William Stephan
Indiana University – Vice President for Engagement

It has been my pleasure to serve as Chair of The Chamber’s Board of Directors for the past year. As that term comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on the progress and the impact we have made. As the voice of business for our nearly 1,000 members, The Chamber has continued to advance the interests of business in our community. At the heart of this effort are our many volunteers, members and staff who are committed to building better business and better community for the greater Bloomington/Monroe County area.

Our mission to provide leadership through member engagement, business advocacy and civic partnerships to strengthen our community and business environment is an ongoing effort supported by several strategic goals. I’m proud to say that we have continued to advance this mission and make progress in each of our strategic goals.

One of the most direct ways that The Chamber represents its members is in the area of advocacy and public policy. The Chamber staff, Advocacy Council, Legislative Council and various committees, all serve as the voice of business at the local, state and federal levels.

Perhaps no issue reflects our commitment to Bloomington’s future more than the ways in which we have helped lead, facilitate and manage negotiations related to Section 5 of I-69.  Brokering discussions among INDOT representatives, local elected officials, and business and community leaders has enabled constructive dialogue and progress consistent with community expectations for reasonable and beneficial outcomes.

The Chamber is also leading the way on broader discussions as we plan for the I-69 Regional Summit this October. This event will bring together representatives from the business, government, higher education, defense, economic development, tourism, agriculture, trade and logistics sectors to examine ways to enable collaboration and leverage the new and existing I-69 corridor from a statewide perspective.

Chamber leadership on downtown parking issues has offered an opportunity to engage in collaborative discussions with stakeholders and influence decisions by City leaders as more permanent policies are established.  We continue to carefully monitor issues related to downtown building and signage along with the full array of regulatory and zoning matters that impact our members. We will continue to participate in discussions surrounding safe and civil city initiatives and other broad issues that impact our members and the vitality of our community.

The Chamber’s ongoing leadership with the Franklin Initiative—our education retention and attainment program–remains one of our most significant efforts and one that has dramatically impacted the lives and futures of scores of Bloomington area students.  We remain especially grateful to our supporters, such as AT&T, Smithville Charitable Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County for their generous support that has enabled program success and continuity.

Honoring our community’s leading educators earlier this year at our Educators of the Year Awards dinner was both heartwarming and a compelling reminder of the commitment our teachers and counselors make to our youngsters and the impact they have in their lives and on our community.

Events are one of the primary ways we provide opportunities for our members to network with peers, potential customers, community leaders and elected officials. This year, we were able to bring in some very influential and well-known speakers. Hosting former US Senator Evan Bayh as the keynote speaker at our Federal Focus Luncheon was a Chamber highlight, as was our annual Governor’s Luncheon featuring Governor Mike Pence in IU’s newly refurbished Alumni Hall.  These two annual events are just a couple of ways the Chamber provides a forum for our members to hear from our federal and state elected officials.

And in August, we will hold our annual Health in Business luncheon with G. William Hoagland who is a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. Hoagland will share insights on the impacts of healthcare reform for employers and carriers, and discuss the effects of the political climate in Washington on healthcare reform.

Finally, just a note of sincere thanks to my fellow board members, whose commitment to a better Bloomington cannot be overstated.  Their dedication and spirit of volunteerism is truly inspirational and so indicative of what makes Bloomington a truly remarkable community and a great place to do business!

This article is from forbes.com. We take no credit for this. It is written by Susan Adams a member of the Forbes staff. 

The title of Karen Friedman’s new book isn’t exactly subtle. Shut Up And Say Something: Business Communication Strategies to Overcome Challenges and Influence Listeners lays out her no-nonsense philosophy about how to best get your point across, drawn from her 35 years of experience as a professional communicator. As a TV news reporter, she worked at local stations in cities from Milwaukee to Huntsville, Ala. For the last 15 years, she’s headed up Karen Friedman Enterprises, a communication coaching firm in Philadelphia.

How does she apply her ideas in the workplace? Her No. 1 rule, gleaned from two decades in the TV news trenches: “It is absolutely critical to be as direct, to the point and concise as possible,” she says, in a lively, forceful voice with a Philadelphia tinge. Vagueness is all too common in the workplace, she observes, and you easily remedy it by following the newscaster’s drill of spelling out who, what, where, when and why.

“Bosses often say, ‘Can you have that report to me? It’s really important, and I’d really like to have it,’” Friedman says. A more effective way to deliver that message: “Can you please get that report to me? I’d like it on my desk by 5 p.m. Friday.”

Another strategy Friedman draws from newscasting: Hit the headline first. Too many of us are just plain long-winded, she says. “People don’t need to know everything we know,” she explains. “Think about what the single most important point is that you need to make, the central idea. If your computer died or the fire alarm went off, what would be the one thing they needed to hear?”

