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Thursday, December 31, 2015
[Minnesota Rising Dispatch] December 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Workforce Challenges Spur Region-wide Discussions
By Chet Bodin, Greater Minnesota Rising
As the end of the 2015 nears, it’s important to revisit the trends that inspired Greater Minnesota Rising (GMR), and how our research evolved this year. Economically speaking, 2015 saw a return to unemployment reminiscent of the 1990’s and a record number of job vacancies. It’s likely that Baby Boomers will retire at an even faster pace in 2016, and Millennials will continue to fill the void. What will be missed are the years of experience, vast connections, and leadership traits of the Baby Boomer generation.
As the end of the 2015 nears, it’s important to revisit the trends that inspired Greater Minnesota Rising (GMR), and how our research evolved this year. Economically speaking, 2015 saw a return to unemployment reminiscent of the 1990’s and a record number of job vacancies. It’s likely that Baby Boomers will retire at an even faster pace in 2016, and Millennials will continue to fill the void. What will be missed are the years of experience, vast connections, and leadership traits of the Baby Boomer generation.
These assets, honed over decades, won't be
easy to replace. By numbers alone, it will be nearly impossible. So GMR
set out to qualitatively rethink the environment in which regional industries,
organizations, and communities will operate in and learn how they can
adapt. Specifically, we saw an opportunity to leverage the demographic
shift. Unlike previous generations, high demand for workers will increase
the options for job seekers, making their work and life preferences of pivotal
interest. But the unprecedented generational shift will also challenge
industry's ability to keep up with the times. Not only will employers
need to attract and retain a new workforce; the makeup of that workforce will
largely determine a firm’s outlook, innovation, and cultural purview. In
other words, a worker's life experience in millennial (and even digital)
culture may be as valuable as their years in the workforce. The magnitude
of Millennial influence in every facet of industry cannot be overstated,
and employers need to take notice.
From this premise, our research evolved in
some unexpected but necessary ways. We originally proposed to learn more
about young professionals in northwestern Minnesota, and how those in the
millennial generation might incur leadership. However, it quickly became
clear that the leadership and engagement needed was not only of the millennial
variety. Through academic literature, focus groups, and interviews with
local hiring managers and other stakeholders, we found there are many engaged
and talented young professionals in the region... but attracting and retaining
‘emerging leaders’ was more comprehensive, qualitative, and appropriate to our
study.
In summary, our research indicates that an
emerging leader possesses leadership potential but is ‘untested’ or lacks the
years of experience that a ‘seasoned’ veteran might have (Carucci, 2006). In
addition, our focus groups highlighted several other key factors:
·
While many participants defined
emerging leaders as being young or Millennials, a person of any age can be an
emerging leader.
·
Emerging leaders have started to see
success, but still have the potential and opportunity to grow.
·
An emerging leader could indicate
someone who is emerging into a new field, rather than solely someone who is new
to the workforce.
Most notably, we learned that emerging leaders
are more defined by their circumstances than their age. The strong and
persistent leadership exercised by Baby Boomers for decades has kept leaders
from other generations on the sidelines more often than not, and they're
prepared to play a significant role in the workforce transition. This is
good news for several reasons. Their workplace experience not only
addresses the gap plaguing their younger colleagues, but Gen X leaders have
knowledge of and connections among both Boomers and Millennials. In other
words, they’re in a position to demonstrate leadership that could transcend the
(often negative) perceptions Millennials and Baby Boomers have of each other’s
work habits, values, and approaches to technology.
West Central World Café
In mid-December, Greater Minnesota Rising
(GMR) hosted a World Café session at West Central Initiative in Fergus Falls
with 30 participants from over 100 square miles. The goal was to begin
the process of developing recommendations for how communities can engage and
connect emerging leaders throughout northwestern Minnesota. Guided by
insights we learned in earlier focus group discussions, interviews, and
research; the principles that emerged at the World Café session address the
challenges leaders face when new to a profession, position or location:
1) Relationship-focused. Communities
are people not location. There needs to be face-to-face interaction in
engagement activities.
2) Intentional
welcoming is important to engagement. It is important to be welcomed
by other newcomers and long-time residents. New community members need to be
recruited and participation by long-term residents or established leaders is
key.
