Wow. Last weekend’s Minnesota Yacht Club Festival was a fabulous success! I heard someone describe it as a cross between Woodstock and the State Fair. And by the looks of it, all over social media, the description was accurate. In case you don’t realize, Saint Paul’s Parks Department deserves a major shout-out. According to 5 Eyewitness News (if you hadn’t seen it for yourself!) the entire area was completely under water just a week prior and they had to do some serious clean-up to be ready. Congratulations, Saint Paul!
While you all were celebrating, I was at the national ACCE convention in Dallas, learning more about how to serve this region. The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) is our national association. I recently was voted in as a Board member, and am honored to serve with other chamber executives who lead the nation’s largest – and even smallest! – chambers. Lots to share! Regarding the Association of ACCE convention - this was my first convention and I was beyond impressed. I learned more about leadership, programming, chamber challenges nationally. I also saw some friends – including the Minnesota Chamber, Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber, and Greater Des Moines Partnership. Of special interest was our learning about ACCE’s plan to update the Horizon 2025 Initiative. This report originally was published in 2017, and laid out trends shaping the future of the chamber industry. I discovered this report and ACCE itself soon after arriving at our Chamber, and it has guided much of our progress. Into 2025, this report will be updated. I am so encouraged to spend time with other chamber leaders who face similar challenges to those in our region. The trends ahead? Digital transformation; political and social polarization; changing expectations of chambers; business model disruption; demographic shifts; balancing technological innovation and responsibility; upskilling at the speed of business; diverse and inclusive economic growth; leadership churn; and the expanding role of chambers as “unifiers.” More to come on all of this, but know we remain hard at work to continually improve on your behalf! See you in the trenches, B
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As we prepare to host a big anniversary - our 25th Annual Foundation Celebration – I want to talk a bit more about the legacy and ongoing work of our Charitable Foundation. Led by Executive Director Kathleen Lohmar Exel, our Foundation quietly goes about the business of leadership development and the advancement of DEI learning. All of this programming is aimed at investing in tomorrow’s leaders, creating leaders across the region who are all networked professionally to support one another and the Chamber’s work.
On July 25 from 11 am to 1 pm at Hamline University, we’ll celebrate the Foundation's commitment to nurturing our workforce through initiatives such as the beloved Leadership Saint Paul program, now in its 44th year with over 2,500 alumni, and the DEI Collaborative, an incredibly impactful cohort program that helps leaders dive deeper and create actionable change. A couple weeks ago we announced the HERBIE Award Winners: Bremer’s Erin Dady; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; and this year’s Inclusive Employer Champion, sponsored by Ramsey County, Blaze Credit Union. This is also a fundraiser for the work – register this week to join us! Today I wanted to talk a bit more about the legacy and ongoing work of our Charitable Foundation. Led by Executive Director Kathleen Lohmar Exel, our Foundation quietly goes about the business of leadership development and the advancement of DEI learning. All of this aimed at investing in tomorrow’s leaders, creating allies across the region all networked professionally to support one another and the Chamber’s work. Here's a bit more background about your Chamber Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1976, intended to operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. The founding Board sought to commit the Foundation to prepare tomorrow’s employees. More specifically, for: the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding of economics, finance, education ad training, housing, human relations, science and technology, economic planning and development, international relations, and other subjects relating to economic growth and the improvement of employment opportunities. The Foundation continues to stay true to the above statement through its mission: to make targeted investments to develop and support engaged leaders who enhance a vibrant East Metro business community. What have we done over 48 years? To be sure, we have done all of it through and on behalf of you, our members:
See you in the trenches, B Next Tuesday, July 16 from 3 to 5pm, the Chamber is hosting an open house for the Riverview Corridor project. This is a free, pop-in event focused on getting feedback from the business community on the transit alternatives being considered. As a reminder, the Riverview Corridor is a planned 12-mile transportation connection along West Seventh Street in St. Paul, serving neighborhoods and providing connections to MSP Airport and the Mall of America.
