Genius Drop: A Referral Is Not a Completed Handoff
A referral is not a completed handoff.
In a September 22 commentary in Community College Daily, RochesterWorks CEO Dave Seeley and Monroe Community College President DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna describe a career center being co-located at the college’s downtown campus. The piece argues for closer coordination between education, employment services and other support. The publication date is September 22; it does not establish that the groundbreaking occurred that day.
Here is the Natural Genius question I take from that decision: how will leaders know whether closer proximity becomes a better experience for the person seeking help?
Discover: Separate the intention from the evidence.
A shared location can make coordination possible. It does not, by itself, show that someone reached the service they needed. Look at the journey, not only the organizational chart. This is a developmental lens, not an evaluation of the organizations described in the source.
Activate: Check one real handoff.
Choose one recent referral in your own team or service. With appropriate permission, confirm who accepted responsibility, whether the person reached the next step, and where they had to repeat their story. Do not circulate private case details. Record one point of friction and one change to test.
Relational Genius can contribute through listening, trust and understanding. Execution Genius can contribute through ownership, sequencing and follow-through. These are possible forms of contribution, not labels assigned to the people in the news.
Thrive: Make the connection repeatable.
Agree who will close the loop and when the team will review the change. Track completed connections alongside referrals made. If a connection fails, learn where the process lost the person before assuming they lacked motivation.
The capability to practice is simple: distinguish activity from a completed handoff, then use that evidence to improve the next one.
Count completed connections, not just referrals sent.
Discover. Activate. Thrive.
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jason@natgenius.com
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