15 Moments of Inspiration from Biz 417’s Think Summit

Look for Option C

The Voice: Logan Aguirre | Publisher, Biz 417

The Vision: Aguirre set the tone for the day by talking about Option C. It's a framework for using creative thinking to see possibilities instead of limitations. "So often in life we feel like we just have two choices," she says. "Meanwhile Option C is just sitting over there waiting to be discovered."

The Big Takeaway: Through stories about her own Option C moments, Aguirre shows how the limitations of black-and-white thinking could prevent your next big moment (or just a good story).

Make Room For What's Next: "In every one of those cases, someone made room for us," Aguirre says, referring to her Option C stories. "Someone opened the door to a new solution. Someone showed us a path forward that we had not considered." Sure, that meant she had to take a calculated risk and place her trust in someone else—but it also allowed her to keep her mind open to what's possible.

Make it a Habit

The Voice: Katie Day | Coach and Speaker

The Vision: After struggling to shake the numbness brought on during the COVID-19 lockdown, Day found her way back to less exhaustion and more fulfillment by developing new habits and systems to automate her life. "I realized that whatever I am not changing, I am now choosing," Day said.

The Big Takeaway: One way to opt out of a bad habit and into something better is to explore. Instead of saying, "I've tried every workout, and nothing has worked," you can say, "There are so many ways to move my body. I'm sure I'll find one that I enjoy." Then, try new things until you find the one for you—so you can own your path forward instead of opting out of change.

Make Room For What's Next: After you explore, you have to commit. You have to keep showing up, even when it's hard. This part can feel a little tricky, and a little uncomfortable. It can feel very, very awkward. But, Day said: "There's so much goodness waiting for you on the other side of the awkward phase."

No Vacancies for the Zombie Apocalypse

The Voices:
Christina Angle | CFO at Erlen Group
John Griesemer | CEO at Erlen Group

The Vision: First cousins Angle and Griesemer answered the five questions they always get asked about the Erlen Group. From their family's immigration from Germany to the future of Springfield Underground, they dug into the company's hot topics.

The Big Takeaway: Community is at the heart of Erlen Group. While you can't reserve a spot in Springfield Underground for the zombie apocalypse (yes, people really do ask them about that), the subterranean space does have some community-focused purposes. It is offered as a tornado shelter for nearby residents, City Utilities trucks park there overnight before snow events so they will be warm and ready in the morning, and road salt is brought in via their rail lines for MODOT, Greene County and the City of Springfield.

Make Room For What's Next: Take some inspiration from Erlen Group's playbook, and use creative thinking to find outside-the-box opportunities. Example: Angle and Griesemer's grandfather was running a construction company when he hit solid rock while on a job. Instead of a wall that stopped their work, the rock became a door to something new: He decided to open a quarry that ultimately became Springfield Underground.

Are We Ready for What's Ahead?

The Voices:
Moderator: Logan Aguirre | Publisher at FourOneSeven
Jarad Johnson | Founder & CEO at Mostly Serious
Max Buetow | President and CEO at CoxHealth
Tom Douglas | CEO at JMARK

The Vision: Everyone on this panel participated in an intense foresight session that looked forward to 2035 to explore multiple plausible futures and the "pestle forces" that could affect those futures. Those are things like political shifts, environmental factors, legal pressure, social change and economic volatility. These futures are not all rosy, but the core insight was the same for all of them: Real challenges are possible, even inevitable, and we can only tackle them if we see them coming and are ready to act with the community's best interests and future in mind.

The Big Takeaway: "What you're hearing today is not a forecast," Aguirre said. "It's more like a wake-up call, and possibly a roadmap." For example, if the idea of an AI-powered world sounds a little scary (particularly if you think you're behind the curve), the way forward isn't putting your head in the sand. Rather, it's understanding the possibilities and pitfalls, and getting ahead of the widening gap between AI capabilities and the human training, judgement and ingenuity to use them well. Johnson says if we can do that, then we'll be on the right side of that gap, so we can write the policies for how AI will be used in our community.

