Photo: Vital Aging Network

This weekend I was flipping through TV channels and, while I usually skip over the community programming on cable TV, I happened to land on a city council meeting. A resident I would guess to be in his 60s was thanking the council for recent road and bike path improvements.

Now that I’m well into my 50s, I find that I’m approaching my role in my own community a little differently. I haven’t been involved in the past, but perhaps now may be the time. My kids are grown and, although my work, my grandchildren and my 97-year-old father keep me busy, I see my neighborhood as my anchor. In the 26 years I’ve lived in my neighborhood, I’ve watched as the community evolved. And now perhaps it’s my turn to have an impact – to be a (dare I say?) leader.

Many of us hold ourselves back from becoming leaders in our communities for various reasons:

• We may not realize the “communities” we’re actually a part of. Most of us belong to multiple communities – neighborhoods, church groups, volunteer groups, our workplace, etc. – and we can be more effective members within each of these groups.

• We may not be clear about what our talents are that could be of value to our communities.

• We may not know how to step forward – how to leverage our talents and experience for the good of our communities.

“Be the Change” is a free workshop designed to help Saint Paul residents age 50 and better find their own unique answers to these questions. In two short hours, workshop attendees will explore the importance of community involvement, where their special “niche” is and concrete steps they can take to make the Saint Paul community a better place to live.

A collaborative effort, “Be the Change” is presented by Vital Aging Network and Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly and funded by The Saint Paul Foundation. Please join us!

When: Thursday, January 26, 6-8 p.m.

Where: Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church – Fellowship Room, 674 Johnson Parkway, Saint Paul

To register, or for more information, contact LuAnne Speeter at lspeeter@littlebrothersmn.org or 612.746.0753. Space is limited.

Here’s your chance to create your own legacy while giving back to the Saint Paul community. Share the gift of your experience!

Download flyer: Be the Change Workshop

~ LuAnne Speeter is a guest contributor.

“What a minute,” he said, “we’re all busy.  Why should we be wasting time and money on this?” He went on to share his view of vision statements:  “Very expensive random words, framed on a conference room or a lobby wall, and never thought of again.”   He likened our intended outcome to, um, bovine-derived fertilizer.

I have to concede: I’ve seen many such statements, and I’ve worked in and around the organizations that sport them.  Many involved consultants; every single one began with abundant good intentions.  So, how can we make a leadership vision – the content, more than the statements themselves – a valuable, strategic leadership tool?

A vision is a description of the future that can guide and motivate people to bring it about.   It is a product of practical, applied imagination.  We consider four factors when crafting a vision that will remain useful:

• Scope:  Who and what are involved in the realization of this vision?  Who must take action, who might be involved, and whom will be affected?  The scope of a vision could be as narrow as a single individual, or as broad as the universe.
• Reach: What is the “distance” between our current reality and our future vision?  Is our vision readily attainable, or will it require a high levels of effort, resources, or risk?  How long might it take to see progress, or to come to fruition?
• Impact:  Why does this vision matter?  What are the expected benefits?  What are the negative consequences of any changes, and how might we mitigate them?
• Clarity: Have we thought through specifics? Can we articulate our vision in ways that engage others in helping to bring it about?

Finally, any powerful vision is a shared vision: created by a group, and valued by group members.  Leaders play a particular role: igniting a common interest in creating or preserving something of value, and stoking the ongoing commitment to bring it about.  Leaders in all roles become the stewards of their groups’ visions, working to empower others to make them real.  That ongoing job is easier if the vision itself reflects some up-front work, and some refinement from time to time as well.

With due attention to the quality of our vision, we stand a very good chance of pleasantly surprising – and ultimately engaging- even the staunchest skeptics.

This can be something related to business, community, leadership, a new sport or just something you have always wanted to try but never took the time.  Shortly after leaving college I gave myself a goal to try something new that year and was very happy and surprised at the result.  It stretched me in new ways and helped broaden my view of the world.  That started an annual tradition for me to each year choose at least one new adventure or experience to stretch myself.  I gladly will admit it has been one of the best things I have done.  I always know I have chosen well when at some point during that event I feel very much outside my comfort zone.

