Do individuals need institutions, or do institutions need individuals?

Addressing that question, johnmoore of Brand Autopsy snagged a nice find of a Dan Pink article recently published in Ad Age.

Dan Pink states:

That big agency or marketer needs you a lot more than you need them. I mean, what do you need now to reach potential clients? A phone, a computer with an Internet connection.

Hmm. Regarding technology and capabilities, I totally agree with Dan Pink.

What’s not addressed are softer needs. If we’re talking about right-brained talent, then these are individuals who probably have a heightened sense of need for community.

I fit the psychographic mentioned in Pink’s article. I’m a fairly balanced right/left-brained individual (skewing slightly to the right), yet I wouldn’t make it very long as a solopreneur.

Example:
Several years ago, the company I worked for participated in a Tulsa city-wide event called Corporate Challenge. I poured over the entry form, checking off events in which I would be interested. As I reviewed my selections, I noticed something interesting: I chose all team events. Although I love basketball, I didn’t choose the basketball shooting contest because it was an individual event.

Now, I’m not saying that all individuals with the proper right and left-brain mix are team oriented… but we can’t ignore the soft assets which organizations can offer.

In fact, it’s the organizations that grasp these less tangibles that will thrive.