Make Room For What's Next: Discussing the Springfield voters' recent rejection of the proposed convention and events center, Buetow said: "I voted yes, not because I felt like it was the No. 1 priority in my life or even for the community. I voted yes because I'm seeing a trend toward the 'No, not now' mentality that I think we need to fight aggressively against as a region." Douglas expanded upon that thought and added: "If we don't invest in the future, we're not going to have something that we're proud of to hand off to our kids. And we have got to do that."

Rewire Your Patterns

The Voice: Chris Bryant | Business Coach/Broker & PR at Murney Associates Realtors

The Vision: With vulnerability and heart, Bryant told the story of the day he realized his constant drive to strive was more than just relentless motivation. "The problem with performance is there's no finish line," he said. You keep going and pushing yourself until you crash. When Bryant crashed, his wife was there to help him find the help he now knew he needed. Aided by therapy, he realized that a traumatic childhood had followed him through life in the way he related to others (performing, achieving, proving his worth in order to feel safe)—and had built up into a deep dread he felt in his body.

The Big Takeaway: "When you use old rules for new relationships, you don't just tend to recreate the past, but you get stuck in it," Bryant said. For him, he says he was running a 7-year-old software inside of a 40-year-old life.

Make Room For What's Next: Bryant referenced Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, who wrote: "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." If we slow down to create that space for ourselves, then invite others in for trusted feedback, we can work toward building new patterns. And updating that 7-year-old operating system!

From AI to Abundance

The Voice: Tom Douglas | CEO at JMARK

The Vision: The AI world is accelerating quickly, and Douglas gave the audience a rapid-fire rundown of some of the positive advances—including one man's research that's curing diseases using already-existing FDA-approved drugs. But challenges lie ahead as well, and it's up to us to steer the ship. "We all have a responsibility in the AI revolution," Douglas said.

The Big Takeaway: For JMARK, that responsibility is putting AI in motion for others in the form of their newest project—one that could change how his clients integrate AI into their businesses. They've built and are launching a powerful new AI tool called JIVE (JMARK Intelligent Virtual Environment) that aims to solve problems with traditional AI tools: security issues, data management and integration, memory, context loss, user interface and inaccuracies.

Make Room For What's Next: Douglas encouraged the audience to treat AI tools like a multiplier for their businesses. "Don't stop yourself from making an impact on the world," he said. "Use the AI tools to impact the world. And just as importantly, don't rob the world of the contributions you can make." According to Douglas, if we want an abundant future, we have to build it together.

Powered by Belief

The Voice: Zack Morgan | Accountant at The Whitlock Co.

The Vision: In a talk punctuated by humor and sincerity, Zack Morgan shares a life story that's winding, with surprises at every turn—from an unlikely close friendship with Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris to a stint as a race car driver. But it all started when he was born premature, and his parents were told that he wasn't going to make it. They believed in him, though, supporting his aspirations even though accomplishing them often looked different for him than for other kids due to the challenges of cerebral palsy. Uplifted by their belief, Morgan has built a rich and successful life.

The Big Takeaway: Morgan says the power of belief has three pillars: belief in yourself, belief in others, and others believing in you. "When people believe in you, impossible things become normal," he said.

Make Room For What's Next: Morgan is a new father, and he said his job now is to believe in his daughter, to be patient with her—to teach her that it's okay to fail, and it's okay to wander, because she has a base of people who believe in her. You can take that attitude into your own life as well. "The question isn't whether belief matters," he said. "It's who will you believe in next?"

Five Words, Two Ways

The Voice: Andrea Harp | Director of Marketing at Care to Learn

The Vision: Harp tells the story of how her life changed with just five words—and it happened twice. First, an ultrasound tech told her, "There are two of them," thus turning her presumed singlet pregnancy into a surprise twin pregnancy. Her daughter Alex soon faced numerous diagnoses after the girls were born prematurely at 25 weeks. The family had to learn to navigate a new future: one with a wheelchair and other medical equipment and needs. When they were ready to venture out into the world, five new words changed their lives again when they came from people choosing to accommodate her daughter: "Yes, I can make space."

The Big Takeaway: Creating space for individuals with disabilities can be simple, and anyone can offer this kindness. You can get creative with how you say "hi," to show that the person is seen and heard. Another easy option: respect the boundaries of people living with disabilities, which can look like giving them a little extra time and space to show what they are capable of.

