Welcome to Curated Morning. A compendium of news, information, and stories that economic development professionals, community development leaders and elected officials read every week to stay in touch with what is happening in our economy.

The Main Thing:

Driving down the road, coming back from dinner, I told my significant other at the time that I often suffer from perfectionism, which is why I did some of the things I did, specifically procrastinating. She let out a hearty and robust laugh and quickly let me know that I indeed was not perfect.

How’s that for a vote of confidence? I tried to explain to her that being a perfectionist was not what she thought, but she wasn’t having it.

There’s more to that story, but let’s clarify things. On one hand, she was right, I was not perfect, and that was the whole crux of the issue. My striving for perfection often got in the way of getting things done; therefore, most of my projects, ideas, and work — both professional and personal — fell far short of perfection. That was my whole point.

I’m better now that I've taken the effort to learn how to deal with it, but there are still days I have to battle the perfectionism demons.

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Where are you on the perfectionism scale? Are you procrastinating because you're spending time trying to create the perfect situation? The perfect setting to write your book? The perfect studio to restart that painting project you've been wanting to do? Just the right tools to rehab that old Ford taking up space in the garage that you promised your spouse you were going to tackle?

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This week, we explore the fourth of five procrastination drivers that will hold you back from success.

​You can read more here. ​

I’m taking applications for a new Next Wave Leadership Mastermind.

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​Why You: Because you are an up-and-coming Economic Development Leader, you need a leg up on how to get to the next level. You need more strategies and tactics to manage your professional life (personal too).

Why You Now: Because the most important thing you can do right now in this chaotic topsy-turvy world is to invest in YOU. Economic Development needs YOU to be a leader.

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Here's the good news: The next cohort will start in late summer or early Fall, and anyone who signs up by the end of June will receive a $100 discount.

Here’s what you get:

• Nine months of group coaching, with two 90-minute calls each month.
• Three one-on-one coaching calls with me to discuss current challenges, career development, or anything you want.
• A Personality Archetype Assessment that benchmarks your personality characteristics and shadows. A personal validation session is included.
• Support and mentoring from fellow economic developers working to build their leadership skills and careers.
• Guest speakers, Implementation templates, and mind-provoking discussions.

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If you join me on this journey, together we will create positive energy and growth in the economic development world. Go HERE to fill out an application.​

Focus On Leadership

From Boardroom to Public Service: Leadership Lessons for Building High-Performance Economic Development Teams

Bob McDonald's unique experience leading at the highest levels of both Fortune 500 corporations and the federal government offers some valuable insights for economic development professionals navigating complex public-private partnerships. As the former CEO of Procter & Gamble and Secretary of Veterans Affairs, McDonald transformed a broken VA organization with a 47% veteran trust rating into one achieving over 80% satisfaction by focusing on culture, values, and intentional leadership development. His approach centered on dismantling hierarchical barriers, implementing "human-centered design" thinking, and creating accountability systems that aligned individual success with the organizational mission, thereby transforming a culture of "learned helplessness" into one of empowered problem-solving. We learn about how he did this in Leadership is the scarcest resource: An interview with Bob McDonald by Roland Dillon and Scott Blackburn in McKinsey Insights.

Why This Matters: Economic developers operate in a unique space requiring both private sector efficiency and public sector accountability, often managing diverse stakeholder groups with competing interests. McDonald's framework—starting with purpose, values, and principles before addressing systems and strategies—provides a proven roadmap for transformation that economic development organizations can adapt. His emphasis on "teaching people to fish rather than catching fish for them" directly applies to building sustainable development capacity in communities, while his experience managing 535 "board members" (Congress) offers lessons for navigating complex political environments that economic developers face daily.

Take Action: Assess your organization's culture by surveying stakeholders about trust levels and identifying barriers to open communication, similar to McDonald's VA transformation. Implement regular "town halls" with diverse community stakeholders to break down silos and gather direct feedback on economic development initiatives. Develop a "leaders developing leaders" cascade training program that builds capacity at every level of your development ecosystem, from staff to board members to community partners.

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Crisis-Proof Your Economic Development: The Four-Pillar Framework That Turns Disruption Into Opportunity

When the next economic shock hits your community—and it will—will your economic development organization be ready to pivot, adapt, and even thrive? This comprehensive guide, found in The 4 Pillars of Organizational Resilience: Building a future-proof company (Fast Company), author Brendan P. Keegan breaks down organizational resilience into four actionable pillars that go far beyond traditional risk management. The framework focuses on building adaptive capacity through leadership commitment, operational flexibility, strategic foresight, and resourcefulness—capabilities that proved their worth when resilient organizations outperformed their peers by over 50% during the pandemic. Rather than viewing challenges as threats, this approach reframes disruptions as opportunities for growth, maintaining both short-term responsiveness and long-term sustainability.

