Develop This: Economic and Community Development

In this episode, Dennis and Jason add some commentary to the past month's interview shows, release details on the Develop This! roadshow, and give a preview to some interesting topics publishing in May.

There is a formula for successful governance by a non-profit board of directors.  Better yet, the formula is not a secret.

In this episode, Dennis brings back Andy Davis, director of education for BoardSource, to detail the six key elements of a good board including:

-Board Meetings -Strategic Planning -Streamlined Structure -Composition of the Board and Staff -Leadership of the Board and Organization -The Mission

6 Key Ingredients Resource

More About Andy Davis

BoardSource

Even the most successful leaders recognize the power of an executive coach.  Could that be an option for you?

In this episode, Dennis brings Dan McCarthy back to look behind the scenes at the executive coaching business.  Dan provides some context for knowing what to expect, the homework that can be anticipated, and the range in costs associated with a strong program.

More About Dan McCarthy

If your economic development group is not intentional with its plan or its time, you are probably being reactive to the environment around you.  How can you be proactive?  It's all about the strategic plan.

Rob Cleveland, CEO of Benton Harbor, Michigan, Cornerstone Alliance is back to share his organization's case study on strategic planning.

Some of the highlights include:

-Internal vs external facilitation

-Meeting the expectations of 300 investors

-Utilizing the finished planning document

-Creating a dashboard to track results

You will also hear a bit more about Rob's background before he entered the economic development profession.

Cornerstone Alliance

Rob Cleveland

Rovercovering from disaster. Overcoming poverty. Embracing diversity and inclusion. There have been no shortage of challenges in the City of New Orleans, but the New Orleans Business Alliance has been on its game creating innovative programs to advance community goals.

In this episode, Dennis interviews Quentin Messer Jr., President and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA).  NOLABA is an Accredited Economic Development Organization and is a public-private partnership designed to provide leadership on economic security initiatives for the New Orleans area.

This show is packed with all kinds of ideas that your community can borrow.

More About the New Orleans Business Alliance

More About Quentin Messer, Jr.

Board members are always eager to help, but what happens when they become too helpful?  A board of directors needs to have enough information to provide proper governance, but providing too much detail could lead to micromanagement.

Andy Davis, Director of Education from BoardSource is here to provide some guidance for excellent board/executive/staff relationships.

In this episode, Dennis asks Andy about the relationship between the board chair and the chief executive.  Hint: the relationship should be built upon regular and consistent communication.

You will also learn more about:

-The balance between board and staff interaction

-Making a commitment to no surprises

-The value of a formal evaluation of the CEO at least annually

-Creating a responsibility document for board members

BoardSource is a 501c3 organization designed to empower and inspire non-profit boards.

More About Andy Davis

About BoardSource

Many communities host welcome programs, but few do it like Benton Harbor, Michigan.  Not only do they host 350 - 700 tours per year, but some companies include the tours as a requirement in the hiring/interview process.

In this episode, Dennis interviews Rob Cleveland,  President and Chief Executive Officer of the Benton Harbor, Michigan Cornerstone Alliance on what they call the First Choice Program.

They discuss the cost of the program, the most common questions received, and why they ban the term 'trailing spouse'.  

More About Rob Cleveland

Cornerstone Alliance

More About the First Choice Program

Are you operating at less than 100% of your full potential?  Even highly successful individuals can feel as though they are only giving 30-50% at the office.

Energy, productivity, time, and stress relief.  Working with a high performance coach over a period of four to six months can help with each of these things.

In this episode, Dennis brings Katy Trost back one last time to provide an outline of what it is like to work with a coach including the number of sessions and the cost of a typical engagement.

Find out why Katy says that even the highest performing people do not believe they are worthy of their success and suffer from imposter syndrome.

Like what you are hearing?  You can check out the other episodes with Katy inlcuding #112 and #118.

More about Katy Trost

In this business of economic and community development, we often talk about the value of placemaking and strong communities.  While this sense of 'community' is important within our service territories, it is just as important in our hometown.

Have we repaid our hometowns for the education, the values, and the memories provided to us?

In this episode, Dennis and Jason share some suggestions for repaying the community in which you were raised.

Improving your leadership skills is a life-long journey.  Dan McCarthy is an executive coach and expert in all things leadership.  He runs a blog called Great Leadership.

Do you fail to delegate?  Dan says failure to delegate could be a result of your need for control.  The skill of delegation is easy.  It is the mindset of letting go that can be most difficult.

In this episode, Dennis throws a number of topics at Dan including:

Leading Change Conflict Management Being Present Leadership v Management

You will also learn why your entrance and exit into a room, meeting or speech is important.

More About Dan McCarthy

Great Leadership Blog