Make Room For What's Next: Harp closed her talk by suggesting that the audience adopt that second five-word phrase ("Yes, I can make space") to create a welcoming environment for people with disabilities. "When you say these five words to someone else, you are actually communicating so much more. You are saying, 'I see you, and you matter. You are welcome here. All of you are welcome here.'"

Eyes Trained on the Future

The Voices:
Moderator: Logan Aguirre | Publisher at FourOneSeven
David Cameron | City Manager at City of Springfield
Crystal Quade | Executive Director at Downtown Springfield Association
Jonas Arjes | Senior Vice President of Economic Development at Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce

The Vision: Cameron, Quade and Arjes are all relatively new to their roles—roles that have the potential to shape the city of Springfield. For each of them, the first order of business was a listening tour to understand the needs, fears and aspirations of key stakeholders. They share some of what they've heard, how they envision the city moving forward and what the city needs to thrive.

The Big Takeaway: Building the vibrant city we hope and dream—and know—Springfield can be is a group project to be approached from many sides. A silver bullet? It doesn't exist. To pour into the idea that we have to come together to shape the future of the city, the Downtown Springfield Association is about to embark on a big strategic planning process that starts with public listening sessions with developers, residents, folks who love Downtown, and even folks who don't. "From there, we're going to build a plan for the next three to five years and beyond to really outline not just who we are as an organization, but who we are as a city," Quade said. "We need to ask the people to shape the narrative. We can't tell them what it is."

Make Room For What's Next: Cameron pointed out that one path forward is to reimagine the way we're doing business, challenge the status quo and not let fear dictate what we run toward. "I assure you, if you were to reimagine those systems, there will be fruit at the end, but it will take hard work," Cameron said.

Let Your Opposition Help You Win

The Voice: Nick Wiersma | Chief Administrative Officer at Convoy of Hope

The Vision: Wiersma pulls from his own life experiences and the work of Convoy of Hope to tell the audience how to see their opposition (aka the obstacles that lie ahead) as a powerful force that can help you find the route to success. That's because if you study your obstacles—in business, at home or in the future—then you can identify them, label them, focus on them and address them.

The Big Takeaway: Studying your obstacles requires four steps: Assessing, strategizing, preparing and moving. Wiersma says your victory is not made when the deal is done. Rather, your victory is made in the preparation and strategizing that happens before the deal is done. It's what gets you there.

Make Room For What's Next: When Wiersma talks about strategizing, he says you first need to define what the win is. What's your next win? Define it, then look for the obstacles that can stand in your way—and conquer them.

Expertise is Active, Not Passive

The Voice: Dr. Mark Smith | Dean, McQueary College of Health and Human Services at Missouri State University

The Vision: According to Smith, many people view their title as an equivalent to expertise—but the two are not the same. And he knows a thing or two about expertise: He studied Bobby Bowden, the Florida State University football coach who is one of the winningest football coaches in history, a true expert in his field.

The Big Takeaway: Expertise is consistent, superior performance, Smith said. While we might want success to be a straight line, it's really not. You can't take a shortcut through the life experience that leads to true expertise. Rather than rest on your laurels, commit to doing the hard work repeatedly and deliberately to continually move toward expertise.

Make Room For What's Next: Smith said true expertise requires intellectual humility. Expertise grows when curiosity replaces ego, because true experts never stop learning. So if learning must be a permanent and deliberate habit, then what are you going to seek out and learn next? And who will you share that knowledge with? "This is what you are here to think about," he said. "The true expert doesn't serve themselves. It's not their ego. It's 'How do I help others?'" If we are going to call ourselves leaders or experts, then we must go beyond our titles and our egos and become a servant to others—to help them become better than we are.

Culture in the Classroom

The Voice: Dr. Cherie Norman | Principal at Cowden Elementary, Springfield Public Schools

The Vision: In a high-energy talk punctuated by the voices of 10 Cowden Elementary School students who joined their principal on stage, Norman illustrated how Cowden doesn't function like other schools. The school's leadership uses training from the Ron Clark Academy to create an environment rich in culture—one in which the students are empowered to succeed through their own leadership and a supportive and family-like style of school spirit. They even have a program called The Great Shake that teaches soft skills to fifth-grade students, to set them up for success in middle school, high school and, ultimately, the workforce.