Why This Matters: Economic development organizations operate at the intersection of multiple volatile forces—shifting market conditions, policy changes, demographic trends, and global disruptions that can reshape entire regional economies overnight. Traditional planning models often fail when faced with unprecedented challenges, such as supply chain breakdowns, remote work transformations, or sudden industry shifts. This four-pillar resilience framework provides economic developers with a structured approach to build adaptive capacity, serving dual purposes: strengthening their organizational effectiveness while better supporting businesses and communities through uncertainty.

Take Action: Conduct a resilience audit of your economic development organization using the four-pillar framework to identify gaps in leadership culture, operational flexibility, strategic foresight, and resourcefulness. Implement cross-training programs that ensure multiple team members can handle critical functions, such as business retention, project management, and stakeholder relations, during staff transitions or emergencies. Create an early warning dashboard tracking leading economic indicators, development pipeline health, and stakeholder satisfaction metrics.

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Brain-Powered Breakthroughs: How Economic Developers Can Use Neuroscience to Unlock Game-Changing Solutions

We learn that we can dispel the myth that creativity is exclusive to artists and designers. In the article, Brainwaves to Breakthroughs: Foster a Creative Culture (by Michael Platt, Knowledge at Wharton) he writes that neuroscience research reveals that innovative thinking is a trainable skill that can dramatically transform how, for example, economic development professionals can tackle complex challenges. This groundbreaking approach shows how creativity emerges from the dynamic interaction between your brain's default mode network (responsible for imagination) and its focus-oriented frontoparietal attention network. Companies that embrace creative thinking see revenue growth that dramatically outpaces their peers, yet 61% of organizations report they aren't creative. By understanding how the brain generates novel ideas, economic development leaders can create environments where breakthrough solutions to community challenges thrive, from reimagining underutilized assets to developing innovative business attraction strategies.

Why This Matters: Economic development work demands constant innovation—whether you're crafting unique value propositions for your region, developing creative incentive packages, solving workforce challenges, or finding new uses for vacant buildings. The traditional playbook of standard marketing materials and recruitment strategies is no longer enough in today's competitive environment. Communities that can think creatively about their assets, partnerships, and approaches will outmaneuver those stuck in conventional patterns. The neuroscience-backed strategies outlined here provide a systematic way to unlock the innovative thinking needed to transform challenges into competitive advantages, helping economic developers move beyond "what we've always done" to discover solutions that differentiate their communities in meaningful ways.

Take Action: Restructure your team meetings to begin with 15 minutes of open-ended brainstorming before moving to structured planning, allowing both creative and analytical brain networks to engage effectively. Create cross-pollination opportunities by regularly connecting with professionals from different industries, other economic development organizations, and unexpected sectors to spark new approaches to common challenges. Implement a "creative failure celebration" where team members share bold ideas that didn't work out, building psychological safety that encourages risk-taking in future initiatives. Schedule walking meetings and unstructured time for innovation—some of your best community development solutions may emerge during informal conversations rather than formal planning sessions. Develop storytelling frameworks for presenting community challenges, helping stakeholders reimagine problems from fresh perspectives that reveal previously hidden opportunities.

Other Articles of Interest this week:

Other Articles of Interest this week:

Technology -- Archer Aviation named official air taxi of 2028 LA Olympics by Dan Zukowski | SmartCitiesDive -- Archer’s air mobility network, which will include vertiports near sport stadiums and other venues, could help Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ desire for a “no-car Games.”

AI -- Meta wants to fully produce ads with AI by next year by Dave Lozo | MorningBrew -- Mark Zuckerberg wants to use AI to disrupt the advertising industry

Economic Development -- Economic development has something to learn from — and teach — ecosystem building by Chris Wink | Builders Newsletter -- Traditional economic development hunts for economic winners and big infrastructure, while ecosystem building focuses on stitching together many disparate parts, yet practitioners increasingly note they have much in common.

Green Economy -- Carbon capture hits a growth spurt as financial and other factors align -- Air Products and Microsoft are among the firms driving the growth of point-source capture and sequestration, even as criticisms of the technology linger.

Mentoring-- This is how AI is changing mentorship by Andy Lopata and Ruth Gotian | Fast Company -- Who shaped your career? Think about the people who guided, challenged, and helped you grow into the professional you are today. Do you think that artificial intelligence could have replaced their support?

Something You Should Read:

Something You Should Read:

Delliote has released its 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Study, examining the desires and motivations of these two generations in the workplace. Here are the key takeaways:

Based on this comprehensive Deloitte study, here are the three most significant takeaways:

Gen Z and millennials need all three elements—financial security, meaningful work, and positive well-being—to achieve workplace happiness. The study reveals these aren't competing priorities but interconnected factors. Without economic security, they struggle to focus on meaning and well-being. This trifecta drives their career decisions and job-hopping behavior, with 31% of Gen Z planning to switch employers within two years.

