How are we doing in terms of shifting from “pick-up games” where you never know who will show up and what resources will be available to aligned decisions behind shared strategies and a common scorecard? Given the growing commitment of Compact members to take action on key components of the Strive Initiative (cradle to career pathways on education), willingness of leaders of major issues to grab hold of the Community Scorecard, and the growing recognition that we must consider implications for the economy, social issues and the environment when we make decisions, I’d say we are making steady progress.
The column below explains the challenges regions across the country are having in addressing tough issues and creating prosperity. We aren’t set up to win. We have 20th century government structures at best faced with 21st century challenges. The luxury of a single focus has become destructively expensive while the capacity to deeply understand problems has been undermined by Cliff Notes, short-term thinking. Fortunately, there are examples of regions who are finding ways to move beyond siloed and compliance thinking to establish creative new alignments that get results.
Attached is the agenda for our upcoming regional forum. It offers an opportunity to learn more about how our region is tackling these challenges.