I encourage you to give it a try and please feel free to write a comment and share with others what you are doing this year.

Twin Cities Startup Weekend — February 10 – 12

There is a special event coming up that I would highly recommend and it just might be your one new thing for this year. The 3rd annual Twin Cities Startup Weekend is taking place at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota from February 10 – 12.  It is a great event where about 80 people come together to create something new in just over 50 hours.  It starts with everyone having a chance to share an idea they have for a project.  The group then votes and the top 10 or so get to give a little more detailed overview.  Then everyone else in the room chooses which idea they want to help with and over the next 48 hours they take it from idea to concept and pitch it to a panel of judges. I am always amazed at how much can truly get done in such a short time period when you have engaged people who have a passion to try something new.  Please checkout Twin Cities Startup Weekend to learn more.

Best wishes on whatever new adventure you choose and have a wonderful 2012.

Tell Me More 

Use this tool when you hear a “ping” to signal that something deeper is going on with an employee.  For example, your direct report mentions a job opportunity in another area of the organization.  At your next one-on-one, you bring up this topic.  “You mentioned the job opportunity in marketing.  Tell me  more about the job.”  This tool may uncover other interests the employee has and other opportunities for advancement in the organization to retain the employee.

The Five Whys

This tool was developed by Toyota in the 1970’s when competition was fierce for the company.  In order to gain an edge, manufacturing processes needed to be improved.  The Five Whys is a tool to quickly get to a root cause of a problem and its solution.  For example, financial information input into a main computer system is not translating into financial reports.  A line of questioning might go something like the following:

• Why is the financial information not showing up in the reports?  Answer:  The report query is not pulling the correct numbers.

• Why is the report query not reporting the correct numbers?  The report query is missing these three fields.

• Why are the three fields missing from the query?  The three fields were dropped when a computer system upgrade happened last year.

• Solution:  Add the three fields back into the query and check the upgraded system for compatibility.

She also covered the Appreciative Inquiry tool.  A more complex tool best utilized for recruiting and retaining high performing employees.

Have you used any of these?  What other coaching tools have you used?

I have always been practical.  My family hates trying to buy gifts for me. My lists are “boring”.  Malls give me a rash.  I realize my view isn’t everyone’s view.  Nor is my view right and other’s wrong.  But what I started to wonder is if I try to live more minimalistic, would I be a better leader?

Being a minimalist is not the same as being frugal or cheap.  It is about buying and living with what you need.  Each person’s needs are theirs.  One answer doesn’t fit all.  What you needed 10 years ago may not be what you need now.  But why would people want to be more minimalistic?  Here are a few of the benefits on minimalism:

• More time –It takes time to buy stuff.   It takes time to use, maintain, clean and repair stuff.
• More money – Less you buy, the more you can save and/or give away.
• Less stress – Less you need to worry about maintaining, repairing, insuring, protecting and paying for.  Also, a clean room with fewer items seems to bring a sense of peace and tranquility.
• Greener planet; more for others – Our planet has a finite number of resources.  Consuming less of our planet’s resources make for a better future for others.

Historically, and globally, there are many leaders that would be considered minimalists.  Our community is blessed to have many non-profit and civic leaders living as minimalists.  This doesn’t seem as prevalent in Corporate America.  Businesses exist to make money.  How does minimalism apply to corporate leaders?  Honestly, I don’t have an answer.  However, here is the conclusion I came to for myself as a leader.  I think if I have more time, more money to save and give away, less stress, treat our earth’s resources with respect, not be materialistic in my personal life, how could I not be a better leader at work?  What do you think?

Enjoy the holidays with your families and friends.  Help your children understand what is important.

Credit: J. Stephen Conn

I am extremely proud to be a Minnesotan.