3) Shared experiences
and values. Recommendations should build upon shared experiences and
values in order to support openness and generate loyalty.
4) Cause and
issue oriented events. There needs to be a cause or purpose to an
event besides networking. Networking is a desired result, but not a
primary motivation itself.
5) Diverse opportunities. Events
and offerings need a variety of opportunities for different demographics.
Established community organizations should consider how to support newly
arising groups growing out of shared areas of interest, identity, or life
stage.
Interestingly, participants took the process a
step further in a way that was unexpected, but welcomed and necessary.
Participants began identifying potential barriers to implementing region strategies,
given their economic and community realities. By engaging in the
critical process bridging theory with practice, participants of the World Cafe
demonstrated the vision and leadership traits GMR sought to identify in the
region.
It was also encouraging that local
communities and employers from across West Central Minnesota appeared ready to
work together and rebuild/market the life-work balance that Millennials value.
If they are to draw new workers wholesale, rural communities can ill-afford
to approach regional challenges on their own for much longer. By working
together, they can offer a diverse and collaborative atmosphere that emerging
leaders thrive in and Millennials expect.
Carucci, R.A. (2006). Leadership Divided: What Emerging Leaders Need and What You Might Be Missing. Jossey-Bass.
If you are interested in learning more or helping to support Greater Minnesota Rising’s work, please visit our website and/or contact our leadership team.
Carucci, R.A. (2006). Leadership Divided: What Emerging Leaders Need and What You Might Be Missing. Jossey-Bass.
If you are interested in learning more or helping to support Greater Minnesota Rising’s work, please visit our website and/or contact our leadership team.
Monday, November 30, 2015
[Minnesota Rising Dispatch] November 2015
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Monday, November 23, 2015
"Millennials and the On-Demand Economy Summit" with Senator Amy Klobuchar
I'm excited to have been invited to participate in Senator Klobuchar's "Millennials and the On-Demand Economy Summit" tomorrow at Sport Ngin. Note that the event time has been revised to 11:30am. Join us for an engaging conversation about issues impacting Millennials across Minnesota!
Klobuchar To Host Millennial Summit
The event will highlight issues facing one of the nation’s largest generations that is currently entering the workforce.
November 23, 2015
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is hosting a summit on Tuesday that will focus on issues impacting millennials.
The event, which takes places at Sport Ngin’s headquarters in Northeast Minneapolis at 11:30 a.m., will focus on navigating the on-demand economy, managing student loan debt and participation in workforce development and apprenticeship programs.
Millennials are the generation born roughly from the early 1980s until 2000. The event is being hosted at Sport Ngin in part because the business was founded entirely by millennials.
Other prominent names at the event are Jen Mishory (executive director of Young Invincibles), Justin Kaufenberg (CEO of Sport Ngin), Merrill Irving (president of Hennepin Community & Technical College), Diane Tran (founder of Minnesota Rising) and Matt Lewis (strategy manager of Greater MSP).
The event, which takes places at Sport Ngin’s headquarters in Northeast Minneapolis at 11:30 a.m., will focus on navigating the on-demand economy, managing student loan debt and participation in workforce development and apprenticeship programs.
Millennials are the generation born roughly from the early 1980s until 2000. The event is being hosted at Sport Ngin in part because the business was founded entirely by millennials.
Other prominent names at the event are Jen Mishory (executive director of Young Invincibles), Justin Kaufenberg (CEO of Sport Ngin), Merrill Irving (president of Hennepin Community & Technical College), Diane Tran (founder of Minnesota Rising) and Matt Lewis (strategy manager of Greater MSP).
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Be inspired 11/14 by #ideagen Spark Stories Speakers!
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Friday, November 6, 2015
[Recommended reading] Workforce Development: Engaging Tomorrow’s Leaders in the Challenges of Today
As the work on our Greater Minnesota Rising project begins to wrap up, we're excited to share a blog post from team member, Chet Bodin, originally published on The Center for Small Towns blog in July. See below for Chet's initial insights and watch for more as the team prepares to share its final analysis and recommendations!
The Center for Small Towns is a community outreach program of the University of Minnesota, Morris. The Center for Small Towns serves to connect small towns with the resources of the University, and can provide everything from hands on help with community projects, to data analysis and survey creation and distribution. The Center's efforts are directed by the wants and needs of small communities.
