We called ourselves "The Junto".
Taking our name from a club started by Benjamin Franklin, we met every other week to share and discuss what we were learning both in and out of work. Each meeting was simple: short informal presentations followed by questions and insights. From artificial intelligence to business accounting, code patterns to animal health, the conversation flowed freely from one topic to the next.
As my work takes me from client to client, I'm no longer involved with that group. Yet the experience stuck with me, so I want to capture what made it valuable. I'm making these reflections public in the hope that they might help others.
These meetings were like a light breaking through the fog of day-to-day tasks. They were more than just an exchange of information. Through them, we built trust, became involved in each other's lives, and pursued excellence together. No matter how mundane the topic, someone always had a good question or insight that would challenge us to dig deeper and share what we learned at the next meeting.
This kind of group is unique, unlike a family, a business, or a government task force. It was an informal, voluntary association started by individuals driven by a desire to improve themselves and others. We embodied the old saying "birds of a feather flock together," or more formally, Aristotle's observation that man is a social by nature. By sharing our learning process, we grew faster than when we had been going it alone, echoing John Donne's insight that "No man is an island."
The way the group accelerated the improvement of its members reminds me of the philosophical concept of "common goods". Goods like education, health, and a thriving community are only fully achieved by engaging with other people. It follows that this kind of engagement is essential for us to realize our full potential, otherwise those goods will remain out of reach. Think about how we rely upon each other in the workplace - Sharing expertise, offering support, building something bigger than ourselves. The "self-made entrepreneur" with his army of AI agents still relies upon the support of those behind the data, compute, and energy that make those AI agents possible.
Thinking about my involvement in the Junto raises an interesting question: If these kinds of groups are so beneficial, should businesses or government sponsor them? Funding could lower the barrier of entry, and who doesn't like free pizza! But there's a legitimate concern that outside funding might compromise the group's purpose. I think I'll explore this question in another post.