The Big Takeaway: The shared attitudes, values, goals and practices of an organization's culture make all the difference. They make or break how your teams relate to one another—and the success that they can achieve together.

Make Room For What's Next: Add this to your reading list: Ron Clark Academy is more than just an educational program. Its principles can impact the workplace too, especially those from Clark's book Move Your Bus, which uses a school bus and its passengers to illustrate employee dynamics.

Take Down Your Trolls

The Voice: Carissa Codel | Morning News Anchor at KOLR10

The Vision: When online trolls came out of the woodwork to make nasty comments about news anchor Carissa Codel's body on her social media, she didn't let it get her down. Instead, she decided to turn it all into a humorous video series, reading the comments aloud in her news reporter voice. And instead of shrinking her body, she went on a fitness journey that allowed her to get stronger, build her muscles and continue to take up the space she deserves in the world. Now, she has added "power lifter" to her resume while still working in journalism, taking down her trolls online and setting a positive example for the girls in her audience.

The Big Takeaway: "Remember that no one can own your narrative except for you," Codel said. If someone's trying to wrestle your narrative from you, give yourself permission to snatch it back. If you're anything like Codel, you might just do that with an abundance of humor.

Make Room For What's Next: Codel said that the trolls' voices might get kind of loud, but they are not the most important voices in your life. They won't silence cheerleaders. Look for your own cheerleaders. But also, be a cheerleader for others to help drown out their trolls.

This Must Be the Place

The Voices:
Moderator: Tessa Cooper | Food Editor at 417 Magazine
Brad Feuerbacher | Director of Operations at Brown Derby Wine Center
Tyler Hellweg | Principal Architect at Arkifex Studios
Sheri Perkins and Renee Textor | Co-owners at The Table
Steve Belden | Operating Partner at Sunshine Event Center

The Vision: All the speakers on this panel are turning (or have recently turned) historic spaces around Springfield into something new. Brown Derby Wine Center is upgrading and adding more community spaces to a building that was originally a 1950s skating rink (and still has the original wood floor). Tyler Hellweg is turning a 1926 car garage into The Hollar, a concert venue that will hold an audience of 2,000. Sheri Perkins and Renee Textor turned an iconic 1896 flour mill in downtown Springfield into The Table, a beautiful restaurant and gathering place. And Steve Belden is breathing new life into Plaza Towers with The Daily Blend coffee shop, Sunshine Event Center and the soon-to-open Scratch & Co. restaurant.

The Big Takeaway: Exciting business prospects aren't the only reason to reimagine historic spaces. There are deeper, cultural benefits—and history matters. "When we lose these spaces that are meaningful, we realize how badly we miss them, and we want them back," Hellweg said. "To be able to preserve them before they go away feels like you get to do something bigger than yourself."

Make Room For What's Next: Perkins shared a note of gratitude that any of us can apply to our work lives. Sometimes things can get tough in the business world. When that happens, Perkins chooses to sit back, listen to the sounds of a bustling restaurant and just appreciate it all. "We get to make a space for people where they can connect with others, where they can make memories," she said.

Oh, One More Thing

The Voices: Think Summit speakers, moderated by Biz 417 Editor Dori Grinder

The Vision: For the final session of the day, all of the Think Summit speakers joined Biz 417 Editor Dori Grinder and FourOneSeven Publisher Logan Aguirre on stage to answer one final question: "What was your favorite Option C or takeaway from the day?" There were too many thoughtful nuggets to share here; you just have to hear them all.

The Big Takeaway: Christina Angle of Erlen Group pointed to stewardship (aka taking responsibility for the things you've been entrusted with) as a recurring theme of the day. We are entrusted with this community, she said. So how can we be good stewards of it?

Make Room For What's Next: We loved CoxHealth CEO Max Buetow's closing note. He recounted a conversation with JMARK's Tom Douglas. Douglas told Buetow that when his son graduates high school, he's going to miss the time spent in the car together driving back and forth from school and activities. Buetow said: "How do we look at the things that are obligations and see them as opportunities, so we can bloom where we're planted?"