Over the last week you have read a number of articles on this site about GiveMN‘s Give to the Max Day which took place earlier this week.  This was their 3rd annual event and by all measures it was a huge success.  In 24 hours they raised $13.4 Million dollars from 47,543 donors who gave to a total of 3,978 non-profits.

Generosity is alive and well in Minnesota just as it has been for generations.  GiveMN is helping to spark that passion in new donors and make it relevant to younger generations.  It is exciting to see how students on campuses and those involved with great youth development organizations such as Students Today Leaders Forever have embraced and thrived by getting everyone involved and even creating competitions around giving.  Our community and region has benefited greatly by the generosity of everyday people since our state was first founded.  People give of their time, talents and treasures every day of the year and that is what makes this an amazing place to live.

When many think about donations they first think of some of our founding families such as Cargill, Pillsbury, Dayton, Crosby and McKnight or our generous companies such at General Mills, Target, Starkey, 3M or Best Buy.  Each of these names has played a huge role in the success and vibrancy of our community but equally important is the support of each and every individual.  As Margaret Mead so eloquently put it “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. “  This is still so very true as you think of the 3,978 organizations who received funds, each one was started by a very small group and grew because one person supported them and than another.

The majority of the time we never know the impact our involvement has on others.  We often think, my small contribution isn’t going to make a difference but as you can see from the GiveMN results, 47,753 small donations turned into $13.4 Million dollars which will make a huge impact in our community.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Give to the Max day — You are amazing, you may never know the true impact you made possible but all of us continuing to work together will keep this an amazing place to live.

Be Proud – Be Bold – Be Involved

The challenge put forth by Harvard professor Michael Porter, chairman and founder of ICIC, was that if we’re to see dramatic change in meeting the employment needs of inner city residents and economic growth in these communities, more focused and customized strategies are needed.  He also proposed that focusing on industry clusters, which is much more prevalent globally and increasingly utilized in the United States, can and should be an economic development strategy within distressed urban areas.

Why?  Because regional growth and prosperity depends on it.

So what does this take?  In example after example, panelists and presenters highlighted key elements that need to be present:

• Clarity of vision
• Coordinated leadership, aligning and leveraging stakeholders (their strategies, strengths and resources)
• Communicating transparent and relevant information to all involved
• Creating trusted relationships
• Bridging social capital, especially across race and class
• Committing to the long-term

These elements reflect the “how” rather than the “what.”  Far too often, we get focused on the next best thing.  And while I believe in the sharing of approaches that work (and even sharing those that didn’t), when it comes to developing and implementing strategies in communities–whether at the neighborhood or regional levels–the “what” becomes highly customized to the local environment.

I will contend, however, there were some really great approaches shared, too.  Transformation of Chicago’s City Colleges system to help students achieve economically relevant credentials for the jobs of today and the future vs. jobs in the past 25 years.  Re-framing the industrial/manufacturing sector as cluster development in inner cities and preparing the workforce to be able to obtain those jobs.  Focusing on small business development, particularly minority-owned businesses, as assets in inner cities helping to create employment and wealth creation opportunities.  An inspirational story of Revolution Foods, a social enterprise producing and distributing fresh food to schools.  And the list goes on.

ICIC is promising to continue the dialogue started at the summit at their website:  www.icic.org.  I’m looking forward to checking back in with them.  More importantly, I’m interested in figuring out how to put this wealth of information to work.  Let me know your thoughts.

Credit: www.digitaldesktopwallpaper.com

An email arrives from someone you don’t know and you go to open it.  As you read through it you find out it is someone that was referred to you, found you on an alumni database or saw your profile on LinkedIn.  They often give you a little bit of background and then ask you for a little bit of time to connect via phone or to see if it would be possible to come out for a coffee.   I strongly suggest you find a way to say yes, even if it takes a month to get on the calendar.

