“More than ever, we need to talk about what’s possible.”

That’s what US Bank CEO Richard Davis said last week in Minneapolis when he addressed 149 delegates of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation Leadership Exchange (LEX) trip.  Davis’ presentation, one of the trip highlights for me, was a perfect way to begin two days of delving into the civic challenges that face the Twin Cities and how to relate those challenges to what we face in Denver.

I agree with Davis’ point that who we are is made up of where we were—but the future is about going to places we’ve never been.

The question is, will we see the future as an adventure or will we hang on by our fingernails and whine during the whole ride?  I asked my fellow LEX delegates what they see in the coming months and years in terms of our economic recovery.  Most delegates said something along the lines of, “We’re in a new reality and waiting for things to go back to the way they were will not serve our companies.”

“It’s good to protect the past, but it’s more important to create the future,” Davis added.

All of this from a CEO in an industry that has experienced its well-earned share of black eyes in the past year.

As I ponder these points I realize that whether in Minnesota or Colorado, business leaders need to find enough brain space to see the possibility.  Collaboration and creativity are creatures of intention and likely are not revealed as we move from task to task. Collaboration and creativity serve us well when we allow the time and place for thinking.

For me, the LEX trip was just that — a time and place to learn, connect and think, which together are the best nutrients for possibility.

When was the last time you put your to do list away and cleared some brain space to think about how you will create the future ?

One more thing…

We had a great time putting this video together to help the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation celebrate their 20^th year of Leadership Exchange trips.  I wonder where the 21^st year will take the LEX delegates?

I will be clear, I am a Republican, but not one of those crazy ones.  The outrageous claims that some Republicans have made about the new health plan, and the way they have shown their anger is embarrassing.  What happened to civil discourse?  One important thing I have learned through my many years in public relations is that groups generally have far more impact when they come to the table with specific recommendations for changes than when they frighten constituents with false claims.

I became a Republican when Republicans stood for local and state control versus federal government controls in many areas.  It seems that the party lost that focus some time ago.  I think that stem cell research is a good thing and that socialistic programs are expensive and inefficient.

I also believe that our current health care system is inefficient and expensive.  Certainly there is a better way of delivering health care to those who need it, though I’m not sure the government can come up with the best solution.

I’m for civil discourse, reasonable discussion and true bipartisanship when it comes to solving a problem that impacts us all.

I started off in Twitter as @ejumel. I did the rudimentary posts, “at work…,” “Lunch and now, the aquarium.” It was difficult to see the value when no one I really knew was using it. Sure, a few people in my professional life were Tweeting, but my friends were decidedly more interested in Facebook. Today, my friends are trickling onto Twitter and I am still using it for the inane, but also working to make it relevant to personal interests like food and wine, yoga and the environment.

The New Year rolled around and I started my Twitter experiment. Trying to avoid meshing personal with professional, I didn’t want to post work-related Tweets with @ejumel. So, I fired up @newsonthefly. This Twitter is where I post about public relations, social media and the industries my clients are in – health care, energy and whatever else pops up. I dedicate much more time to this account, follow more people, have more followers and see this as the handle to embrace.

Where does this leave @ejumel? I am not totally sure, but intend to figure it out. There are too many cases of “accidentally” posting about a work event on my personal Twitter. It is confusing to decide, should I follow this person on my personal, professional or both?

For a company, the split personality may come into play when the company is Tweeting as itself and its individual employees Tweet as well. If employees are Tweeting about their job, must they follow the same protocol as the company posts? Is it important to call out everyone at your company who is Tweeting just for the sake of saying your staff Tweets?

How do you manage your Twitter life? Personal, professional, following a protocol? For me, the experiment continues and the Tweet will keep on rolling as two personalities.

At first glance, it’s not very interesting. The same Twitter logo is there, a small blue bird and some trending topics. The big addition is the huge search bar that is placed prominently beneath the logo. If you weren’t familiar with the site, you might assume it’s just another search engine – a search engine for which its users gleefully provide the candid, uncensored content.

While the intent was probably to goad people into registering with the site to contribute content – thus achieving a kind of meta-fame by becoming part of a living, breathing search results page – it’s interesting to me that the focus on connections has been eschewed in favor of trends, results and keywords. Mashable elaborated on this idea here.

What do you think about Twitter’s new focus on real-time news? Do you feel that it will make Twitter less social over time?

The most interesting part of the article was the reason that Brusilovsky gave for teens’ lack of Twitter interest. He says that safety and privacy are the chief concerns, something I hadn’t considered, given the security settings found on most social networks – Twitter included.

Consider his summary of Facebook:

The way my friends and I see it, Facebook is a closed network. It’s a network of people and friends that you trust to be connected to, and to share information like your email address, AIM screen name, and phone number.

And then his surmisal of Twitter, by comparison:

With Twitter, it’s the exact opposite. Anyone can follow your status updates. It’s a completely open network that makes teenagers feel “unsafe” about posting their content there, because who knows who will read it.

I disagree that Twitter is unsafe for teenagers. Though sharing any personal information online is somewhat risky, the same rules that govern Facebook also govern Twitter.

Share with caution and be sensible about the items you share. Just as Facebook has privacy settings, so does Twitter. And the argument that teenagers can’t figure that part out is silly – if they can maneuver Facebook’s sprawling options, they can surely navigate Twitter’s much smaller settings.

What do you think? Is Twitter unsafe for teens?

Not once at these many meetings, attended by those who want to share in a piece of this promising new economy, has anyone talked about the regional needs and opportunities that require collaboration among many different entities.

