ROI

Episode 183: Leadership Conundrums: Are Collaboration and Competition Mutually Exclusive in a Relationship?
Episode 183: Leadership Conundrums: Are Collaboration and Competition Mutually Exclusive in a Relationship? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Competition makes us faster, collaboration makes us better.” –Unknown

Economic development is a fiercely competitive industry. When we battle it out against other communities to win more and better jobs for our communities, it’s easy to get sucked into fighting mode. Yet, at the same time, collaboration is key to driving the work forward and making us better stewards of our profession. Today, we focus on the question: Can competition and collaboration co-exist in the same relationship?

Carla Sones and Faye Davis talk through some examples of competitors collaborating, called co-opetition, and what the benefits are when two entities bring their best to the table for the purpose of partnering. They dive into team dynamics, personalities flourishing (and clashing), and how to lead a team or a community through seasons of rivalry and teamwork.

Are you trying to overcome the scarcity mindset (if someone wins, someone else must be losing) with your community or team? This episode will help remind you that you’re not alone, that there is hope for getting everyone running in the same direction, and that a spirit of competition isn’t always a bad thing. You can listen on our website, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 182: How to Overcome Fear of the Unknown to Seize Your Next Opportunity | Mitchel Allen, Greater Richmond Partnership
Episode 182: How to Overcome Fear of the Unknown to Seize Your Next Opportunity | Mitchel Allen, Greater Richmond Partnership 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“It was a tough decision to move; in Phoenix I was able to drive around  and see the impact of my years invested first-hand. But I was ready for a new challenge.” –Mitchel Allen

With a huge move under his belt in 2021, Mitchel Allen is ready for 2022 and all it has in store. He joins Faye Davis today for an interview focusing on the decision making he tackled around leaving his home state and following a new opportunity on the other end of the country, as well as the lessons he has learned along the way.

Now serving as the Greater Richmond Partnership‘s Executive Vice President of Business Development, Mitchel started his career in Arizona. He talks about how his adaptability was honed by some amazing big-name projects and how those experiences translate into the work he’s doing in the Richmond area to help move the needle on their big goals.

Mitchel is a dynamite economic developer and a next-gen star to watch in the industry, full of great insights for the profession and passion for his new opportunities! Tune in now to soak up some of his energy; you can listen now on our website, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 181: Leadership Conundrums: Making Decisions When Everything Feels Like a Priority
Episode 181: Leadership Conundrums: Making Decisions When Everything Feels Like a Priority 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities.” –Myles Munroe

We’ve all been there. You get to the end of the day and feel you put out a lot of fires but you haven’t done any work that makes an impact, nothing that truly that moves the needle on your goals. Today is the second installment of our Leadership Conundrums series, dedicated to figuring out how to make decisions when everything is a priority.

Carla Sones and Faye Davis talk about  distinguishing how your time is spent using tools like the Eisenhower matrix, and how to break down goals using the Four Disciplines of Execution method. When we spend time reflecting on our work habits, patterns become visible. Are we intentionally setting aside time to work, undisturbed, towards the big rocks in life? It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything is a priority when we get stuck in the whirlwind of life and work. But when we take some time to sit back and lift into a 10,000-foot view to establish true importance, that’s when the real priorities will take shape. And when priorities are clearly set, decision-making becomes easier.

Join now to hear Carla and Faye’s conversation around exploring various methods of re-establishing priorities and creating clearer space to make impactful decisions. You can listen on our website, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 180: Leadership Conundrums: How to Navigate Emergent Leadership Qualities
Episode 180: Leadership Conundrums: How to Navigate Emergent Leadership Qualities 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“The more, and earlier, that companies can give up control, the more you develop the right kind of self-correcting culture where employees will be your biggest advocate.” –Katy Shields

Today kicks off the first episode in a three-part series exploring several leadership conundrums. Over the next three weeks we will discuss how to make decisions when everything is a priority, whether collaboration and competition can exist in the same relationship, and we start the discussion (and fun) with today’s topic of how to navigate emergent leadership with high performing teams.

Emergent leadership is a style of leading often seen on high performing teams. It occurs when a person is not specifically appointed or elected as the leader, but steps up over time due to the necessary skills, knowledge, or attitude needed. Carla Sones and Faye Davis dive into why embracing emergent leadership can be so important and how it empowers teams. They analyze benefits from macro to micro-level within organizations, and also tackle the discussion around why emergent leadership causes tension, especially in more hierarchical and matrixed organizations.

Tune in now to listen to Carla and Faye’s conversation on the ins and outs of emergent leadership and why this approach can be such a leadership conundrum. You can listen on our website, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 179: Why Preparation for Success Is Key to Meeting Goals
Episode 179: Why Preparation for Success Is Key to Meeting Goals 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” –Abraham Lincoln

As 2022 has already taken us by storm, there’s no better time than now to evaluate our strategies for the year. Just like chef’s use “mise en place” to gather all their ingredients and set themselves up for success before hitting the stove cooking, leaders should take inventory and get themselves organized in order to start working toward their yearly goals. Preparation is half the battle.

Faye Davis and Carla Sones dive into the deep end of how they’re getting themselves ready for the year. Between knowing your goals, realigning with the organizational (or personal) mission, understanding your habits and doing a strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats (SWOT) analysis, there is a lot of ground that’s covered. Setting big, audacious goals is scary, but when we do the work to identify as many factors feeding into what success looks like for that goal, we’re already well on our way to a momentous start.

