Community Concerns

Mourning the loss of “the messy middle”

“What happens to a society and its industries if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers overnight?” I read an article yesterday about the worker shortage crisis. It explains why so many people are backing away from more traditional careers with larger, more established companies and instead opting for seemingly less secureContinue reading “Mourning the loss of “the messy middle””

NOHRA September Event: Retaining Employees through Local Community Services

Did you know that TWO OF EVERY THREE EMPLOYEES in our region VOLUNTARILY quit their jobs? Additionally, nearly a third of those who do so are leaving because of well-being and work-life balance issues. Yikes. No wonder it feels like recruiting has become a constant struggle. (source: Greater Cleveland Partnership) NOHRA – North Central OhioContinue reading “NOHRA September Event: Retaining Employees through Local Community Services”

Clint Tuttle: Finding his niche in life after tech

I’ve been spending some time lately developing the content for a custom Excel course I’ll be running for a local manufacturer. I have to admit, at first, I was not especially enthralled about teaching Excel. I don’t t typically think of it as my wheelhouse. But as I dug into the content, I started toContinue reading “Clint Tuttle: Finding his niche in life after tech”

Small, Colocated Teams … er … uh …. Neighbors?

The more work I do in the community development, engagement, and improvement spaces, the more I realize that cities and neighborhoods are not that much different from companies. Really, hear me out. Cities are nothing if not complex systems, and the same techniques we’ve learned through empirical evidence to rely on in our workplaces, tendContinue reading “Small, Colocated Teams … er … uh …. Neighbors?”

Life can be hard … but small towns are “Still Standing”

I’m hooked on a new (to me) TV show. It’s called “Still Standing” and it airs on CBC in Canada. The series, now in it’s 12th season, follows comedian and actor Jonny Harris as he travels to small towns “against the ropes”. He tells the stories of the people in these struggling communities who, againstContinue reading “Life can be hard … but small towns are “Still Standing””

Where does real community exist in your city?

I read a post on LinkedIn recently about the tradition of police officers eating donuts. It explained that the routine arose in the 1950s out of necessity. Cops needed a place to take a break during their late night shifts and the only place open was the local donut shop. Donut shop owners and operatorsContinue reading “Where does real community exist in your city?”