Category: Core thought

Feeling safe is good!

Safe, as in psychologically as well as physically, has its rewards.

Jon 05'I had a very interesting session recently. I did some coaching work with a client company who managed a small team. The day was split into two – the morning with the client and the afternoon with the whole team.

What struck me about the day was the power of good leadership and the importance of leaders who are aware of how they come across and are capable of forming a relationship with their teams. My client was struggling with her team because she was unaware how she was communicating, not only with her team but with other people in the organisation.

Unfortunately, becoming aware of how we are in a relationship with others brings us face to face with ourselves and requires a willingness to accept ourselves, warts and all, before trying to change anything.

After we all had lunch together and broke the ice a bit we focused on what was working (not what was not working), what was missing, what inspired and what was possible. By examining these areas and so creating a safe environment, everybody was able to reveal more of themselves and what they needed to have a satisfactory, safe working relationship with each other.

By Jon Lavin

Integrity in the making of films.

Creativity, Integrity and commercialism – are there conflicts?

This is guest post from Magnus Dennison.  Magnus is a Cinematographer who, together with his wife, Katja Roberts, runs a film production company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the North-East of England. Their company is called Meerkat Films.  Magnus writes about integrity in film making.

I am going to write about film producers who have made creative choices to ensure their films are commercial successes. My question is whether these films lose their integrity when the motivation for making them becomes financial.

A little about my background. I am an independent film producer working in the UK and don’t profess to be an expert on these matters; the views expressed here are simply my opinion.

I will start by presenting one of my favourite films: ‘The Lives of Others’ (2006) directed by Florian Henckel von Das_Leben_der_anderenDonnersmarck. The team has, in my opinion, made one of the most powerful films of the decade. But more interestingly, they have made many choices that have preserved the integrity of the story at the risk of reducing commercial viability.

It is obvious why they have done this; they are passionate about the artistry and the integrity of the film, more than the financial gain. The film is very slow paced and the tension builds so gradually you’re almost unaware of it until you are completely engrossed.

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Britain’s National Interest ….

When is a National Interest not in the national interests?

“The Guardian”, a British newspaper, ran a story on October 30th quoting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as gordon-brownsaying:

“If you have the chance for that to happen, it is in Britain’s national interest. But of course it may not happen, and there are other candidates as well. …“

This was in relation to the possible nomination of former British Premier Tony Blair as the first President of Europe as prescribed by the Lisbon Treaty, the EU’s attempt to rationalize its processes and – according to critics – take the EU forward on its seemingly-inevitable path to political union.

Now, a couple of things stuck me forcefully about this statement.

First, WHAT EXACTLY has choosing the first European President got to do with Britain’s national interest? Should we not be first of all concerned with EUROPE’S interest? Is a preoccupation with OUR national interest in the spirit of European partnership at all?

Secondly, HOW exactly could Britain’s national interest be supposed to benefit from the President being British? Would he somehow be expected to favour Britain? Perhaps swing lucrative aerospace contracts our way?

In other words, what Brown said was ridiculous, betraying a narrow, partisan view of what European cooperation is all about. Now I have many problems with the EU, but that doesn’t mean I like to see Britain taking such a parochial and frankly selfish standpoint.

I would feel no pride whatsoever just to see a Brit as President, nor would I expect or indeed wish any particular aspect of British national interest to be furthered just because the EU President was British.

On the contrary, I believe Britain’s image has immensely suffered with the current shenanigans involved in Whitehall’s lumbering attempts to push Blair’s candidacy, including reportedly sharp exchanges between Brown and other leaders Tony-Blair1at the current summit. It was – to me if apparently not to Blair and his advisors – blindingly obvious that the only way for Blair to have any chance of getting this post was to be humble, discreet, lofty and statesmanlike. Instead, we have seen reports to the effect that he would take the job “if it were big enough” and that various political worthies have been “sounded out” about whether they would serve under him in Brussels.

A large dose of hubris is in order I am afraid, and in any case Blair’s chances seem to be fading fast, not least because German Chancellor Angela Merkel is said to have become aware of how “unpopular Blair is in his own country”, in contrast to his international image as globe-strutting statesman.

Blair’s future does not interest me overmuch; I am more concerned by the current PM’s lack of judgement and statesmanship.

By Chris Snuggs

How far can you push people?

Debt stress in Middle Class America – how may this play out?

On Saturday, October 24th Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism ran a Post on her Blog about an anonymous couple who were over their heads in debt.  (Yves has given me written permission to reproduce the Post.) The story of this couple then generated a huge response of comments. Read the comments, each and every one of them.

Then ask yourself abraham-lincoln-picturewhere this is all heading?  These comments may, almost certainly are, just be the tip of the iceberg.  Seems a long way from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address in which he was reputed  to have used the words: “… government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Some days I worry; worry a lot!

The extract from Yves Post about this couple is reproduced below but far better is to go and read the whole Post and all the comments.

UPDATE: Since writing this Post Yves has published a further Post on the topic again generating a huge volume of comments.  That was Sunday, November 1st.  Then bright and early on November 2nd James Kwak of Baseline Scenario weighs in with his version, Do smart, hard-working people deserve to make more money? 150 comments (at the time of writing) for that one.  Interestingly, as the days have gone on the mood of the commentators has become more reflective and thoughtful thus partly negating the theme behind this Post.

Read the Post from Naked Capitalism

Remarkable people update

Another quick look at Riverford Organics and a lesson for all.

Further to my post on Guy Watson of Riverford Organics, in the mini-series on remarkable people:

A couple of Saturdays ago (October 24), we had a great time out at Wash Farm, the home of Riverford Organics.

