You can order a dentist’s toolkit online and find step-by-step guides to tooth repair. But who would feel comfortable filling a cavity, or having a friend perform dental work, after purchasing a drill and downloading operating instructions?
None of us would.
Opinion
That’s because good dentists’ most valuable asset isn’t the tools or instructions, but their know-how. Their expertise comes from the practice and experience of performing procedures and the implicit knowledge acquired only through repetition, including learning from mistakes and adapting along the way.
We often rely on programs, laws and budgets, treating them as make-or-break solutions to our challenges. Are these important? Certainly, but like the dentist’s drill and cavity-filling guide, they matter less than developing the understanding and experience to solve our problems.
At the Wyoming Business Council, we maintain numerous policies, services and investments to support resilient communities. These function as tools and codes. However, the communities that truly thrive are those willing to build teams and work through problems, developing the know-how that creates self-reliance and resilience, regardless of external conditions or available resources.
By working through the economic growth flywheel to build know-how, we can empower strong communities that control their own destinies and develop lasting economic resilience. This principle became clearer to me after listening to Laramie County Community College President Joe Schaffer describe the importance of entrepreneurship to our state.
The parallel between entrepreneurship and resilient communities is striking. The best entrepreneurs try, succeed or fail, listen and learn — then repeat this process continuously. That’s how they develop know-how. Ask anyone who understands entrepreneurship, and they’ll confirm that mentorship outweighs money in importance. Mentorship transmits know-how, while funding often masks real problems or allows entrepreneurs to bypass the critical learning and decision-making that ensures long-term success.
Entrepreneurs don’t wait around for someone else to solve their problems. They use the resources and knowledge they have to build teams to do the work that needs to be done. They commit their life’s work to solving a problem until it is solved and take responsibility for making that happen. Embracing an entrepreneurial mindset and digging deep into local problems, developing teams and working on issues will help us build resilient communities and even help our state and local leaders put forth the best policies and funding mechanisms.
What does this look like? Like all meaningful action, it’s not necessarily easy but there are some basic steps you can put into practice:
- Select a specific growth challenge in your community. If you need some starting points, Wyoming’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy outlines some of the major problems facing Wyoming’s communities today and strategies to address them.
- Who feels this problem? Find the people affected by the problem and look for those who have the authority to implement changes and who might know how to get things done. Be willing to make the circle bigger.
- Commit to addressing this challenge thoroughly for at least a year, or until it is solved. Evaluate your entry points, assess the scope, maintain focus (which requires letting go of competing priorities) and remain open to learning from mistakes throughout the process.
Imagine what Wyoming could achieve if we solved our fundamental challenges: creating jobs that keep our youth here, developing competitive infrastructure, connecting rural communities to jobs and economic opportunities, and making housing and childcare accessible. This vision is achievable with the correct tools and helpful codes wielded by people who have the courage, expertise and discipline to tackle the steps above and say, “Yes,” to doing the hard work.