Category: community
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Work, Art, and Leisure Collide: Remembering Two Songs By The West End
Today I happened to play an old playlist while I took a run. In the mix, a song came on that took me back and sent me on a reverie. I thought I’d share it. Some years ago I was in a band called The West End along with my good friends and neighbors Monique…
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On Hyperpolarization
I was recently asked to respond to the question, “What trends have you been seeing in democracy?” I thought I might share my response more broadly. One of the core experiences when it comes to democracy in the U.S. context is the effect of hyperpolarization. This is a pathology that goes beyond simple ”partisanship” (which…
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Why Am I In Yoga Teacher Training?
As last year ended, I announced that I had decided to take a yoga teacher training course. The first weekend (of eight) is done. I am both exhilarated and tired. I am excited to be taking these first steps along a new path, and to deepen my connection (and understanding) of the practice. The teacher…
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Regrets Upon Death
The top five regrets of the dying. As the year closes, and as we sweep away the past and look to the blank slate of the future, many of us are making “resolutions” or at the least setting their intentions.
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The Deal Is Falling Apart: Seven Concerns About The Future
I recently was asked to recap some of the research I have been fortunate to be a part of as it relates to Americans’ concerns when they think about the future. I’ve had a chance to review focus group findings (and conduct a few of my own) for a number of projects over the past…
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An Entrepreneur
A family member sent me this note recently: I’ve seen a man on the street the last few days that has intrigued me. I finally talked to him a bit this morning outside my office building. Since I’m in the middle of . . . yet another downsizing, I’ve been thinking a lot about the…
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What Happens At A Focus Group
My friends and colleagues who follow me on Facebook or Twitter might have noticed lately that I have been traveling all over the country, moderating focus groups. Just in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been to Chicago, New York, Billings MT, Detroit, and more. Before I ever started working with focus groups, I sort…
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Stay Where I Can See You
I am writing this at the airport, between flights. There is a family nearby, with a toddler. He likes to wander around, clearly. The mother calls to him, “Stay where I can see you!” It’s a parent’s nightmare: Losing your child because they wander off while playing. I remember when I had my own epiphany…
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Three Statements That Help Civility
I am sitting in a speech by a former state delegate of Virginia, speaking at an evening session of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership’s Candidate Training Program. She’s talking about the qualities of leaders. She identified three statements that can help any leader foster better relations, better understanding, and better results. That is, foster…
Brad Rourke 