This past Sunday we spent two hours at the National Air and Space Museum. Yesterday we spent nearly four hours at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. If I was a betting man I would have bet that Air and Space would be the winner in the competition for the attention of my children. I would have been wrong.

Before you say they were more interested in the Marines because of my service, I don’t think so. Sure, that gets the initial interest but it is what happens once you are in the door and the Marines get your attention, and keep it.

At Air and Space you see aircraft, ALOT of aircraft, but not alot of context and not alot of interaction. At the Marine Corps Museum you get context, you see exhibits that tell a story and there are some highly interactive portions that even a 7 year old boy can get into.

There is a lesson for us here. We all respond to stories and we all want to be involved. We want to be engaged. The challenge for leaders is to communicate in such a way that people are engaged. The Marine exhibits explained the context of what was going on. At Air and Space you see a plane, or a rocket, but no real story. Maybe flight doesn’t lend itself to that as a battle might but the lesson for us remains.

Engage your people and explain the context and you will have more success.

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