Workforce Development: Engaging Tomorrow’s Leaders in the Challenges of Today
By Chet Bodin, Central Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnership Board
As little as two years ago, I couldn’t tell you much about northwestern Minnesota. The Brainerd Lakes area was the farthest I’d traveled, and people are quick to remind you there it’s only half way up the state. I’d heard passing mention of the Red River Valley, the Red Lake Nation and We Fest in Detroit Lakes…but not much else. My imagination filled the gaps with flyover shots of endless pines and firs, lakes and villages. The last thing I expected was a bustling, diverse economic landscape driven by robust industry and numerous colleges.
What I did know was my friend and colleague Kelly Asche had been working at the Center for Small Towns in Morris for a couple years, and I was intrigued by the draw to rural communities. Raised in Red Wing, just like so many others I left my hometown for a post-secondary education and new experiences. After 15 years of life in the metro and two post-secondary degrees, how would rural Minnesota appear to me? The gravel roads and open fields carry lots of sentimental value, but would I recognize a socioeconomic value that wasn’t as apparent growing up?
After a year living in Nisswa, MN and traveling throughout northwestern Minnesota as a representative of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, the answer is an overwhelming yes. In fact, having bought into the myth that there’s only one side of the urban-rural divide for young, educated persons to be, a part of me feels robbed that I didn’t get here sooner. The summers are spectacular, the music is abundant and the people are passionate yet relatively care-free – and after living through the polar vortex of 2014, no amount of winter terror worries me anymore. So why don’t more people like me choose to live here?
That’s one of the questions being asked by Greater Minnesota Rising (GMR), a research project funded by The Initiative Foundations in Little Falls and West Central: to seek out why people move here, why they don’t, and what strategies might facilitate migration as the state and nation faces its most challenging labor shortage since World War II. An initiative of Minnesota Rising, a network of emerging leaders across the state focused on the future of Minnesota, Greater Minnesota Rising was developed on the heels of Ben Winchester’s landmark “Brain Gain” migration research. His findings showed most of rural Minnesota actually experienced an influx of people and talent ages 30-49 from 1990-2000 and 2000-2010. Winchester goes on to exclaim “Imagine if we actually helped people move here!”
Northwest Minnesota may be the state’s best kept secret, but the times they are a changin’. The 26 county region will need to fill almost 60,000 replacement openings by 2022 to maintain its current workforce, without which local industry will struggle to produce as much and compete on the world stage. Greater Minnesota Rising is on a mission to figure out how professional networks and emerging leaders in the northwest can be activated in response to the challenge. In April, our research capacity was increased significantly with the support of the Mary Page Community-University Partnership Fund, a fundraising effort to memorialize Mary Page, a trailblazing leader for RSDP and Greater Minnesota. With their support, GMR was able to hire Brooke McManigal, a CURA student researcher, via the Community Assistantship Program. Brooke will join Minnesota Rising volunteers and GMR Research Lead David Milavetz from Raising The Bar LLC on the project.
In three phases this summer, Greater Minnesota Rising is talking with emerging leader groups, junior chambers, and other community organizations to explore three basic questions:
The aim is to develop recommendations for ways individuals, organizations, and regional groups can be intentional resources in the critical workforce development issue. Unlike corporate recruitment or other strategies based solely on work opportunities, GMR engages rural emerging leaders in an effort to reach their counterparts elsewhere, millennial to millennial. I like happy hours as much as the next grad student, but the passion and energy of these networks is so attractive and contagious it needs to be shared. With their extensive regional knowledge and experience, we hope that passion can be channeled to illuminate those imaginative black holes that city folk conjure up when thinking about northwestern Minnesota. What’s it like to work in healthcare in northwest Minnesota? I don’t know, but there are a lot of people that do – employing over 36,000 people it’s the largest employing industry here with wages that often exceed the state average. GMR aims to find ways to share rich knowledge like this with those who have even a slight inclination (a dream, if you will) of living in vacation-land year-round. The future of the state’s economy will be driven by the job seeker – here’s to empowering each and every one to finding a sustainable place to work and live. Don’t be fooled – there’s far more than one (or twin) option(s).