Magnetic destinations are healthy ecosystems

There's a reason why I won't leave Apple. They created an ecosystem of product offerings a long time ago before I knew I wanted apple products.

Before Apple, I didn't care about the PC vs. Mac debates. In 2001, all I wanted was a computer that allowed me to write papers for school and play SimCity in my dorm room. Fast forward to today, and every tech product I have is an apple.

Of course, you could argue the same way for any other brand of gadgets.

(I am not here to push Apple)

Thriving places are ecosystems. Ecosystems are living organisms that interact with each other and the surrounding environment.

(Sounds a lot like a place or community)

The strength of a family, team, organization, community, or nation is only as good as its weakest link. The unit or organization grows at the health and rate of the interactions between people and their surrounding environment.

To be a place that draws and retains people requires much more than amenities (surrounding environment). It requires healthy interactions. And in many places, I find that the pace of transformation is rooted in the interpersonal relationships of its "grassroots and grass top leadership." Where there is healthy interaction, you will often find a playbook driving the flywheel of the growth of that place.

Places are changing faster than ever, and we can choose to lead these changes with a playbook or become a tool in someone else's book.