This is a scenario that I have had the fortune to see more frequently over the last six months.   As an individual becomes more involved in the community or their industry there will come a tipping point whereby you go from being the one always asking for a meeting to the person who now is being asked.  Being on the asked side now more than the asking side, I have a much larger appreciation for the wonderful people who took time out of their schedules to sit down and meet with me.

A thousand things run through your mind of things you need to be working on instead and are not quite sure you always have the time.  My personal philosophy is to make time — these are extremely important.  They allow you give back and in a sense pass along the goodwill that someone gave to you when they took the time to meet with you.  You also get a chance to make a new connection, learn about their story and what drives them.  Often times you leave thinking you gained more than you gave and also may have left a lasting impression that could dramatically impact their life.  In most cases you never will know the true impact you had but every once in a while you will reconnect with them a few years later and they will express back to you something that stuck with them and made an impact in their thinking.

Overall it is a huge gift to the community and your network to make time to accept as many requests as possible.  It doesn’t mean you have to cancel your current meetings or negatively impact your projects.  In many cases it might be a few weeks or a month out before it works for your calendar but they are still ecstatic that you took the time to connect with them.  As you talk with them also be thinking about who in your network they would benefit from meeting or who might benefit from meeting them.  Be willing to open doors and make connections because you never know where one of those connections might lead.

This year we have 90 delegates and a waiting list. What does Portland’s mystique mean to us here in Minneapolis-Saint Paul? Our communities seem to envy Portland, but why?

Portland has a reputation as a green, sustainable city with a high quality of life. Their transit system is accessible, user-friendly and is a proven successful economic driver in the community.

But wait. Three years ago the civic leaders from Portland came to Minneapolis & Saint Paul. They were amazed that our region is home to 19 Fortune 500 companies. (Portland has 1) They were jealous of our park system and the integration of our lakes and trails.

This summer Portland’s unemployment rate was 9.5% while the Minnesota Metropolitan region was at 6.9%. The city of Portland has a homeless population estimated around 15,000, while the estimated number in the entire state of Minnesota is 13,000. They have an annual precipitation around 40 inches and we have a mere 34 inches annually.

High unemployment? Significant homeless population, less sun, more rain….let’s move to Portland! Maybe those of us who live in Minnesota prefer the myth of Portland to the reality of their numbers.

The ICLV agenda includes a bike tour through Portland, a look at their South Waterfront development and a study of the streetcar system effects on neighborhood commercial renaissance. The delegation will also discuss PSU’s role in Portland: “knowledge to serve the city”, public/private collaboration for education reform and Business Leadership in Economic Development Planning and Policy.  In addition, the entire program will be conducted using public transit.

When we return, the delegation hopes to dispel Portland’s myths, embrace the legends, and start making their success stories a reality back here in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

There is something, however, to the need for finding simple, elegant (perhaps even “sticky”) leadership concepts and lessons that we can all take with us into our workplaces and communities. Bookshelves are lined with a myriad of opinions, experiences, concepts and processes for the development and practice of leadership:  steward leadership, adaptive leadership, narcissistic leadership, collective or shared leadership, and the list goes on.

Here are just some of the concepts and experiences I’ve gleaned through the years and hold:

• Leadership is not a popularity contest.
• Positional authority is not the same as leadership.  People truly follow leaders if and when they feel inspired and respected.
• A practice of good leadership is knowing when you’re faced with an adaptive challenge or a technical challenge and not attempting to solve an adaptive problem with a technical solution.
• Leadership is more art than science.
• Good leaders offer up their gifts and talents to cultivate others to step forward and exercise their own leadership potential.
• Leaders are made, not born.

It’s no wonder that the issues of leadership are ever more present in our minds or topics of discussion.  Whether it’s the increasing complexity and uncertainty facing our communities and organizations or the increasing polarization among our political leadership, people are hungry for inspired leadership.  I contend the practice of leadership belongs with each of us wherever and whenever we feel impassioned to engage.  There is no superman (or superwoman) coming to our rescue, just like there is no perfect meal to be had on a stick.