
Micks Corner
Facilitator of a Chamber Discussion? Not...
Weatherman in San Diego. Referee in a professional wrestling match.
It's fun to try to out-do your friends in coming up with superfluous or ridiculous occupations. I think I may have been the punch line myself a few times last week when I found myself serving as host and facilitator of three dinners for small groups of chamber executives.
Take a dozen or so chamber leaders, add a few courses at a good restaurant and a bottle or two of decent red wine. Stir lightly. From that point on, all you have to do is sit back, laugh, learn and take a few notes. Good food. Good company. A meeting with no agenda. That's a recipe for bubbling chemistry and priceless insights. Public policy, economics, business trends, national politics, international trade, demographics, travel tips and movie trivia . . . all fair game during such a gathering. And all I have to do is get out of the way.
Thanks to all those in St. Pete and Atlanta for letting me pretend to orchestrate!