Understanding Today’s Economy (and how to respond)
Across the country, communities are feeling pressure that is difficult to name.
- Jobs exist, but wages lag.
- Growth occurs, but affordability declines.
- Institutions perform well, yet trust erodes.
- Economic wins often fail to produce lasting prosperity.
These outcomes are the result of structural economic forces that have reshaped how wealth is created, distributed, and retained. My work is in understanding these larger shifts in our economy and how a community, business, institution, or organization can respond strategically and successfully.
What I Do
I work with communities, institutions, organizations, and businesses to help them understand the economic forces shaping their future and to make better decisions because of that understanding. This work is not about advocacy, politics, or short-term strategy. It is about clarity.
Specifically, I help leaders:
- Understand how economic consolidation affects local outcomes
- Distinguish between growth and prosperity
- Recognize the difference between extractive and circulatory economic models
- See how institutional structure shapes long-term community health
- Develop shared language before making strategic decisions
Before organizations act, they need to understand what kind of economy they are actually participating in.
Why This Work Matters Now
For decades, economic decision-making has been guided by assumptions that no longer hold:
- That growth naturally produces broad benefit
- That job creation automatically leads to mobility
- That institutional success aligns with community success
Today’s economy is more centralized, more financialized, and more opaque than the one many of our systems were built for.
As a result:
- Communities pursue strategies that feel productive but underperform over time
- Institutions communicate value that is real but poorly understood
- Leaders are forced to make decisions without a shared conceptual framework
Understanding the structure of today’s economy is no longer optional. It is a prerequisite for responsible leadership.
Who This Work Is For
My work is relevant to institutions that shape local and regional economies, including but not limited to:
I work with boards, committees, and staff responsible for economic development. Before you develop a new strategy, implement new tools, and begin spending money through staff focus, incentives, and partnerships, you should first achieve a shared clarity and shared vision for what success will look like in a new economy.
I work with boards, state and local departments/organizations, and educational institutions focused on workforce. Before designing a plan and implementing technologies, you should first seek clarity for how your efforts will success (or not succeed) in a changed economy.
I work with boards, committees, and staff of Chambers of Commerce. Understanding and claiming your role in today’s economy is critical for a chamber to be successful for the long-term. Achieving clarity in understanding the new economy and in your purpose creates the opportunity for a shared vision of success and a compelling story and framework to lead your business community into the future.
I work with boards, executives, and leadership teams of credit unions. Before investing in more marketing and promotions of products and services, you should understand that the credit union model itself (member ownership) is your greatest advantage in the new economy. Communicating this advantage to a local audience is your greatest opportunity for growth.
How I Work
My role is to:
- Frame the problem accurately
- Provide language for complex economic forces
- Facilitate shared understanding
- Help leaders ask better questions
This work typically takes the form of:
- Keynote talks and presentations
- Board or executive workshops
- Leadership retreats and facilitated discussions
- Educational briefings and custom memos
These engagements are designed to develop shared understanding and strategic alignment for better decision-making among leadership.
What This Work Is (and is not)
This work is:
This work is not:
Any decision to act or implement comes later (and separately).
The Goal
The goal of my work is simple:
- To help leaders see the economy more clearly
- To support decisions made with greater awareness
- To align strategy with long-term community health
In a changing economy, clarity is the key ingredient of good leadership.