I first became aware of the regional issues facing energy developers, state governments and power distributors when I served on the board of the Wyoming Business Council – a six-year gubernatorial appointment in the State of Wyoming.

The purpose of the council was primarily to review applications for support using federal and state funds to:

1. Help industries and businesses grow in Wyoming
2. Aid communities in becoming business ready – supporting infrastructure programs, etc.

Rocky Mountain Region states are dependent on one another for creating and distributing energy.  In fact, the highest energy-producing states are in the Rockies.  Wyoming is the biggest producer of coal and natural gas in the nation.  Colorado and New Mexico are very big players in coal bed methane, Montana has lots of hydroelectric power and these states all have lots of sun.  Wyoming is the windiest state in the nation.  And in the general scheme of things, the population of these states is very low.

But there seems to be a parochial view, at least in Colorado, that we stand unto ourselves.  That’s just not true.  Energy created in Wyoming needs distribution in Colorado and New Mexico and elsewhere in the U.S.  How that is going to be done is an issue that many in government and industry are looking at now.

Thirty-seven years ago, when I started JohnstonWells, one of our first clients was the Federation of Rocky Mountain States, which looked at regional cooperation and a joint approach to problem solving.  The governors of each state sat on the board of directors.  We need a similar, formalized organization involving energy interests in each Rocky Mountain state to start taking an active, unbiased look at how the region should work together to find creative solutions to energy development and distribution.

I have lost count on the number the social media seminars I’ve attended in the last year. And I receive invitations to several new seminars, workshops, webinars, etc., every week. The learning opportunities for social media tools and techniques are sometimes overwhelming.

I was ready for some inspiration rather than more instruction, and that is what I got at the June 17 PRSA Colorado program featuring Paula Berg, emerging media director for Southwest Airlines. I left that event feeling more enthusiastic about social media than ever before.  Really inspired.

Paula Berg is a story teller – and a very good one, at that. We were promised a series of “case studies” to describe the success behind Southwest Airlines’ social media program. But in reality she shared a collection of meaningful, authentic and entertaining stories about the way her emerging media team, which now includes seven full-time communication professionals, has embraced social media as a way to develop personal relationships with customers.

My favorite stories were about how the Nuts About Southwest blog was initially created as a “replacement” for the Southwest reality show that aired on A&E; and how the hilarious rapping flight attendant video turned into a viral sensation.

I appreciated that she didn’t only tell us about the successes – even though she could have easily filled an hour with just the good stuff.  She also shared some challenges, admitting that she and her team have made mistakes. And she pointed out compelling examples of how social media has directly affected the business success of Southwest Airlines.

Aside from being inspired, the most important thing I learned in the session is this:  If you wait and wait for the perfect moment and the perfect circumstances to launch a social media effort, the time will never  come. Jump in now and work through the challenges as you learn.  Even Paula Berg, who manages what must be one of the most successful corporate social media programs in America, said, “I’m just trying to make sense of it all.”

So, with that, I choose to be inspired by possibilities rather than constrained by the techniques.

As the image above reveals, a healthy 33.8% said they just didn’t know. As embarrassing as it sounds, I must count myself in that last category.

What does shopping online do for the environment that brick & mortar shopping does not? While on first consideration it sounds like it would be better for dear Mother Earth, do the numbers actually support that conclusion? I thought it over while eating a handful of Nerds and came up with the following ideas:

• You don’t have to drive a vehicle to and from a store.
• The inclusion of the U.S. Postal System is…better for the environment? Because of its comparative efficiency?
• Less energy is used to power a digital storefront than an actual store.

What do you think? Yes, shopping online tends to be more convenient, but is it truly green when you consider shipping centers, delivery vehicles, etc.?

UPDATE:
Getting some great feedback via Twitter. People have mentioned packaging materials, the actual location of the goods, gas-guzzling in general. Thanks @SRasmussen, @kakoivisto, @brynn303 and @newsonthefly. What does everyone else think?

For the unaware, to Twitter or to Tweet means to update one’s status on everyone’s favorite short-form social network Twitter. Tweet can also be used as a noun that means a single update. Here are some examples:

I planned to tweet about the industry-leading development as soon as I could find my phone.

I want to Twitter about something meaningful involving cookies.

My last tweet had a typo.

As an avowed social media hooligan, I’m relieved that AP weighed in so quickly. I write in AP style frequently, so it’s nice to have some clarity around this term.

Now if I could only convince the AP magistrates to pick “website” over “Web site.”

[insert weary sigh]

Attendees at the event received free admission to the Zoo, a live animal demonstration and most importantly, the opportunity to pledge to take simple steps towards improving air quality in Colorado.

Jason Boyer (pictured above), meteorologist from The Deuce, was on hand to talk to moms and dads about how ground-level ozone impacts children. In addition, local business leaders heard from:

• Cal Marsella, RTD General Manager
• James Martin, Executive Director of the Colo. Dept. of Public Health and Environment
• Andy Spielman, RAQC Chairman of the Board
• Key Llyod, RAQC Executive Director

We’ve worked with the RAQC for five years, and yet we’re still humbled by how passionate and dedicated their staff is to helping all of us breathe easier (and safer). We’ve had a few rough years air quality-wise in the Denver region, so it’s important that all residents, businesses and industry do their part to help reduce ground-level ozone.

The good news is, the RAQC is around to help and they provide a number of excellent resources on their brand new website located at www.OzoneAware.org. You can also get updates via Twitter (@ozoneaware) and become a fan on Facebook (http://bit.ly/5karS).

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and pledge!