A retired army general offers four tips for cultivating strong leaders

In government, in business, in athletics, and in our culture — it doesn’t matter the field, the need for leadership is inexhaustible. So, how do we grow a new supply that’s at the ready when we need it? Here’s one framework with four simple pillars.

Read & Share   sourced from: Quartz

A look inside the small US towns that will be crushed by the trucking revolution

Disruption is coming. Automated cars have been a regular topic here on The Minot Voice, and that will continue. The reason, the technology is going to reshape the base fabric of this country. One of the likely less considered implications, how the transition to self-driving technology will change the small towns and roadside truck stops

Read & Share   sourced from: Quartz

Rural Youth Chase Big-City Dreams

Out-migration of young people from the prairie is not a new phenomenon. Growing up here in the 80’s and 90’s, I can attest to the fact that North Dakota youth have been hearing about this problem going back at least 30 years. This past summer, Dante Chinni with The Wall Street Journal did a feature

Read & Share   sourced from: Wall Street Journal

Radical thinking reveals the secrets of making change happen

Have you ever wondered how and why change happens? Perhaps more importantly, have you ever wondered how what looks like intentional change happens? The change ingredients are easy to see in when looked on with hindsight, and the driving factors are the topic of a new book called The Guardian by Duncan Green. Check out

Read & Share   sourced from: GovLab

What Mongolian Nomads Teach Us About the Digital Future

North Dakota’s prairie-grass ecosystem and nomad economy were converted to an agriculturally based economy by the area’s early European settlers, but across the Pacific in the heart of Asia, the Mongolian nomads still live a lifestyle largely free of the traditional modern conveniences. This in-depth article from Wired captures the spirit of the lifestyle; it

Read & Share   sourced from: WIRED

Want a Daily Dose of Minot News & Commentary? Sign Up For Daily Updates!

Follow Us Here!

Breaking down UND numbers reveals enrollment trends

Like Minot State, enrollment numbers at UND are down this year. But the total number doesn’t always tell the whole story. Andrew Haffner with the Grand Forks Herald interviews UND’s Director of Admissions for a deeper look at the numbersĀ and the demographics and cultural shifts shaping them.

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

In ‘This Blessed Earth,’ the outdated romance of the family farm

The farms and small towns of our parents and grandparents generation are less and less each season. New technology, out-migration, changing geopolitics — they’re all factors contributing to the ebb of the family farm culture. If the topic interests you, “This Blessed Earth” is a new book featured in this MPR article.

Read & Share   sourced from: Minnesota Public Radio

Why Investors Are Betting That Bike Sharing Is the Next Uber

You’ve probably heard of Uber and Lyft — the ride-sharing companies and business models that are rewriting the books on the traditional cab business, car ownership, and likely city and road design, too. But sharing economy is still an infant; we’ve not yet imagined the possibilities it unlocks. Perhaps, the ability to unlock a bike,

Read & Share   sourced from: WIRED

Drug experts see confluence of factors behind opioid crisis

In Minot, the Mayor’s Committee on Addiction met this week. When it comes to dealing with the effects of the opioid and larger addiction problem, they’re going to divide and hopefully conquer. They’ll be splitting into several sub-committees to deal with different arms of the larger animal. It’s important work, but the method also invites

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Shopping habits are hurting American jobs, especially today

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, it was the rise of the mall that dramatically changed shopping habits and the retail delivery model. Today, it’s the Internet and giant online retailers like Amazon. The consumer behavior is shifting toward the model that provides lower prices and more convenience, and the pace of the change is increasing.

Read & Share   sourced from: The Washington Post

Winging it on a prayer: churches are trying new ways to attract young followers

There’s a lot in flux right now in our country — our economy, our political spectrum, the technology that shapes our daily lives — all of it is changing. And so are our churches; those that are growing are finding new ways to connect with parishioners.

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

Want a Daily Dose of Minot News & Commentary? Sign Up For Daily Updates!

Follow Us Here!

‘We hereby declare!’ Young citizens take oath in special Children’s Museum event

When it comes to immigration formalities, the children of naturalized parents and those adopted by American parents are often notified by of their citizenship by a letter in the mail. But at a recent ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Minnesota, the full oath and recognition of the occasion were celebrated. The Star Tribune has

Read & Share   sourced from: Star Tribune

In Williston, a downtown fixture closing its doors this month

A generations-old retail store in downtown Williston is closing its doors this week. The downtown Hallmark store has been in Williston in some form since 1964, but changes in consumer retail behavior have forced the change. It’s relevant here in Minot because it’s a sign of changing times. Tomorrow, Minot’s City Council will be discussing

Read & Share   sourced from: Williston Herald

Fargo employers discuss ways to keep employee gatherings relevant and effective

Kill the meeting! Well, not completely, but Fargo employers are adapting to new ways of thinking and one of the old ideas that’s slowly going the way of the dodo bird — staff get-togethers. It turns out that meeting for meeting sake is a great way to kill morale and stifle productivity. Business owners take

Read & Share   sourced from:

Arts and culture boost North Dakota, Minnesota economies, studies show

When it comes to economic activity, the arts and culture communities are not little players. The North Dakota Council of the Arts was a participant in a recent economic impact study conducted in 341 regions in the U.S. The findings are significant; the artsĀ culture and communities in North Dakota annually generate $110 million in economic

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Downtown Fargo continues on a path of continuous improvement

Over the past 20 years, Fargo has been successful in creating a downtown environment that is the envy of all the other cities in North Dakota. How did they do it? Fargo’s Downtown Community Partners President Tim Flakoll provides some commentary on the success; the ingredients Fargo used won’t surprise you, but they will point

Read & Share   sourced from: InForum