Our five year old son enjoys eating sweetcorn. Recently, having carried the weekly veg box from our doorstep to the sweetcornkitchen calling “Riverford coming through!”, he was then delighted to report: “there are three sweetcorns”, there having been two in previous weeks!

riverford 008On Saturday, he marched into a field of sweetcorn and, as if he had done it for years, went straight to a plant and, explaining what he was doing, tested the crop for size and ripeness and picked it by breaking it off like an expert. He then handed it to me and proceeded to pick many more of them. When I asked him how he knew what to do, all was revealed: “I saw it on the telly!”.

As luck would have it, I encountered Guy Watson at the event and it was great to shake his hand and offer a few words of congratulation on what he has done. Of course, he has no idea who I am!

Their customer service is great; and now they are embarking on more market research to understand better how their customers use their products! [See the relevant edition of their newsletter here!] [The subject of a Post on Market Research coming out soon. Ed.]

Although I am not an expert, I know enough to know that this is remarkable. To think about how customers are using the product, to measure it, to go into customers homes and find out what they are really doing with your products: this is at the pinnacle of good customer research!

No doubt there are others, but I have only ever heard of one other company who paid so much attention to customers in their homes. It was Intuit, the highly regarded US software vendor which, for decades, has consistently beaten Microsoft at providing accounting software. Their representatives would wait in a shop for a customer to buy their product and then request permission to travel with them to their home to record exactly what experience they had with installing and using it!

Final report from the day at Riverford: the event on Saturday was “Pumpkin Day”, its primary purpose being to buy (and have carved) your pumpkin for Hallowe’en. There was a competition to guess the weight of a (largish) pumpkin; I guessed by comparative lifting of the pumpkin and of said five-year-old son, and based my estimate on information from his mother about his most recent weight! Guess what? I have just heard that I won! So a case of (organic, of course) red wine is now expected to materialise alongside this weeks box of vegetables!

By John Lewis

P.S. The Riverford Blog is a good read

Carts and horses!

“Don’t chase the money! Chase personal development and let the money chase you!”

This was the parting shot that came to my mind a couple of years ago, at the end of delivering a one week training course to a group of new graduates.

In general, my approach to training is less well suited to people at their stage than it is to people who are motivated by the need to get a job done. However, that is, of course, my “problem”.

Nevertheless, at the end of that particular course, I felt the need to pass on something from my years of supposed experience, however irrelevant that experience might seem to a group of young, newly minted, investment banking people.

Cause and effect

Although I do not remember the source of the quote, it seemed quite apt. I liked the way in which the opening exhortation seemed completely opposed to their motivation. That woke them up! Then the second part gave them a different entry point and restored the connection with that original motivation.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of the quote is, of course, that it attempts to clarify the direction of causation between money and personal development.

It seemed neat at the time, and it still does!

By John Lewis

Improved clarity

The authors of Learning from Dogs held a conference call last Sunday to review the progress of the Blog.  As a result, we have added both a Vision and Purpose and amended the Welcome page.

We hope that it greatly improves your understanding of what motivates us to be authors.

Without you, the Reader, this Blog is pointless.  Here are some more ways you may want to participate.

Finally, all of us at this end of the Blog really appreciate you stopping by to read what we have to say and the growing audience is all the thanks we need.

Against “Daylight Saving”!

An ancient idea may have run it’s course?

What is the purpose of “Daylight Saving”? [Interesting history of Daylight Saving on Wikipedia. Ed.]

clock faceThis week we are in a particularly interesting situation as we are in the middle of a one week separation between the dates when Europe and US change their clocks back to “normal” winter time. I.e. Europe changed their clocks back at 2am last Sunday and most, but not all, US States change their clocks back at 2am this coming Sunday.

This is even more confusing than normal. But why are we doing this at all?

Is it to save fuel, to save lives, to save time or to save something else?

In my humble opinion it is all nonsense!

“Time management” is a myth

Time is time! People say that they do not have enough time to do this or that, as if they have ways to make some more; and, of course, there is much talk about “time management”. Yet we all have the same amount of time and no amount of management will change that!

We are certainly able to manage the things that we try to fit into the available time.  That is, we can manage tasks, effort and so on. But, in everyday (Newtonian rather than Einsteinian) regimes, time is an inelastic independent variable. Fiddling about with the clocks and trying to “manage time” have no effect on the stuff whatsoever. Let it be!

There must be a better way!

Yes, I know! Some people make claims of wasted daylight or of the dangers to schoolchildren walking to or from school in the dark. These are valid areas of concern. If adjusting the times of business operations or schooling helps to deal with them, then by all means do so. But, for goodness, let’s not pretend the time is different.

By John Lewis

Unintended consequences – for the albatross!

Using our Planet as a dustbin!

Once again, a piece in Naked Capitalism caught my eye this time courtesy on one of Yves’ readers who came across this:

These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world’s most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

Midway chick

More pictures of this terrible way to treat a magnificent bird are here.

By Paul Handover

CERN

Is CERN investing in fundamental science or wasting money?

Frankly, any rational assessment of CERN must conclude that it is the most humungous and nonsensical waste of money at a time when millions or even billions of people are threatened by a) starvation and/or death from lack of water and/or b) flooding, burning or freezing caused by Global warming not to mention the wars that are inevitable as CERN LHCpeople (probably mostly in the Middle East, Asia or Africa) start to fight over scarce resources.

The billions spent on this rather esoteric and ridiculous research would be better spent on practical steps to save people and the planet. And, “yes”, I do know that basic research can lead to useful “products”, and I have nothing against research into, for example fusion power. But why we really have to know what happened in the universe one millisecond after it blew up is beyond me, especially given the cost.

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