Nancy Truitt-Pierce of Woods Creek Consulting coached us on innovation.  Andrew Face led us in Kumbaya.  Eric Thom gave his classification talk.  John Martinka and Morris Kremen gave us an Antigua update.  Jane Kuechel showed us how easy it is to sign up for the 10K race.

Innovation: The Key to Success

Bob Holert introduced the featured speaker, Nancy Truitt-Pierce, Founder and CEO of Woods Creek Consulting. Nancy has over 20 years of management consulting experience, and is also a member of the Monroe Rotary, the Monroe School Board and the Everett Junior College Board.

No big surprise, but Nancy confirmed that innovation does not just happen. So the question is “how to become better” as business evolves. The answer is to become proactive and to approach the task of innovating using a process and discipline.

As background, Nancy pointed out that we have become more automated at doing redundant tasks; we have more access to information and we have better communications about our plans. With all that extra time, some of it must be set aside to share thinking, collect and review data and develop ideas. This is not to say that this is the decision process; rather it is the process that will lead to the presentation of new ideas to management.

So the process is to find good ideas, vet them against the market place, provide feedback, execute initiatives and measure success. Or to create a hot bed of creativity by taking disparate ideas and putting them together to form new concepts. Nancy has coined a word for this creative process: Syniad, the Welsh word for idea.

A couple of BBRC members shared their own innovation experiences which included setting aside time each week for thinking about new ways to do things and using story boards or blank pieces of paper to capture ideas. Whatever the means used, innovation must be given the same importance in a company as other things we routinely measure and evaluate, such as production and marketing.

President Martinka called the meeting to order.

Andrew Face delivered the Pledge of Allegiance after a musical Invocation sung and swung to Cumbya. So verse one was “Someone’s hungry, Lord,” a reference to Rotary First Harvest. Verse two was “Someone’s thirsty, Lord,” conjuring up water projects in Africa. Verse three was “Someone’s learning, Lord,” a reference to the recent Computers for the World project in Antigua. All good fun which even included a bit of swaying to and fro by the Back Benchers.

Tom Leonidas greeted visiting Rotarians and guests.

Classification Talk

Eric Thom provided an entertaining Power point of his life and work in non-profit management. He presently works for Hopelink and along the way became addicted to long distance running. He also enjoys being a grandfather.

GSE Update

Stan Miner, the District GSE chair reported that a team is on its way to Nepal and we will be receiving a team from Nepal in a month. Six persons are coming and home hosts are needed for three or four of the members for about a week during the second week of April. Included in the team are an artist, an IT person, a geographic information specialist, someone from the chamber of commerce and a social worker. If you are interested in a cultural learning experience please let Steve Lingenbrink know.

Antigua

John Martinka and Morris Kremen reported on the recent trip to Antigua for Computers for the World. Among the successes of the recent trip were a functioning computer lab in a school, distribution of dictionaries, sewing machines and sewing classes for a number of women, and a video link between Antigua and the neighboring island of Barbuda! Quite an accomplishment. In a meeting with the local Rotary Club in Antigua, they mused on the accomplishments of Impact, Partnership, and Experience after five years. This is truly one of the BBRC’s success stories.

10K Update

Using Jonathan Koshar as a human lab rat, Jane Kuechle demonstrated how easy it is to sign up on line for the BBRC 10K. Remember the event is on Sunday, April 29!

SAA Mischief

Wendi Fischer set up a few of her Merry Pranksters — Jane Kuechle, Jenny Andrews, Madeline Gauthier, Ann Norman and Desiree Yuzawa — to stump the chumps. And they did. Who would have connected these events with these participants:

• worked in a women’s prison: Jane;
• climbed the highest peak in the Garden of the Gods park: Madeline;
• lived in a commune: Ann;
• attended an execution parade in China: Desiree;
• ran over her sister in a car: Jenny.

For those of you who were absent, put at least a dollar on the table!

 Our scribe for this week is Mark Hough who just returned from Afghanistan.  Photos by Jim Kindsvater.

Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards. Soren Kierkegaard

About the Speaker