4000 Weeks – Your Chamber’s Top Priorities

​Last week’s blog has stayed with me. I’ve especially been reflecting on: “Among all the good things we could do, considering all the potential good work that could be done, how can we have the MOST impact?  By choosing very carefully what to focus on – and staying away from the other potentially-interesting-but-not-number-one priorities. A limited life makes every decision we make so meaningful.” The question I’ve been asking myself – and whose answer I’d like to convey to you – is, what is your Chamber doing that will have the MOST impact, in service to our members and as the voice of business? When someone asks you why you are a Chamber member, I want to be sure you know what we’re doing on your behalf.
 
You deserve to know what your Chamber is focusing on because, candidly, as Member Owners, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your priorities are being represented. Your voice is critical to shaping how and what we communicate. As I see it, we have 4 top priorities, and they align with our strategic plan: driving progress, growing leaders, cultivating relationships, and building capacity.

• Driving Progress: our Greater MSP region has a bold vision to be an economically vibrant and globally competitive region. To get there, we must acknowledge that the easy work is done, and that progress requires wrestling with complicated issues. Through our advocacy, thought leadership, our network of invested leaders and partners, your Chamber strives to influence and even shape laws and policy. We advance policy that will ensure this region is best equipped to promote business growth. We partner wherever possible to create an economic environment that provides opportunities for business, large and small. Our economy relies on the success of business, and we can’t overstate the importance of this work.

 

• Growing Leaders: our employers tell us that a ready talent pool is key for their companies’ success. And we lean into our role of developing leaders among us. Today’s leader must be versatile, adaptive, able to navigate uncertainty, authentic, courageous. We face an uncertain economic and political road ahead; the need for wisdom and true equity and inclusion is more critical than ever. Change and growth require intentional focus and deliberate action from leaders who leverage their positions to walk the talk and imbed best practices into their organizations.  We work to elect leaders who understand how policy directly impacts the economy; we provide training and cohorts to shape the thinking of leaders; and we provide opportunities to develop leadership through service. Those of us who represent “yesterday” must be laser focused on shaping the leaders who will take us into “tomorrow.”

• Cultivating Relationships: Humble though this may sound, your Chamber creates connections that count. We are in the business of relationships, as are you. And this, too, can be transformational. Across our team, we are committed to connecting you to one another and to new business opportunities. We celebrate your successes with you. Most importantly, from my perspective, we learn from you.  

 

• Building Capacity:  This priority speaks to our commitment to ensuring stainable longevity. For you. We continue to build collaborative partnerships with other chambers and mission-aligned organizations. And we are larger and stronger than we’ve ever been.  

 
I hear the urgency in your voices when we talk about the above; know that I take very seriously the responsibility to advocate on your behalf.  And I welcome your input to advance my own thinking on this!
 
See you in the trenches,
B