Leadership Twin Cities’ focus is to inform and inspire future leaders about critical issues facing the community; it in turn challenges them to make a difference through personal commitment.

Going through the program again (I was a participant 2 years ago) has been hugely rewarding and again exposed me to various issues, albeit through a different lens. What I particularly like about Leadership Twin Cities is that it prompts questions but does not provide answers; finding answers is up to each individual.

At Vision Day, one of the speakers, George Dow, also a contributor to this site, challenged the class of fifty to find their “community calling.” And they certainly had some great experiences from which to select — be it a police ride-along, a theater tour, a visit to a jail, a tour of the cities, a day spent at a High School, or a particularly inspiring speaker from any of the nine program days.

My co-chair Becky and I tried to encourage the class to recognize common themes linking the days. This time around I’ve been aware of how money—or the lack thereof—has affected everything from the number of firefighters employed to the funding non-profit organizations receive.

Consider: Is it more important to fund libraries or the arts? Is it more prudent to have safe streets or places for homeless people to spend the night? Is the aesthetic beauty of the cities more important than efficient, well-funded hospitals? These are just some of the issues the class was able to reflect on.

Another great aspect of the program is the relationships and networking opportunities you develop, and I suspect that many among this year’s class will be in touch with each other for years to come.

If community involvement is your calling I encourage you to get involved – join a non-profit board or find a place to volunteer that matches your passion. It is commitment from people like you and me that will make the difference between success and failure. Leadership Twin Cities lets you decide just how deep into an issue you want to get.

As a parting gesture, Becky and I gave the class refrigerator magnets with a quote from Winston Churchill on them that reads “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Perhaps making a difference matters by confronting the prospect that it doesn’t; and putting a smile on someone’s face may just serve to put a smile on your own.

Two class members were even able to imagine a whole new career for themselves after finding inspiration through the program. One joined a non-profit after working for years in the corporate world; another left her job and started her own interior design business.

It’s been an honor to have served as co-chair these past nine months. I often tell people that Leadership Twin Cities is like a hidden gem in the community – not many people are aware of its existence, but once discovered they’ll benefit from its riches.

My own position was recently eliminated and, like the two class members mentioned above, I believe that now is the time to make a change, to imagine a whole new career for myself as well!

~ Christopher Maddox is a guest contributor.

Over the past 5 years I have been helping the participants of the civic engagement/leadership development programs Leadership Twin Cities and  Leadership Philadelphia answer this question:  If today was your 75th birthday, and life had gone really well for you, what would people be thanking you for, especially those from your community?  I tell each participant that one of the most important outcomes of their deep dive into community issues (one full day each month for 9/10 months) is to discover and pursue their community calling.

I do this exercise each year for 60 Twin Cities and 110 Philadelphia for-profit and non-profit leaders because this 75th birthday vision can help shape today’s priorities.  Let me walk you through it.  Round 1 involves asking your three imagined 75th birthday guests what they would like to thank you for.  These guests include one each from your personal, professional and community life, and don’t forget that the other person at the table is you!  So what is each person thanking you for?

Round 2 asks these same three people and you about today;  what would each suggest you continue to do, and what would each suggest you change in order to achieve that 75th birthday vision?  Please note when you do this exercise that each representative could be alive or not.  Go ahead, try it, then ask yourself “is it time for a change?”

Several years ago I heard a presentation by Larry Wilson, founder of the Twin Cities based training and organizational consulting company Wilson Learning.   He told the audience that there is actually a mathematical formula for change readiness:  Vision + Dissatisfaction + Process > Cost.  In other words, our vision plus our dissatisfaction plus our process of change needs to be more powerful, more compelling, than the cost of change (most often this cost includes time, effort, risk, money, emotion).  One only need look at how health clubs fill up in January and empty in May to see how costs can overpower the most popular new years resolution and source of dissatisfaction each year:  losing weight and getting fit.

