The PROPERIST

Alastair Parvin: Architecture for the people by the people | Video on TED.com

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:18:18 +0200

Alastair Parvin: Architecture for the people by the people | Video on TED.com:

Great initiative! Democratization of production in and for cities.

Enough food for everyone IF

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:54:38 +0200

Enough food for everyone IF

"For populations to live sustainably and with good long-term health, the health sector must work with..."

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:24:35 +0200

“For populations to live sustainably and with good long-term health, the health sector must work with other sectors in reshaping how human societies plan, build, move, produce, consume, share, and generate energy.”

- Globalization, Climate Change, and Human Health — NEJM

What to do after college?

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:58:48 +0200

What to do after college?:

Stop looking for a job, be an innovator!

"Based on their research, Goodland and Anhang conclude that replacing livestock products with..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:01:39 +0200

“Based on their research, Goodland and Anhang conclude that replacing livestock products with soy-based and other alternatives would be the best strategy for reversing climate change. They say “This approach would have far more rapid effects on GHG emissions and their atmospheric concentrations-and thus on the rate the climate is warming-than actions to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.””

- Livestock is Responsible for 51% of Green House Gas Emissions

"If we shouldn’t rely on personality tests, how can we find a fulfilling career? Let’s..."

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:15:28 +0200

“If we shouldn’t rely on personality tests, how can we find a fulfilling career? Let’s not go back to skull measuring. Instead, start with some useful advice that Aristotle offered over 2,000 years ago: “Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation.”

- Have we all been duped by the Myers-Briggs test? - Fortune Management

Video

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:31:56 +0200

Climate control or command & control

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:03:29 +0200

Ken Robinson in his recent TED talk (april 2013) mentioned that leaders should be responsible for climate control. They have to create the right climate, in which the people can flourish.

The command & control approach will just kill the much required creativity.

Are you creating the right climate in your organization?

The tax office: huge opportunity for service innovation

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:56:02 +0200

As most of our public institutions (education, police, community hall etc.) provide services, they can benefit hugely from service innovation. However, in order to reap those benefits, they need to be open to the fact that their users (‘the public’) are really their customers. That in itself will require a huge shift in attitude!

Let me give you an example. I am helping my mother with her income tax. She has signed an authorization to automatically pay for her 2013 taxes. So far, so good. But, after 4 months, she did receive 2 mails on the same day. These mails were contradicting each other. In any case, there was a problem, they said, as they could not withdraw the money from my mother’s account. And of course, they are threatening with fines, if she didn’t pay soon. So, I did call the bank, which said that there were no limitations. Then I did call the tax office.

They told me that 2 months were paid. This was not true, as the money was not withdrawn from my mothers’ account, but from the account of a complete stranger! Also the account number in their system for my mother was wrong. I did ask them to sort out this problem and fix it, as they clearly messed up their admin. They told me to be available for a call between 11.00 hrs. and 14.00 hrs., the next day. Immediately they told me that if I did miss the call, there would be problems. The next day I did wait and …. nobody called!

Therefor I did write them a letter and asked for explanation and action.

Just a few days ago, they did send a new form for authorization and a copy of my own letter. No explanation, no apologies, nothing.

That is not a customer friendly response! But, clearly they don’t see me as a customer. I can understand that you will make mistakes, which happen to all of us. But then at least you can have the respect and decency to admit that and explain why you mess up different accounts.

Research indicates that if you adequately follow up to a customer complaint, then your customer will be more loyal and share that positive feedback with his/her networks.

This is especially important for the tax office. A first start would be to see your users as customers and treat them accordingly.

Enthusiasm drives Excellence!

www.theproperway.com

Goodness

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:28:31 +0200

When I become excessively critical towards others, it means I am going in the wrong direction. We are usually very good at spotting mistakes, but we should develop the quality of also spotting goodness. If I can see what is good in others or in situations and go beyond the curtain of negativity, I feel good about myself. If I constantly think “he is wrong”, I instead create a barrier which blocks me from reaching my own goodness.

"As technology and the internet have lowered the cost of innovation and expressing yourself..."