Tune in now to hear more from Carla and Faye as they discuss what success looks like to them and how they’re hoping to get there this year. You can listen on our website, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 178: 4 Simple Yet Non-negotiable Rules to Lead Your Team Well | Charles Wood, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
Episode 178: 4 Simple Yet Non-negotiable Rules to Lead Your Team Well | Charles Wood, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“For me, maximum flexibility is key. The ability to transition as things change is really important, as is the ability to relate to people that are coming from different circumstances and places.” –Charles Wood

What better way to launch into the new year than by learning from an economic developer truly moving the needle on a lot of different goals. From creativity in growing talent and workforce strategies to launching a collaborative marketing effort, from running a successful entrepreneurial incubator to leading with four simple yet non-negotiable rules, Charles Wood is not only dreaming big but truly doing things big in the greater Chattanooga region.

Join Faye Davis as she picks Charles’ brain about his leadership, his strategies, his goals and his successes. As the Vice President of Economic Development at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Charles has capitalized on opportunities to implement transformative projects in low-income areas and create a better quality of life for people who live in those areas. He talks about the goal of imbedding more employers and educational opportunities in growth opportunity zones, and shares concrete steps his organization and partnering stakeholders took to make these dreams reality.

Charles is a wealth of information. He shares four rules he has used to keep his leadership, his career, and his team focused in the right direction; true to his nature, these rules are simple, without fluff, and incredibly useful. We are so excited to kick off 2022 with this interview and hope you glean as much knowledge from Charles as we did. Listen now on our website, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 177: Are You Intentionally Taking Care of Your Body Like a Natural Resource?
Episode 177: Are You Intentionally Taking Care of Your Body Like a Natural Resource? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” –Alan Cohen

Coming out of 2020, we thought there couldn’t be a wilder year. Coming to the close of 2021, we might have been wrong! All signs point to a busy year leading to another busy year. How are you going to prepare?

On this episode, Faye Davis and Carla Sones talk about the the necessity of slowing down and resting. With the project pipeline full and promising, we can feel tempted to use the holiday downtime to get ahead on work. The real work to be done is carving out intentional time to reflect, refresh, and recharge. When we take this intentional time, we can return after the New Year full of energy ready to run.

Just because your work naturally slows down, does not mean you are resting. True to this episode, the America’s Jobs Team Podcast will be taking a short break over the holiday season. Listen to this episode today, and then give yourself space to rest!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 176: Are You Building Up the Attributes That Make You A Great Team Player?
Episode 176: Are You Building Up the Attributes That Make You A Great Team Player? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” –Steve Jobs

We all know that one coworker that you can count on for anything. As soon as you need help you automatically think of them. But what is it that makes that person such a team player?

Today, Faye Davis and Carla Sones talk about the importance of being a team player. How do you be a team player, though? We break down the attributes of team players and walk through practicals to improve this skill. Whether its actively listening or celebrating a team victory, we all have areas to grow and thrive in.

As we quickly approach the end of the year, have you taken time to reflect? Sometimes new years can feel like a clean slate. How are you going to walk into 2022? Listen now to hear more!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 175: Do You Use Your Tools in Non-Traditional Ways? You Might Want To! | Joe Agostinelli, Grand Rapids Area Revitalization
Episode 175: Do You Use Your Tools in Non-Traditional Ways? You Might Want To! | Joe Agostinelli, Grand Rapids Area Revitalization 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“If you can think of the project through a different lens, there is often a way you can leverage a non-traditional tool to fit the project you’re working on.” –Joe Agostinelli

The cost of materials and goods for projects is a topic we are all too familiar with right now. It often seems that incentive support is the only way to make some of our deals economically feasible. How do we creatively leverage programs to make every dollar and cent count?

On this episode, Faye Davis talks with Joe Agostinelli of the Grand Rapids Area Revitalization Task Force on creative deal structuring. Joe let’s us in on insights of looking at common tools we know about differently and how that is the key to being able to layer financial tools.We dive into the uniqueness of the Michigan Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act compared to other states and how reimbursements play a role.

Joe can count on one hand the amount of no votes he has received from local government officials on project tools. He shares his key to success and how investing time on the front end is never a waste. Tune in today to this wisdom packed episode!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

Episode 174: How Can You Continue Leveling Up Your Leadership Skills?
Episode 174: How Can You Continue Leveling Up Your Leadership Skills? 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” –Barack Obama

As this year comes to a close and a new year looms, lots of people are thinking about new year’s resolutions, setting goals for next year, and working on strategies to become a better leader. And while “be a better leader” can feel incredibly broad, the key lies in naming what good leadership looks like to you. What feels authentic? How do you want to show up? Once you have answers there, you can build your plan.

Carla Sones and Faye Davis dive into some tried-and-true (and research-backed) ways for people to level up their leadership. From advice regarding time management and delegating to closing the door on the rumor mill, the topics addressed during their conversation are very broad. Constant learning, empowering critical thinking skills in others, and leadership coaching; these all come up and play their own part in bringing a person’s leadership skills to the next level.

A lot of people struggle to find a leadership style that not only works for them but also resonates with their team. If you’re trying to figure out how to be the best you while leading your community, today’s episode is chockful of great questions to ask yourself in order to start bridging your gap between who you currently are and who you strive to be. Listen in now!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai