Express
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Wednesday, October 23, 2019
ECONOMIC ALMANAC H
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From our humble beginnings in 1956, Atkinsons’ Market has been, and always will be, committed to the people and the communities of the Wood River Valley.
Market Kitchen DELICIOUS, PREPARED MEALS READY TO GO
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Giacobbi Square • 726.5668 E
Adver tise in the Idaho Mountain Express. Call (208) 726-8060
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IT MAKES DOLLARS AND SENSE FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
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“Networking, which has so many possible meanings, here references the ability to make more personal connections for greater understanding so that, when issues of key importance arise, the relationships that you have built will allow there to be a more collaborative dialogue on how to face those issues together,” he said. In the Wood River Valley, these key issues are likely to center around housing and wage stagnation in the face of rising land costs. One could imagine a fruitful co-listening experience that includes a real estate broker, a teacher looking for a place to live, a homebuilder and an elected leader who has to face pushback from real estate owners concerned about property values. “In our session, it is my hope that the members of the Sun Valley community will come to the table with an open mind. We will start not from a place of singular topic or issue—rather, our kickoff session will be focused on how we can open the door to greater interpersonal
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Lowell Aplebaum
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“Our work is not passive. We believe in active learning.”
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understanding, with the hope that if we know each other better, if we develop our interpersonal networking skills into mastery, that the topics and areas we will address in the duration of the day will be met with impassioned community members who both bring their own points of view but also better seek to hear and understand the viewpoints of others.” Aplebaum recently facilitated a community of 300 accountants from different-size firms based in varied places and with diverse demographics. “I led them through an inquiry approach where they started their meeting identifying a key question where they wanted insight, advice or a host of colleagues’ responses for open discussion,” he said. Each question was placed on a sheet. Around the room and throughout the day, all attendees had the opportunity to give input on each other’s questions or add their own name to the sheet for future discussion. “Each person walked away having given of their own thoughts to others, as well as having a personal need of their own answered with thoughtful responses. It also provided introductions to colleagues who wanted to delve further,” Aplebaum said. In another recent workshop, Aplebaum had individuals compose their unique vision of success for their community—all the facets that would be included if they were describing a thriving community three years hence. “They highlight places of concurrence where what another leader said echoed with what they had authored. In the end, we were able to pull out those places of overlap—of group vision—that aligned the direction that they wanted to go together, and that served as a North Star for the rest of our strategy work,” he said.
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as well as having a focus on the back end of how an organization works as a chief operating officer,” he said. “Through that journey, I always come back to facilitation— the importance of helping people better hear one another—and that is at the heart of my company and its purpose.” What sounds simple can in fact involve a methodical process, far beyond what most people think of as “networking” within a chosen profession.
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Lowell Aplebaum will give the keynote address during the eighth annual Sun Valley Economic Development Summit on Monday, Oct. 28, in Sun Valley.
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he obstacles to success in a community can be personal as well as professional, due to misunderstandings and a lack of communication as much as a difference in priorities. Speaker Lowell Aplebaum has spent many years working with leaders and communities to create aligned visions and strategies. He aims to bring an interactive experience to his keynote address at the 2019 Economic Summit that will facilitate long-term communication between people from the public and private sectors, people from many walks of life who hold the reins of potential collaboration for a community facing deep economic challenges. “Our work is not passive,” Aplebaum said. “We believe in active learning.” Aplebaum quotes author and businessman Stephen R. Covey in identifying a primary obstacle to learning about others: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” “This quote is really at the heart of what it means to bridge gaps when it comes to networking,” said Aplebaum, a certified professional facilitator and CEO at Vista Cova, a company that partners with organizations on strategic visioning and planning to create stronger stakeholder connections to “reimagine value and engagement.” “Building a Working Economy for Those That Live It,” a theme of this year’s summit, will use Aplebaum’s philosophy and facilitation skills to develop methods and solutions to bridge the disparities in Blaine County’s incomes, housing options and access to health care and education. Potential “stakeholders” could be from numerous sectors in the Wood River Valley economy, including teachers, bike mechanics, homebuilders, real estate agents, firefighters, politicians and nonprofit leaders. Beneficiaries of such a wide spread of collaboration would be the thousands of wage-earners struggling to make ends meet in the valley and provide opportunities for the next generation. “Within any community you have many audiences, each with unique perspectives, circumstances and even goals,” Aplebaum said. “Communities are strongest when, even if there are varied points of view, each arm of the community, each person, comes together with the intent to hear one another, to understand each other.” With a master’s degree in informal education and a focus on leadership development, Aplebaum said he has always been interested in finding ways to bring people together through experiential learning and dialogue. “My career has taken me through the ranks of nonprofit management, including creating value for varied member communities and negotiating global alliances,
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By TONY TEKARONIAKE EVANS—Express Staff Writer
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Lowell Aplebaum will bring ‘interpersonal networking’ to economic forum
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Speaker aims to bridge divides in communities
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Best Sushi
HAILEY
Alturas Plaza • 788.2294
BELLEVUE
Main Street • 788.7788
www.atkinsons.com
Committed to The Wood River Valley Since 1956 The Sun Valley Village 208-622-3522
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