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The Commons

A Place of Convening

Reflections, resources and community.

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The Commons is a place of convening. The intention is to support the navigation of the present with clarity, purpose and impact.

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In a New England town, the commons historically was a convening place in the center of town. A grounding place.

The typewriter is a nod to part of my personal past. Listening to one as my father worked away at his craft of writing.

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As a long-term thinker, with an appreciation of history, I also understand that it is what we do in the present that matters.

 

And the more integrated we approach the present, the more effective the doing and clear-eyed we can be about the future.

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Heritage today gets viewed in many frames. I've seen it in multiple frames myself, multiple layers, over the course of my life. The heritage frame here is not nostalgic. It is a grounding in times when the ground is constantly shifting.

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The intention of The Commons is to share thoughts, bring attention to current issues, my own craft and the craft of others, and to make a gathering spot for information, ideas, and ultimately grounded conversation.

Explore The Commons by Theme

Reflections and essays organized around four areas of inquiry.

Leading

For reflections on how leaders make decisions when the path isn't obvious.

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Seeing

For posts that help leaders interpret what's happening and find the deeper pattern beneath the noise.

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Organizing

For posts about organizations as living systems, not machines.

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Emerging

For Brad's broader reflections on what's changing in the world and why it matters for leaders.

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Continue the
Conversation

A community of peers to share knowledge and perspectives. People noticing the same shifts from inside their own organizations.

Ideas

Exploring concepts and possibilities that open new ways of thinking.

Stories

Learning from experience and sharing the narratives that shape our paths.

Questions

Asking better questions to deepen understanding and expand perspective.

Connections

Linking people, ideas, and resources to create meaningful relationships.

RESOURCES

Recommended books

Articles

Books

Podcasts

Videos

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Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest - Suzanne Simard

Simard combines memoir and forest science to describe the complex relationships through which trees and fungi exchange resources and information. The book has become a compelling entry point into seeing forests as dynamic communities rather than collections of isolated organisms.

The New Economics for Industry, Government, Education - W. Edwards Deming

Deming presents organizations as systems and argues that quality improves when leaders redesign processes rather than blame individuals for systemic failures. His emphasis on learning, variation, cooperation and long-term purpose remains central to thoughtful organizational improvement.

Water Diplomacy in Action: Contingent Approaches to Managing Complex Water Problems - Shafiqul Islam & Kaveh Madani, eds.

This edited volume approaches water conflicts as complex, contingent problems that cannot be solved by technical optimization alone. Its cases emphasize adaptive negotiation, stakeholder relationships and institutional

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Executive Leadership Cohort

For leaders ready to address their critical truth. Peer-to-peer work with 4-8 other enterprise leaders. Limited to 8 participants.

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