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:31:15 +0200

“As technology and the internet have lowered the cost of innovation and expressing yourself creatively, the ability of small groups of people to have a big impact has increased, he says. “The barrier now isn’t lack of money,” he says, “it’s lack of permission. Untapped capital gets unlocked when authority gets out of the way and lets people do what they would do if given potential and the context in which to do it.” The barrier now isn’t lack of money, it’s lack of permission.”

- Google Reader (107)

Everything and everyone is connected. it is time to bundle...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:04:28 +0200

Everything and everyone is connected. it is time to bundle forces and to tackle these problems. The hour of ‘generalists’ has come!!

Giving compliments: easy and difficult

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:48:12 +0200

More and more research (positive psychology; happiness) indicates that giving a compliment is very important for the wellbeing, as well as the performance of employees. A compliment makes you feel good (yes, that is true for everyone!) and that will help you to more easily solve problems, be nicer to customers and/or come up with new ideas.

So, why are we not giving that many compliments then? The reason might be our culture , in which we are trained to focus on the weaknesses, mistakes and faults, rather than focusing on the strengths. We are afraid that people will become lazy when we give them compliments, or maybe that they will start asking for a raise. Again, this is not true. In most cases, employees give a higher value to a positive and motivating environment than to just their salaries.

Therefor we need to practice to give compliments (at work and at home). And we also need to be careful if we criticize someone. A decade of research on high and low performance teams by psychologist Marcial Losada shows the importance of compliments. Through studying 100’s of corporate teams, the ratio of positive to negative interactions necessary to make a team successful, is 2.9 This means that it takes about three positive comments, interactions, experiences or expressions to fend off the languishing effects of one negative.

Dip below this level, known as the Losada Line, workplace performance quickly suffers. Rise above it, and the results are predictably positive.

How many compliments did you give today?

Enthusiasm drives Excellence!

www.theproperway.com

The Green Economy, why now?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:26:30 +0200

The Green Economy, why now?

"Ideally you would reverse the order: search your self for the message so epic that you are compelled..."

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:34:12 +0200

“Ideally you would reverse the order: search your self for the message so epic that you are compelled to bring it in the way that only you can. Epic is about bringing it. Epic is about showing unique value. Epic is provoking and illuminating and being insanely useful and reaching people emotionally and shifting the paradigm a lot or a little. Epic is scary. It moves you outside your comfort zone. Instead of following a leader, you are the leader, and the only thing to follow is the voice at your core, your actions and mistakes and triumphs and feedback.”

- Google Reader (68)

(via Dan Ariely: What makes us feel good about our work? | Video...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:40:11 +0200

(via Dan Ariely: What makes us feel good about our work? | Video on TED.com)

"Social progress depends on the policy choices, investments, and implementation capabilities of..."

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:07:20 +0200

““Social progress depends on the policy choices, investments, and implementation capabilities of multiple stakeholders – government, civil society, and business. Action needs to be catalysed at country level. By informing and motivating those stakeholders to work together and develop a more holistic approach to development, I am confident that social progress will accelerate.”

- Michael Porter unveils new health and happiness index | Guardian Sustainable Business | Guardian Professional

Great definition of happiness!

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:28:25 +0200

Great definition of happiness!

A real, smile sells.

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:01:00 +0200

On a daily basis, we are bombarded with 1000’s of commercial messages. They are all fighting to be top of mind, your mind! Well, that is hardly working, as we become immune to this information overflow. Only when a campaign is very funny or controversial, it will draw our attention.

A very simple, yet profound way to attract customers is to have employees who are really smiling. These employees (either fact to face or online) are a real magnet for your business. So, this is easy, you might say. But it is not. I am talking about a real, a genuine smile here. And many employees are not happy in their work, as a matter of fact. So, if these unhappy employees do smile, then it will be artificial and that will not create the right vibrations to be attractive.

It takes quite a lot of work, especially from managers to enable their employees to be happy and engaged. Employee Engagement should be a critical activity in each manager’s toolbox.

Smiling is also not limited to employees. Managers have a huge and positive influence if they smile as well!

Are your employees smiling?

Enthusiasm drives Excellence!

www.theproperway.com

Connecting the dots!

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:29:19 +0200

Connecting the dots!