Three alternatives currently are being analyzed: two featuring "modern streetcars" and one with bus rapid transit (BRT). Between the alternatives, there are significant differences in project cost, traffic and parking impacts, economic development opportunities, and projected ridership. Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega and project staff will provide an overview at 3:30, and the rest of the open house will allow attendees to view displays and information and ask questions of the project team. It's really important that employers and employees share their feedback on what alternative they feel works best for our community. Ramsey County is actively engaging the public over the summer to help inform which alternative moves forward, so this is a great opportunity to provide your thoughts. We hope you'll join us: register here! See you in the trenches, B Please consider joining us for the 25th Annual St. Paul Area Chamber Foundation Celebration, this year happening on July 25th from 11 am - 1 pm at Hamline University. We’ll celebrate the Foundation's commitment to nurturing our future workforce through initiatives such as the DEI Collaborative and Leadership Saint Paul , now in its 44th year with over 2,500 alumni!
We will also recocnize our HERBIE Award winners. As you likely know, this honor is awarded to deserving individuals and businesses/organizations that exemplify the traits inspired by its namesake, Herb Brooks: Humanitarian, Enterprising, Resilient, Bold, Inspiration and Ethical (HERBIE). New this year, we also will be awarding an Inclusive Employer Champion award, sponsored by Ramsey County. This year’s HERBIE Award Winners… drumroll please! The 2024 Organization being recognized is the St. Paul Pioneer Press, celebrating its 175th year in service to Saint Paul! The 2024 Individual being honored is Erin Dady, of Bremer Bank! And our Inclusive Employer Champion: Blaze Credit Union! In keeping with tradition, the Foundation will host its beloved Really Big Time Silent Auction and Wine Wall, serving as pivotal fundraising avenues for our leadership programs Your support, through attendance and/or donating a silent auction item, not only showcases your dedication to community leadership but also plays a vital role in advancing the Foundation's mission. If you want to support the auction, let us know here. And register here to join us! See you in the trenches, B Summer adventures are upon us! And it’s the best time of the year to gather together. So I’ll start out my comments this week by highlighting some fun events ahead! The Young Professionals are heading to a Saints game Tuesday night; this month’s Chamber Connect: Pride Month Edition, is over at Urban Growler. Our Equity Leadership Series event this Friday take participants to “Kumbayah, the Juneteenth Story” performance. And, of course, our Golf Classic at North Oaks is July 8, right after a holiday weekend (we have only a couple foursomes left). Pick an event (or two!) to gather together, build a new connection, learn something new from the experience. That’s what we do best together!
It’s been since March that I last updated you on my learning from Bud and Tom, how self-deception interrupts healthy relationships and results-oriented leadership. Though I’ve been talking with you about so many other important things in the meantime, in my quiet time I’ve continued to read and reflect. As a quick reminder, I started this journey in February as we were preparing for our Annual Meeting. I’ve been feeling like this next season of leadership will require more of us, more of me. I sought some help from a professional coach to get started. And so began the journey of reading this book, and sharing some of my learning with you. This week’s comments will wrap up the book, though I intend to continue working on this as we move forward together. The fundamental question, of course, is: how do I get out of the box? Lots of thoughts about that. Let’s start with what doesn’t work. What doesn’t work is to focus on changing others, deciding to “put up with” others, implementing a new skill/technique/process/procedure, or simply walking away. None of these get to the core of the issue. The key to leading without lying to myself is to focus on results for our organization, and then actually SEE the people around me, acknowledge their talents, empower them, and ultimately hold them accountable. What does work?
Something I highlighted in the book and will take with me: “When you’re in the box, people follow you, if at all, only through force or threat of force. But that’s not leadership. That’s coercion. The leaders people choose to follow are those who are out of the box.” Our job is to create leaders within others. See you in the trenches, B |
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