How does this relate to community calling?  My guess is that your imagined representative from the community at your 75th birthday party really wants to be able to thank you for your community contributions, and he or she probably thinks you are making progress today, but there is possibly something getting in the way (usually a cost) that you need to deal with.  Can you fine tune and strengthen your vision (this 75th birthday vision will do)?  Can you let your dissatisfaction with some community issue be amplified in your heart and mind to inspire you to action?  Can you find a process that works for you over time, and overcome the cost factors?

Let’s make sure we are on the same page on the definition of terms.   I am speaking of both community calling and community legacy here, so let me stop and define each. Aristotle is believed to have once said: “our calling is the intersection of our talents and the needs of the world”.  In other words, what we are really good at, care about and enjoy doing (our preferred talents) need to find their way into our primary work, and hopefully also into our service to the community.  And our legacy?  Since I couldn’t find a good enough definition in the dictionary, I’ll offer my own:  Our legacy is our personal, professional and community contributions that live on in the hearts, minds, words and deeds of others.  Another way of saying this comes from psychologist Erik Erikson:  “We are what survives of us”.

You now have some new tools, strategies and perspectives on discovering and pursuing your community calling and building a more sustainable community legacy.  Try the exercises I have suggested.  Post a reply and tell us your thoughts on this.  Picture yourself in the center of your tribe as a wise, generous and beloved elder.  Have a happy 75th birthday!

George Dow (www.georgedow.com)

~ George Dow is a guest contributor.

If you are diagnosed with cancer, family & friends will “circle the wagons”. People will make an effort to understand your illness, research your treatment and use web sites like CaringBridge to communicate all the pertinent details. People will volunteer to provide assistance with meals, errands and transportation.

No one brings you a casserole when you have depression.

Despite significant awareness campaigns highlighting schizophrenia, major depression, and alcohol dependence as neurological based diseases; society still views these afflictions as lack of initiative or morality on the part of the individual. These patients cannot “get with it” or “start an exercise program” as a cure.

Leadership Twin Cities will be discussing Health Issues this month at Hennepin County Medical Center. On the agenda for the first time is Mental Health. The class will also discuss health care reform, how it will affect the uninsured population, the insurance companies and the medical device industry. The inclusion of mental health is significant. If we are going to reduce the misperception of these illnesses, it will take civic leaders and community organizations to partner together to support the Minnesotans affected by these diseases. Maybe empathy is the prescription and perhaps advocacy is the cure.

You can join the Leadership Twin Cities class in discussing Minneapolis-Saint Paul Health Issues on Thursday, January 13^th on Twitter.  Follow @wendyhelg and use the hashtag #LTC2011

The following is my personal reflection of my annual visit to North High School. I don’t pretend to know all the specifics of the Minneapolis public school budget and I do not want to comment on whether or not the school should be closed. I just want to share what I see on one day, each year.

About 50 business leaders spend the day in the North High “Media Center”. Since 1999, this place has not changed one bit. The creaky uncomfortable chairs and tables are still the same. The “motivational” posters have circa 1980 photos of Phylicia Rashad, Bill Cosby and David Copperfield encouraging the students to “READ”. There are about 10 computers, for a school designed to house approximately 1200 students. The one difference I do notice is that the number of books in the center is decreasing.

For the past 11 programs, once a year, a few business people meet the students, the teachers and the principal of North High. Every year the evaluation comments are similar and say things like: “Wow, this place is amazing! Being here has totally changed my opinion of this place” or “The kids were fantastic, so bright and dedicated” or “The teachers are really passionate about the work they do here”.

The wonderful comments don’t surprise me and I expect them. What does astonish me are the statements from the class like these: “I hated sitting on those uncomfortable chairs all day” or “the bells and the kids in the hallway were disruptive & made it hard to concentrate”. While the Leadership participants were able to appreciate the talent and hard work at North, many still don’t comprehend the obstacles these kids face daily.