Cost of living tops their concerns for the fourth consecutive year, with financial insecurity dramatically increasing—48% of Gen Z and 46% of millennials don't feel financially secure (up from 30% and 32% in 2024). More than half live paycheck to paycheck, despite reports suggesting these generations are building wealth. This disconnect between economic data and lived experience creates what the study calls "phantom wealth"—inaccessible assets.

While these generations are highly focused on continuous learning (70% of Gen Z develops skills weekly), there is a significant mismatch with management support. They want managers to provide guidance, mentorship, and career development, but feel managers are instead focused on day-to-day task oversight. Only 6% of Gen Z aim for leadership positions, potentially creating future leadership pipeline problems, while highlighting the need for better management training and development approaches.

These findings suggest organizations need to fundamentally rethink how they support, develop, and compensate these generations who will comprise 74% of the global workforce by 2030.

​You can access the entire study here.

Overheard:

“Millennials are always on their phones and it's running their lives, but you know who is also on their phones? Moms and Dads and also some dogs... everyone is on their phone all the time.”

-- Adam Conover

The Rabbit Hole:

Time to go into the Woods

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​Henry David Thoreau, the son of a pencil maker, was a Harvard College-educated individual who is best known for his unique perspective on nature. His time at Walden Pond, where he observed nature and wrote a treatise that sparked an appreciation for the natural world, is a testament to his intense observation of natural things and his pursuit of a life of simplicity.

Thoreau's influence extended beyond his observations of nature. His refusal to pay taxes on the property at Walden Pond led to a brief jail term, an incident that inspired his writing on civil disobedience.

This work, in turn, influenced figures such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Leo Tolstoy, who adopted the idea of civil disobedience, thereby changing governments and the world.

However, he was better known as a naturalist. From Walden Pond:

"Sometimes...I sat at my sunny doorway from sunrise till noon, rapt in a revery, amidst the pines and hickories and sumachs, in undisturbed solitude and stillness, while the birds sing around or flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in at my west window, or the noise of some traveller's wagon on the distant highway, I was reminded of the lapse of time. Time is but the stream might go a-fishing in. I drink at it, but while I drink, I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. It's thin current slides away, but eternity remains."

Today, modern men and women are dedicated to preserving the place where Thoreau lived for 'two years, two months, and two days.' The Walden Pond Project is one such initiative, raising funds to protect the land around Walden Pond. You can learn more about their efforts and support their cause by visiting their website.

You can also watch a lovely video and get more information about the Walden Pond Project here.

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​This Might Make You Smile

Are you Happy? Much has been written about happiness in recent years as scientists and others seek to define the limits and sources of joy. The Institute for Quality of Life has released its rankings of the world's happiest cities. They have created an index with eighty-two factors centered around citizens, governance, environment, economy, health, and mobility.

The good news is that many of the cities on the list are beautiful, and many of us have visited or would like to visit them. Topping out at Number one is Copenhagen, Denmark. I have been to the Copenhagen airport several times, but have not ventured into the City.

The bad news is that not too many American cities are on the Gold List of cities (the top thirty). The only two to make the top list are New York City (#17) and Minneapolis (#30). The Institute has also produced a video about the two American cities, which can be viewed here.

The only other North American city that makes the Gold list is Vancouver, British Columbia, at #11. And my relatives, in Riga, Latvia, apparently aren’t as happy as their friends in Copenhagen, as they just slipped into the top 200 at #193.

​You can find the Happy City Index here. ​

Blowing Your Top

The violent eruption of Mt. St Helens occurred in May of 1980. I was in college, and I remember it well. My Godfather lived in Seattle, and he sent us a newspaper article about the eruption. It was mesmerizing, and I recall the flow of lava and dirt over thousands of acres of woodland and forests.

Even though Mt. St. Helens was in a remote area of Washington, fifty-seven people died. Experts estimated over 7,000 wildlife animals were also killed.

Today, we are fortunate to witness eruptions and see lava flows from Hawaii and Iceland, but it's essential to remember that North American eruptions are a rare and unique occurrence.

Recently, Mt. Etna in Sicily has been a bit cranky, and a video of its eruption shows tourists scattering for cover.

While I am fascinated by these natural phenomena, I am also acutely aware of the potential dangers associated with them. Unlike many tourists, I would never be found climbing an active volcano like Mt. Etna or Mt. St. Helens. Geologists warn that Mt. St. Helens could erupt again, and it could be more violent than before, underscoring the need for caution and respect for nature.

Given the choice, I would always opt for the familiar comfort of a Midwestern thunderstorm over the unpredictable and potentially dangerous spectacle of a volcanic eruption.

​Here is an excellent video of Mt. St. Helens erupting and tearing off half of its mountaintop. And here is the more recent Mt. Etna eruption. ​

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