We hope you enjoyed the engaging dialogue from our 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes as much as we did. Each year the panelists bring a new perspective, and what they share is always inspiring. For this week’s Notebook, we decided to tell you some of the key takeaways we got from panelists and attendees while we participated in the event ourselves. Enjoy!

–Emily Barske, associate editor

That’s true for you

By Emily Barske

Quite possibly one of the most interesting things about being human is that we all have our own experiences that shape how we view the world. Izaah Knox, executive director of Urban Dreams, touched on this during the panel. He said to be inclusive, we have to accept that people have experiences we do not and cannot understand. Why? Because we aren’t in their shoes. 

I found his perspective interesting when he framed it this way: what’s true for you may not be true for someone else. How many times have you shared something that upset you only to have the person respond with something like “well I’m sure that’s not what was meant?” Responding that way is not only dismissive, but it makes the other person slam the brakes and go into defensive mode. The last thing anyone who is upset needs is someone telling them they have nothing to be upset about. 

It’s a lesson we could all learn from, especially as we work to create a more inclusive community. One of my favorite sayings is from “Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech, “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” And since none of us can really be in the shoes of another, it’s best we focus more on offering support rather than passing judgment.   

Patton via Hildebrandt

By Perry Beeman

Before the event, I spoke to a couple of people about their own words to live by. One was local marketing rep Ben Hildebrandt, who I first met when he was working for the local chamber of commerce, now the Greater Des Moines Partnership, under chamber President Michael Reagen. 

“The philosophy I live by — and I’ve stolen this phrase from [General] George Patton — ‘Pressure builds diamonds.’ I learned that from Mike Reagen,” Hildebrandt said. “It’s one of those things that these folks [the 90 ideas panelists] always shine when it’s hardest. I’ll never forget [Hy-Vee exec and community leader] Randy Edeker saying, ‘Culture eats strategy for lunch every day.’ I love to be put under pressure, and with my family, I usually am.” 

Help others, don’t just gather

By Perry Beeman

Agricultural businessman and environmentalist Bob Riley said whatever words of wisdom we follow, we should have an eye toward helping others. “On the bottom of my email is a quote by George Eliot that says, ‘What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?’ So when we talk about these great ideas, I hope that they really reflected the concept that we are trying to be helpful as opposed to just gathering more stuff.”