New this year, we are experimenting with a shift in language from “Challenge” Days to “Possibility” Days. This reframing is in response to LT’23 cohort members' request to focus on solutions and LT’s continued evolution toward asset-based approaches to regional issues. Our Economy Possibility Day was designed to support these Flagship Program goals:

Community and Belonging: Build a diverse multi-sector learning community in which participants can find belonging, inspiration, and support for action during and after the program year.
Regional Challenges and Opportunities: Introduce a range of regional challenges and opportunities through the lenses of equity and antiracism; envision and explore examples of policies, institutions, and systems that promote equity.
Leadership: Build a toolkit of leadership skills for individual and collective action so that organizations, communities, and the region may thrive.

Cohort members shared their economic journeys and grappled with the underlying question: what might an economy look like in a region where people from all communities and identities thrive? We continued to explore the interconnections among each of our Possibility Day topics, for example, how the economy relates to environmental issues, housing and homelessness, and other shared challenges and opportunities in our region.

To get a feel for the day, read the agenda HERE. For a list of resources related to this Day, read the prework HERE. Read below reflections from two LT'23 cohort members. Many thanks to BECU for their sponsorship of this day and leadership in our community.

Kendra's Reflections

Kendra Reiser, LT'23, Career Connect Washington

A day that started with a cancelled bus route and sneaking into the LT offices late quickly turned into yet another opportunity to share reflections and gifts with one another, talk with folks I’d only met in passing, and build community as a cohort.

One of the highlights of the day was hearing the inspirational six words that cohort members used to describe their economic journeys. I appreciated Josh Heim, LT'18, from the Curriculum Committee, guiding us through a creative exercise to open us to a Possibility Day not usually associated with creativity or the arts – economics.

As an external processor, I typically shy away from asking follow-up questions during LT presentations before working through my thinking aloud. I was grateful to the cohort members at my table during Brian Surratt's (LT'07) presentation as I found myself overwhelmed by how much more I wanted to discuss – and I was not alone. Together at the table we shared questions and feedback. With their encouragement, I felt ready to submit my very first question. I appreciated my cohort members’ encouragement and the safe space they created.

This Possibility Day for me had some of the most honest conversation, genuine laughter, respectful disagreement, and thoughtful reflection, which is a testament to the community LT’23 is building with each other. I look forward to continuing to dive deeper in 2023.

Jay's Reflections

Jay O'Neal, LT'23, Republic Services

As I reflect on our Economy Possibility Day, I get a feeling of “Where do we fit?” Our country’s economic outlook lines up well with the last pivot, "Hustle to Flow," from the book our cohort is reading, The Four Pivots. We are in a time of change, where people are pinching pennies, and the communities most disadvantaged are hardest hit yet again. During our Possibility Day, we challenged the process several times, from a big corporation standpoint to our own internal governance, from Wall Street rhetoric to some of LT's leadership decisions. It reminded me that nothing is off limits for review and reflection as we build our capacity to foster change through LT. I also feel our "hustle to flow" discussion is a part of this: where can we affect change with the time we have?

I don’t have an answer yet, but I think as leaders our spheres of influence are larger than we think, and our history has prepared us well for the fight ahead. Little wins turn to big wins, and I encourage you all to forge ahead in your own way.

Kendra's Reflections

Kendra Reiser, LT'23, Career Connect Washington

Jay's Reflections

Special Thanks to Our

Possibility Day Sponsor!

Kendra's Reflections

Kendra Reiser, LT'23, Career Connect Washington

Jay's Reflections

Special Thanks to Our

﻿Possibility Day Sponsor!

Possibility Day Sponsor!