L EADI NG P E O P L E . L E A D I N G P R O S P E R I T Y.
President’s Message Leading People. Leading Prosperity.
Talent, Talent, Talent! Recently, we took a team of over 40 key influencers to Tulsa to learn best practices. As we debriefed, a common thread ran through the three (3) days with attendees.
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t became obvious there is One Voice in Tulsa with talent attraction and retention woven through every presentation and experience. The Tulsa Regional Chamber and the City of Tulsa, coupled with community partners, are definitely focused on creating an entrepreneur ecosystem through creative placemaking. The discussions we heard related how their initiatives / projects supported the “talent” equation.
Another key take away was interconnectedness. It was as if Tulsa had a common vocabulary stated one of the participants. Tulsa’s “teamwork” infrastructure is deliberate and structured in a way that is effectively addressing the growing need of talent attraction. Their approach is raising everyone up and individuals understand and own how their piece of the talent equation makes the whole community stronger. The agenda focused on Tulsa’s Arts District, Downtown Development, Entrepreneurism, Entertainment District, Creating a Sense of Place, Workforce Development, Education Attainment and Funding Sources. Tulsa executives began the conversation with how they needed to attract 19,668 college graduates. They can predict what companies and organizations will need in 3 – 5 – 10 years because of the continuous research that is being done. Understanding the needs and having the data has provided the structure to vision cast and secure alignment. The interconnectedness has provided a solid structure to systemize, predict, and execute their dreams.
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It was interesting how the City of Tulsa recognized 3 key weaknesses: #1 Tulsa had to overcome siloed authorities, boards, and commissions who play varying roles in economic and community development. #2 Tulsa had to overcome inefficient and ineffective leadership and reporting structures. #3 Tulsa had limited resources spread across multiple entities, requiring customers to “go through multiple doors” to determine who can help and how.
“The interconnectedness has provided a solid structure to systemize, predict, and execute their dreams.”