Once a year I breeze through North High and I am impressed by the people and depressed by the environment. While bothered, I haven’t taken any action. But each year I wonder:

1. Do all Minneapolis public school media centers look like this one?
2. Do the suburban high school media centers have 30 year old “motivational” posters?
3. Would North High lose students if the facilities provided the same learning environment as other schools?
4. What if the Minneapolis business community focused on North High for more than one day a year?

I hope I now have you wondering too.

Those are some of the reasons I hear from people dissatisfied with a membership organization, professional development course or community program. If you joined a health club, but didn’t go, would you get results? If you went to the club, but just looked at the machines and watched classes, would you lose weight?

It isn’t any different for personal/professional development or networking opportunities. I’ve seen people attend an event, sit with their friends, check their email, and then complain that they didn’t make any connections. Was their time wasted, or were they wasting time?

The same is true for Leadership Twin Cities. Each year, 50 people are selected to participate in this 9-month community orientation. In every class there are a few people who attend the retreat, maybe one other day and then say it didn’t meet their needs. These are also the same people that checked their I-phone during presentations, returned emails at breaks and spent their time alone in their room instead of at the evening bonfire.

However, there are people who are changed by their LTC experience. These people blocked off each day and advocated within their organization to participate, uninterrupted. These attendees met someone new during each break, stayed for every happy hour and never missed a “call to action”. When I review the list of “successful” LTC Alumni they all have one thing in common. Each of those individuals were fully present during the program. These participants went on to public office, were promoted, are now running organizations. Many LTC alumni started their own companies and nonprofits.

Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc. recently wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review “How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking” which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/35mhzpe There is research that shows doing too many things at once makes us incompetent, not successful.

Whatever professional or personal program or event you attend, choose to be present.  You may find you can do just one thing at a time.

Leadership Twin Cities is currently accepting applications for the 2010-2010 program.  Details on  content, price and an on-line form can be found at the MRCC website here http://minneapolischamber.org/program_leadership_twin_cities.php.

We all know the names and we all know the organizations and we all love those lists! It seems every week you can attend an event hosted by a publication celebrating an honor roll of their choosing. However the criteria for selecting these people/organizations sometimes seem suspicious. Doesn’t that firm buy advertising from them? Didn’t that company run a “PR campaign” to get that employee mentioned? Is that man/woman on their board?

There is a lot of talk about how social media, “generation X’ and the economy are changing how people do business and network. I think this also changes who we see as “important” to our community.

After the publication came out, TCB requested readers to submit their own nominations of Minnesotans deserving recognition.  Lars Leafblad (a Principal with Minneapolis-based executive search firm, KeyStone Search) started a conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Lars encouraged people to think “bigger” by casting a wider net for Minnesotans we should know. You can access the names of those nominated by the community via the TCBmag.com website here: http://www.tcbmag.com/superstars/200minnesotansyoushouldknow/index.aspx. You can also submit your own nominations via 200plus@tcbmag.com.

There are a lot of people operating “under the radar” but Malcolm Gladwell defines them as “people who move ideas through society by bridging different worlds”. He calls them “connectors”. Liz Dow, St. Paul native and
CEO of LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, was inspired by Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” and wrote “Six Degrees of Connection”(http://www.leadershipphiladelphia.org/connect_six.html) to teach people how to be connectors. Her book explains “what Connectors do to create and sustain the ties that bind professionals, families, and communities.”

Do you know any “connectors” and are they more or less valuable than that CEO of the local Fortune 500 company? Who would be on your list?

With the departure of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce (SPACC) president, Kristofer Johnson, this is an opportunity to explore uniting these two business associations.

I am a director of the InterCity Leadership Visit, a program sponsored collaboratively by both the Minneapolis Regional Chamber (MRCC) and Saint Paul Area Chambers of Commerce. In this role, I’ve researched business and economic development associations in such cities as Denver, Seattle, Boston, Dallas, San Diego, Atlanta and Charlotte. I am also a former MRCC employee.

Both chambers work at increasing their value to member companies who struggle to keep chamber dues in their budget. In a community where there are 35+ chambers in the 7-county metro area, this is not easy to do. Larger member companies such as Target, Wells Fargo and Xcel Energy are expected to join each and every one of these chambers.

