncompetitive environment.
They have been doing this for seven years, and now have eighteen groups going.
Here’s what Arlin says about how they’re using Pindar and the gang to help support their group:
I wanted to share a great example of how your book and the culture it expresses is taking root in our peer groups.
This weekend, two of our members headed to another state to help a fellow member who had called out for help. The economy and some other circumstances were overwhelming to the point where this member’s company was considering massive layoffs or even closure.
These two volunteered to give up their own precious time (they both lead and manage their own companies) to fly to this member’s office and perform a SWOT (assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), from which they could provide guidance on immediate action steps that could be taken to deal with the issues at hand. This included part of their weekend, a level of commitment that makes this even more amazing.
I just received their findings and feedback report this morning after returning from church — and they are exploding with great ideas and suggestions that will make a significant impact on the company they went to help. Because of the go-giving actions taken by these two men, things for that owner have gone from “futile and overwhelming” to “manageable and possible.”
And the really fun thing, as I read their feedback, is that they will be forever changed by the investment they made to be go-givers. Not the first time this has happened, as I have personally been part of eight other visits like this in the past two years.
I now require all members of HTG to read The Go-Giver and do a book report on it, which is shared within their group meetings. When they join our program, the first thing I give them is a copy of the book (now over 125 copies handed out) and talk about the culture of go-giving that makes HTG what it is today.
We have been go-givers since we started the program seven years ago, but your book has really made it a lot simpler to explain to our new members, and for that I am grateful.
Do we have the most amazing readers, or what?
Who do you know of who’s using The Go-Giver to help support and build their business or organization? We love hearing about it!
Wow! Your readers are amazing and inspiring. People in Arlin’s group are very lucky to have such a committed Go-Giver for a leader.
We are in the process of setting up a mastermind group. I believe we will follow Arlin’s footsteps. Just imagine being associated with a group like that. Awesome!
Thank you for the story Arlin and Go-Giver’s Blog for sharing it.
Learning…Enjoying…Sharing
As an HTG member and facilitator, my involvement with HTG has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for my business. Having rooms full of fellow “Go-Givers,” working together to benefit everyone, has been just a powerful thing that has remade my business.