Develop This: Economic and Community Development

Connectivity in America is the new currency that we are all going to be trading in.  The current pandemic has highlighted the digital divide as more individuals work from home and especially as our kids try and learn from home.

In this episode, Dennis shares some of his frustrations with the federal prioritization of connectivity and offers some localized solutions.

One person can make all the difference.

One person can demoralize a team, rally a neighborhood against your project, or veto an incentive deal.

One person also has the ability to lead, to push when others aren't willing, or to articulate a vision for others to follow.

Today's show is all about encouraging you to lead even when success is a bit elusive.

Influencers have a major impact on the products we buy and the things we discuss.

In our own communities, we have the ability to influence conversations, steer community projects, and encourage investment in certain sectors.

In this episode, Dennis and Jason share strategies to improve our messaging and maximize our influence.

The series on enhancing your skill sets continues with this episode's feature on engaging the media.

Interacting with the media can make or break a career in the economic and community development business.  If you aren't comfortable engaging the media, odds are that you avoid it like the plague.

In this episode, Dennis and Jason offer tips for engaging the media and building your confidence level over time.

Everything changes over time - including your favorite podcast on economic and community development.

In this episode, Dennis and Jason unveil some changes to the podcast including a new publishing scheduled moving forward.

Many organizations have forged new relationships during this pandemic.  New collaborations are exciting at first, but over time, keeping that momentum can be a challenge.

In this episode, Dennis offers for tips to keep the partnership together:

1. Have defined purpose and goals

2. Rotate leadership

3. Keep meetings short and to the point

4. Look for opportunities to grow and expand

Do you control your calendar or does your calendar control you?

In this episode, Jason shares some of this struggles through the years of losing control of his day to the calendar.  He offers for suggestions for regaining authority over the day.

Bridges Out of Poverty gives people a hand up not a handout.

If you didn’t grow up in poverty, you may be unaware of the “hidden rules” that govern many aspects of life for the poor. People in poverty are often in survival mode, and support systems taken for granted in middle class and wealth are largely nonexistent.

If your business, agency, or organization works with people from poverty, a deeper understanding of their challenges – and strengths – helps you partner with them to create opportunities for success.

In this episode, Dennis shares his experiences working with Bridges Out of Poverty

https://www.ahaprocess.com/

Now is a good time to look at your strategic plan and see how it reflects the Pre-COVID and Post-COVID world.

In this episode, Dennis shares how his body of work has pivoted dramatically over the last few months and shares some examples to help you think through this process.

Hopefully your organization has a process for individual performance evaluations.  If this is an annual process, consider having a mid-year checkpoint- especially this year.

In this episode, Jason offers guidance for topics to consider during this discussion.  If structured correctly, this time can be very valuable for both the manager and the employee.