Using the word “larger” to describe companies starts the size debate. It builds apprehension and has prohibited a real, candid conversation about a chamber merger. What will happen to the “small” business owner? Will all the money and attention be diverted to the “larger” city? If done effectively and collaboratively, no.

Many people worry that in a merger the smaller businesses would lose their voice. To avoid this, the regional chamber with city-specific councils should be considered. This model provides each council with a board and programs that fit their individual community need. Small businesses get the necessary networking opportunities plus the support of the larger companies’ financial assistance for economic development and policy influence. While the plan has flaws it does take advantage of each chamber’s efficiencies while keeping local contact around community issues.

“Local” means different things to different businesses. That is why the council model works. Minneapolis and Saint Paul would each maintain an office, dedicated staff and volunteer committees focused on the needs of their community. For instance, a Saint Paul Council would continue to successfully advocate for Central Corridor. Concurrently the Regional Chamber moves forward a regional transportation plan, ensures Minnesota remains a Delta Airlines hub, leads the region’s economic development efforts, and supports local and state policies important to ensuring an attractive business climate.

The MRCC and SPACC work diligently to maintain a full slate of programming and meet a variety of needs. Each chamber has a leadership program, an emerging leader curriculum, networking groups, annual meetings, policy-focused committees and golf tournaments. Both chambers find sponsorships and participants for each event. Simultaneously, the same few large members sponsor these events at both chambers. These sponsors are challenged to fully utilize their investment and find the appropriate and available employees to represent them at so many different occasions.

What if there was only one large, metro-wide annual member meeting? Attendees would have much wider audience for promotion of their business. The regional chamber could update the entire metro area on significant issues. The sponsoring member gets more for their investment, and metro business people have just one date on their calendar. The councils would still have monthly meetings available for local issues, information and connections.

Besides the InterCity Leadership Visit, the MRCC and SPACC already successfully collaborate on annual events to celebrate the Minnesota Twins, The Timberwolves, The Vikings and The Wild. When attending these events, you don’t find people segregated with Minneapolitans on one side and Saint Paulites on the other. There is energy, pleasant chatter and lots of business cards exchanged. This friendly banter could become a focused, collective voice on regional business issues.

Beyond networking, is further opportunity for both chambers. Imagine one regional economic development proposal! What if there was only one organization that built a strategic, mutually agreed upon plan that was implemented and supported by all businesses, metro-wide. At the end of the day we shouldn’t be worried about a company relocating to Plymouth or White Bear Lake, rather if a business is going to choose the state of Minnesota or Washington.

Economic realities have produced creative collaboration for public-private partnerships and combined government services. Both chambers could take baby-steps in working closer together. Merging back office operations might be an easy place for both to start. In addition to the InterCity Leadership Visit they could consider additional programming to benefit their organizations and their members.

The United Way did it. Catholic Charities did it. The YMCAs did it. I think the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Chambers should consider it too.

I am a former MRCC employee and my business partner, Ellen Watters worked for the SPACC.  Both organizations have struggled to be relevant to their member companies while businesses cut back on their association fees.  In a community where there are 35+ chambers in the 7-county metro area, this is not easy to do.  Larger member companies such as Target, Wells Fargo and Xcel Energy are expected to join each and every one of these chambers.

As the director of the InterCity Leadership Visit (a program sponsored collaboratively by both the MRCC and SPACC) I’ve researched business and economic development associations in such cities as Denver, Seattle, Boston, Dallas, San Diego, Atlanta and Charlotte.  The communities that have seen the best successes are cities that have built and supported one regional organization.

In Atlanta, the chamber is the “go to” organization for business support, policy making and professional development/retention of employees.  When the public schools were close to losing their talented superintendent, the chamber stepped in and worked in a public forum to produce much-needed reform on their school board.  This resulted in a renewed interest in businesses supporting the public schools and also inspired qualified and dedicated business people to run, and win seats on the school board.

