Workshop helps Bitterroot Valley business leaders think creatively

When area representatives of seven industry sectors Thursday were asked to take out a sheet of paper and connect nine dots forming a square, in four straight lines, they weren’t just having fun at a workshop.

They were getting a valuable lesson in thinking outside the box.

By KAY WOODS Staff Reporter

http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/02/20/news/news04.txt

That was just one exercise of many that Dr. Leo Presley, of Stillwater, Okla., led before a roomful of employers, business owners, and career-related authorities.

The three-and-a-half hour event, sponsored by three local organizations, was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Holiday Inn in Hamilton.

"The two things at the root of what challenges us today," the leadership development facilitator told his audience of about 60-70 participants, is "thinking outside the box, and being locked in our own minds."

Organizer Patti Furniss, and manager of the Job Service in Hamilton, who called on Presley to conduct the JobLINC workshop, said the event’s aim was to provide information that will be used in coordination with the governor’s office of economic development to identify cluster industries, and then to look at what their labor needs are. This is a vital first step toward helping current employers grow, and sectors effectively networking together to deal with those needs, which will have long-term economic benefits to the area.

"We’re hoping to identify (these things) so as a work force system, we can provide and develop training, education, and work experience to meet employment needs," she said.

"We hope that will energize our community."

The seven main sectors identified at the event were health care, bio-medical, wood products, construction, financial services, retail, and general services.

To illustrate the second area of what he says lies at the root of industrial challenges, being locked in the mind, Presley gave participants a lesson carried down from Harry Houdini. He said that when people of his day wagered that he would be unable to free himself from the infamous "inescapable jail," Houdini rebutted saying that not only would he do it, but in 30 minutes flat. Unable to fulfill his promise after the half-hour had lapsed, and out of sheer exhaustion, the magician leaned against the cell door and open it swung.

"The only place the door was locked, was in Houdini’s mind," Presley told them toward the end of the event.

During the workshop, representatives formed groups around tables, and were given 10 minutes to brainstorm the three biggest challenges facing their respective sectors. The most common among them included work ethic, funding for training, matching technical skills and experience with employees, worker retention, and the ability to provide employees with livable wages, salaries and benefits.

Participants were then given seven minutes to envision their industry five to seven years from now, and come up with what they thought might present new obstacles for it. Included were advances in computer and communications technology, e-commerce, competition, the need for more innovative planning, the need for more specialized training, decreased government support and fewer people doing more work.

Presley, who holds a doctorate degree in adult development, says he finds the number one problem in the work force today is a declining work ethic. In his experience, he said he finds that people in senior management today tend to have a different mind set than that of their predecessors 30-50 years ago, though he didn’t say what may have factored into that trend.

Organizers say a follow-up to discuss results of the brainstorming session is included on the agenda of the regular business meeting of the Human Resources Council in Hamilton, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 1:30 p.m., and is open to the public.

"We hope to really move this forward in having ongoing discussions about this. We don’t want to overlook the current needs of employers," Furniss said.

"I think this discussion is so valuable, we need to continue it. If we’re going to work to meet our labor demands, it can be done. But we can’t wait for someone else to do it," she said.

Reporter Kay Woods can be reached at 363-3300, ext. 28