Your attitude while talking is also important. “It’s not just your words that convey a message,” Friedman says. “It’s all of you.” If you slouch, jam your hands into your pockets, shuffle your feet and avoid eye contact, people will get the impression you don’t want to communicate with them. Pry your eyes and thumbs away from your electronic devices, she admonishes. “Pretend that your colleague is your adorable five-year-old who you would drop everything for if she walked into the office,” she suggests.

Remember that the world doesn’t revolve around you. For Friedman, this was a tough lesson to learn, coming from the ego-driven world of television. If you open yourself to other opinions and perspectives, you’ll find it much easier to get your own message across. “Take a poll at your next meeting,” she suggests. “Draw the other people out.”

Do ask open-ended questions. They can buy time, clarify where another person is coming from and prevent misinterpretation. For instance: “I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, so could you give me an example?”

Friedman is also fond of the bromide that if you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all. “Don’t talk about other people. That identifies you as a gossip and someone who can’t be trusted,” she advises. You may think you’re being entertaining or engendering closeness, but “you meet the same people on the way up as on the way down.”

Another Friedman rule: No bull. If you have bad news to deliver, lay it out plainly. It’s difficult to talk about layoffs and belt tightening, but if you’re in a situation where you have to convey that sort of information, your employees and colleagues likely already know something is up. It is far better to be straight with them than not to communicate at all, even if you can’t give them the answers they’d like.

Always deliver bad news in person. It may seem easier to convey negative information via e-mail, but imagine how you’d feel if you learned electronically that your best work friend had been sacked, vs. hearing it from another human being.

Finally, don’t be a naysayer. Even if you think your colleague or boss is completely wrong about something, you can counter with an open-ended question that shows respect and a can-do spirit. One possible response: “Have you had a situation where that strategy worked?” Says Friedman, “You can learn from the answer to that, and not be a negative Nellie.”

http://www.forbes.com/2010/11/19/communicate-better-work-workplace-leadership-careers-job.html

“Innovation” is a hot concept right now. As well-known author and speaker Guy

Kawasaki sums it up, “‘Innovate or die is how the world works.” Usually when people

discuss innovation and business, it’s associated with a company’s new product or

revolutionary process. But those are actually just the outcomes. True innovation stems

from a company’s workforce. So when you see a business with the inability to innovate,

the heart of the problem actually lies in the leaders’ inability to hire and retain quality

employees.

Finding and keeping top talent is what will make or break a company in the “new

economy,” so it is vital that as leader you do what it takes to ensure your business’

success. In order for your employees to become innovative in their responsibilities and

your employers ahead of the competition, you have to do three things. Building trust,

cultivating passion, and inspiring loyalty must be at the top of your to-do list if you want

to protect your workplace from one of today’s top business challenges – the inability to

innovate.

Build Trust

Trust is a two-way street. First, your employees must trust you in order to have the

freedom to be innovative or motivation to work hard. This only comes through honest

communication and consistent follow-through from your leadership. On the flip side,

you also have to trust your employees. Kawasaki points out that you have to, “Trust

your employee(s) enough to make the right decision for customers. When you show this

level of trust and empower employees, they do the best work that they can.”

Cultivate Passion

Today’s successful businesses have the most engaged and enthusiastic employees.

But that passion has to originate at the top. “The leadership team must be passionate

in order for the rest of the organization to be passionate,” said OtterBox founder and

CEO Curt Richardson in a recent Inc.com article. “Who wants to come to work for

someone who is just going through the motions and working for the next professional

advancement?” So make sure you’re excited about your company’s goals and mission,

then work to spread that excitement.

Inspire Loyalty

Maintaining an innovative workplace means that you must also foster a loyal workforce.

Hiring top talent is the first step, but keeping your talented workers engaged and

invested in your business is the only way to achieve long-term success. There are many

ideas out there on how to build employee loyalty, but it really boils down to leadership.

As the leader, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, says

Kawasaki. “Employees need to know that you’ll do the dirty, hard, and frustrating jobs

too.”

If you want your business to be successful and stay ahead of the competition, then you

must realize that hiring and retaining top talent is the only way. A passionate, engaged

workforce is the key to becoming an innovative industry leader. But, it’s up to you to

provide an environment that allows your employees to innovate. Give them what they

need, and they’ll return the investment, ten-fold.

We are excited to announce that the Chamber will have Democratic School Superintendent Glenda Ritz  here in Bloomington as part of  our 2013 Education Forum!

Since we scheduled Ritz back in April, many issues have come up regarding our state’s education system.

These include the dropping of the A-F grading system in the state of Indiana, Core Competencies  regarding  the most effective ways to teach our youth , and our most recent issue regarding Grade Transparencies.

Attendees of the forum will be able to have a Q&A session with Ritz.

She will be here on October 1st from 4-5pm at Deer Park Manor.

For more details, click here