What could the MRCC and SPACC  do together?

Many people argue that the smaller businesses would lose their “street level” support if the chambers merged.  The model to consider gives each city their own “council” and their own board with programs that fit their individual community need.  Those small businesses get networking opportunities plus the support of the larger companies’ financial assistance for economic development and policy influence.

The MRCC and SPACC spent the last few years trying to maintain their current offerings.  Each chamber has a leadership program, an emerging leader curriculum, small business awards, annual meetings and golf tournaments.  Both chambers struggle to find sponsorships and participants for each event and program, while the larger members are challenged to find the right attendees to represent them at so many different occasions.  What if there was one large, well-attended regional annual chamber meeting.  The metro area networking benefits everyone.

Imagine if there was one regional Leadership program.  The applicants would compete for a spot rather than be assigned by their company to attend.  Immediately the alumni of each program would double their professional connections by achieving access to others from “across the river” who participated in past programs.  Community issues from Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Bloomington, St. Louis Park could be looked at collectively by engaged business and nonprofit leaders and benefit from a regional dialog about solutions.

Beyond networking, is further opportunity for both chambers.  Imagine one regional economic development proposal!  What if there was only one organization that built a strategic, mutually agreed upon plan that was implemented and supported by all businesses, metro-wide.  At the end of the day we shouldn’t be worried about a company relocating to Plymouth or White Bear Lake, but if a business is going to choose Minnesota or Seattle.

Economic realities have produced creative collaboration for public-private partnerships and combined government services.  Both chambers could take baby-steps in working closer together.  Merging back office operations might be an easy place for both to start.  In addition to the InterCity Leadership Visit they could consider additional programming to benefit their organizations and their members.

The United Way did it.  Catholic Charities did it.  The YMCAs did it.  Why can’t the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Chambers do it?  I think they can, and they should.  What do you think?

argument
noun: ahr-gyuh-muh nt
a discussion involving differing points of view; debate:

As a child I was a listener.  I loved being in the midst of a group of adults talking about all sorts of things.  Being the youngest of seven kids I was exposed to lots of ideas, problems and challenges from an early age.  Somewhere in my teens, I developed a taste for debate.  Unfortunately, my high school didn’t offer a debate club.  But, I loved a good verbal tussle, although I tended to listen and soak it all in rather than be involved myself.

Today, I still love to be in the midst of opinionated, passionate people, but I voice my opinions more often these days.  When someone with a viewpoint that’s different than mine makes a good point, I’m pretty good about acknowledging it.  I’m definitely one of those people who some will label as “wishy washy” or a “flip-flopper”.  I love to learn.  Because I’m constantly learning new things, my opinions very often change.

The people I’ve met through Leadership Twin Cities (LTC), who are fellow blog contributors here, are thoughtful, wise, passionate and opinionated.  That’s why my involvement in LTC has been such a profound experience for me.  Every time I’m around these folks I learned something.

What I loved about the LTC program was that each month’s session was devoted to a topic:  metropolitan issues, health care, politics and media, arts and culture.  Each topic is explored from many angles, with divergent viewpoints sought out and welcomed.  I still remember one of my first sessions when I became embroiled in verbal fisticuffs with Phil Krinkie on the value of public transportation.

I worry about our society and am afraid that good people who avoid conflict at all costs are making us all play too nice.  With all that pent up emotion, is it any wonder that when people finally blow it leads to furious shouting matches?  What happened to the concept of civil discourse?  It’s okay to differ people!  Just because I don’t agree with you on the public option doesn’t mean I don’t love that book you just loaned me.  A good rant is healthy sometimes. A good rant between friends can be illuminating.

It was comforting for me to read recently in the Star Tribune about a men’s group that meets in South St. Paul, known as the Argument of the Month Club. Maybe, the days of salons and debate clubs will make a come-back.  If not, we still have programs like Leadership Twin Cities.

So, what topics get you fired up? Let’s talk!