Yesterday’s open show was newsy, so I’m bumping up this podcast upload while the topics discussed are dominating the news.
Our Monday Zoom participants typically include newsmakers and keen observers of current affairs. We have folks from New Mexico, Alexandria, Reston, Virginia, California, Ohio, Colorado, and rural and urban areas of Iowa. When we have an ‘open show’ format, the folks on the call set the agenda. I’ll ask a question or two and follow up, but there is no template, and it’s a free-wheeling conversation much like one would have around a dinner table among friends.
As it happened on Monday, Admiral Michael Franken - a friend and frequent contributor to the calls - was fresh from an overseas mission. Some things he can discuss, others not, but the revelations are not the stuff of generally reported news.
J. Ann Selzer is a frequent attendee, although coy about when her famous polling occurs in the field. Chuck Offenburger and Mary Riche are often on the call. In Monday’s call, we discussed the massive efforts in Jefferson to attract migrant workers and their families. Listen to his report about affordable housing initiatives and other actions the community is taking. If this works, Jefferson will demonstrate how rural communities can survive by addressing a holistic set of issues.
Laura Belin, the indefatigable reporter and member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, is a brilliant analyst of what is happening in the state politically. And if you like podcasts, she co-hosts a weekly show about Iowa politics.
I’m name-dropping here because if you haven’t tuned into one of these Potluck calls, I encourage you to check it out. Join the discussion with folks, some of whom have their own Wiki pages.
Take a listen. I was surprised by several things said on this call. The audio is recorded on my iMac from the Zoom call, then uploaded here in Substack. Nothing fancy, but it’s fine. We have 20-40 on any call, then viewed or downloaded to over 3000 subscribers.
Subscribers to this column receive a link the morning of each Zoom call.
If you are a new subscriber — and we’ve picked up a few hundred from around the country in the past three weeks — I’m a former Des Moines Register columnist and, before that, a radio talk show host on WHO-AM, a clear-channel station.
Newcomers: I value this format because I can blend many of my career experiences into one column and call it a potluck. For 20+ years before returning to Iowa, I chaired three CEO groups through an organization called Vistage. Two were in the Baltimore/Annapolis area, and the last was in Chicago.
Annapolis is considered the sailing capital of the world. And to sail is a metaphor for life. First, one learns the principle of ‘tacking’ and harnessing the wind to get from one place to another. You can be at the helm of a sailboat, quietly moving through the water, and a shift in the wind will change everything. You could stop in your tracks or worse if you don't manage those changes. I’ve been tacking my way through life, having never been able to answer the question: What do you want to be when you grow up?
As a personal and professional growth junkie, I’ve been exposed to countless experiential exercises and lessons, perhaps the most important:
If it’s to be, it’s up to me.
A fancy brochure isn’t going to sell something. Bitching and moaning about politics isn’t going to change anything. Failing to own one’s role in relationship issues will not fix a thing.
As a Vistage chair, thousands of life lessons are now a part of my language, and they seep into commentary here in many ways. For instance:
In business, a company’s culture trumps strategy every time. The best way I’ve heard culture described is that it’s the way we do things around here.
So, if you are new, I hope this gives you a sense of how we do things around here. We respect one another’s point of view and seek to understand before trying to be understood.
That’s the ideal, anyway.
Oh, one more: there is wisdom in a crowd versus going it alone. Large groups of people are better at problem-solving than individuals.
Enjoy the podcast.
Speaking of the wisdom of crowds, we have 35 writers who are members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. It links readers to writers who have an interest in Iowa.
Note to paid subscribers: As a thank you for supporting the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat scholarship fund, I’ll be co-hosting a holiday party with other members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative on Thursday, December 7, at the Witmer House (the former governor’s mansion), 2900 Grand Ave, Des Moines. You may bring a guest for $20.
Planting a seed
Early Bird registration is now open for the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat. Save $200 if enrolled by December 31. Click to learn more:
Monday's Zoom was timely