Open-Source Stakeholder Management: P&G Alumni Reunion

This past weekend I attended the P&G Alumni reunion, a once-every-five-years gathering of over 500 former P&G managers put on by the P&G Alumni Network. The reunion was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, laugh (and cry) over a few battle scars, absorb 'key learnings" from a handful of provocative panels spearheaded by some of the brightest and most accomplished minds in marketing and business management, and reflect, with humility (I was surrounded by over-achievers), on my own personal career and long-term objectives.   Reunions are a dime a dozen, but this one had a unique characteristic, and the term that kept buzzing above my head through-out the event was "Open Source Stakeholder Management." Rather than shy away from, or snub, the folks that left the company over the years, P&G clearly saw unique competitive advantage in embracing the network.   While not the official organizer of the event, P&G was an active sponsor and participant, and the company's level of engagement in the activity seemed to reflect a new corporate mindset -- one that almost parallels the attitude of companies that take a more progressive view of employees blogging. (Just think about how companies like IBM and HP view their open employee blog platforms as strategic assets.)  Throughout the event, an important message kept resonating from the P&G representatives in attendance, including the CEO, A.G. Lafley: you are not only alums, but potential partners, suppliers, co-creators, external sources (and potential pipelines) of innovation, and more.  This "Connect & Develop" principle is not only smart, but also practical -- you just never know who might be an ally or partner.  I get this feeling every time a former work colleague -- whether from P&G or the California legislature -- reaches out to me via Linked In.  Even this blog has become an incredible source of driving new connections, or refreshing old ones -- even a few I once considered permanently off my "A-List."  :-)