Tell me if this isn't true? And I'll do whatever you want.

Yup, like wow right?

Women make decisions according to the 'information' they gather from their surrounding on a daily basis.  Therefore, note to men: If you don't want her to keep 'changing her mind' then be consistent with your information.

Men make decisions according to their choice despite their surrounding and usually stick to it unless circumstances change.  Therefore, note to women: You can't change that fact.  Live with it.

Is perfect 10 really that elusive, or maybe not?

Gentlemen (and ladies), we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good - Vince Lombardi

What happens when words ain't enough?

From Autogridz May issue:

"We're entering a sharp right hander and Young comes off the throttle.  You can almost feel the rear lightening as the weight is pushed forward; the front wheels dig-in to the tarmac under the inertia and steer towards the much loved 'apex' of the turn..."


I know what that says.  But I need to know how that feels #damnit

By the way, the machine in description is the 911 GT2.

Is supermarket, the new age fantasy?

I've been a supermarket vulture recently and oh my, how have our civilization has evolved.

We used to have one type of cooking oil. Maybe two or three choices of brand but essentially the same stuff. Then the choice widens as more and more brands push through the shelf. Some independent, some a few sub-brands from the same company, designed to dominate visual space with little product differentiation. And then the range started growing roots vertically. Within cooking oil, you now can choose peanut, canola, palm, etc etc. Brands of each sprouting like branches. And then the budding specialist oils (raspberry mango, olive and spice, etc etc) blossoms to confuse you even more if you're not confused by now. Welcome to grocery 2.0. And that's just the oil. Wait till you see the other stuff.

What happened to us? How much variety can we really consume?

But I must say that going grocery window shopping has become a new hobby of mine. I don't cook much nor great. But I simply couldn't resist the fascination of being awed by the powerful but mostly overlooked little inventions of mankind. Inventions that not only sustain us but nourish and enrich us. Amazing isn't it?

If you believe in the theory 'paradox of choice' then you must agree with me that the business of grocery shopping might be a lot less prosperous than it actually seems to be. What do you do when you click on a website that has nothing but 8 point size text and no matter how long you scroll, the page knows no end? You x it of course. So imagine being overwhelmed by rows and rows of colourful bottles and boxes and packages and what not. With no recipe in hand. You thought you would come for an exploration and an exploration it is. And find yourself at a complete lost, paralysed by the paradox of being able to whip up almost infinite types of dishes yet you could decide on none. Brilliant.

Now for the swift sighted, there's a blatant gaping hole of need that begs to be fulfilled. Perhaps in more than one way but nevertheless a great opportunity to help ease this shopper paralysis and make us all better cooks, chefs, homemakers, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, sons and daughters. If you can spot it, why not share it? See if we're on the same page? ;)

Meanwhile, I should stop blogging and get on with my cart. I'm causing a supermarket jam.  Happy shopping y'all!

What kinds of leaders do we want to be?

Nothing inspired me as much as this.  I've had similar thoughts scattered for the longest time but never managed to string them together into such beautifully orchestrated symphony of grandeur, like The MBA Oath.  I used to share these ideals (scattered as they were) to others and many thought it was ideal but sounded extremely far-fetched.  And then I came cross the MBA Oath, a broad coalition of MBA students, graduates and advisors, representing over 250 schools from around the world whose mission is to facilitate a widespread movement of MBAs aiming to lead in the interests of the greater good and who have committed to living out the principles articulated in the oath (as follows below), and I was blown.  The idea wasn't far-fetched!  We were just separated thousands of miles apart!

Anyway, watch this video.  Open your mind and ask yourself those same questions.  And then take the oath below and stick to it :) We need new purpose not profit-focused leaders.  Welcome to World 3.0.

The MBA Oath

Preamble

As a manager, my purpose is to serve the greater good by bringing people and resources together to create value that no single individual can build alone. Therefore I will seek a course that enhances the value my enterprise can create for society over the long term. I recognize my decisions can have far-reaching consequences that affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside my enterprise, today and in the future. As I reconcile the interests of different constituencies, I will face difficult choices.

Therefore, I promise:

I will act with utmost integrity and pursue my work in an ethical manner. My personal behavior will be an example of integrity, consistent with the values I publicly espouse.

I will safeguard the interests of my shareholders, co-workers, customers, and the society in which we operate. I will endeavor to protect the interests of those who may not have power, but whose well-being is contingent on my decisions.

I will manage my enterprise in good faith, guarding against decisions and behavior that advance my own narrow ambitions but harm the enterprise and the people it serves. The pursuit of self-interest is the vital engine of a capitalist economy, but unbridled greed can be just as harmful. I will oppose corruption, unfair discrimination, and exploitation.

I will understand and uphold, both in letter and in spirit, the laws and contracts governing my own conduct and that of my enterprise. If I find laws that are unjust, antiquated, or unhelpful I will not brazenly break, ignore or avoid them; I will seek civil and acceptable means of reforming them.

I will take responsibility for my actions, and I will represent the performance and risks of my enterprise accurately and honestly. My aim will not be to distort the truth, but to transparently explain it and help people understand how decisions that affect them are made.

I will develop both myself and other managers under my supervision so that the profession continues to grow and contribute to the well-being of society. I will consult colleagues and others who can help inform my judgment and will continually invest in staying abreast of the evolving knowledge in the field, always remaining open to innovation. I will mentor and look after the education of the next generation of leaders.

I will strive to create sustainable economic, social, and environmental prosperity worldwide. Sustainable prosperity is created when the enterprise produces an output in the long run that is greater than the opportunity cost of all the inputs it consumes.

I will be accountable to my peers and they will be accountable to me for living by this oath. I recognize that my stature and privileges as a professional stem from the respect and trust that the profession as a whole enjoys, and I accept my responsibility for embodying, protecting, and developing the standards of the management profession, so as to enhance that trust and respect.

This oath I make freely, and upon my honor.

Amen!

Sparks' Open Library Project: Drive - Daniel H. Pink.

Sparks' Open Library Project: Drive - Daniel H. Pink.: Sometimes you come across a really good book which you can't put it aside till you finish devouring every insight it has to offer.  Drive i...

What is enough?

This is gonna be my word of the season :) Word as in WORD.  Not word, singular word, word.

I think this WORD can easily be misunderstood.  There's a difference between us wanting to be more as in gaining mastery of oneself - skills, emotions - and us wanting to have more - more money, more fame, more whatever.

They are somehow related anyway.  When you want to have more of something, you've got to be more of something.  But notice how sometimes when you want to be more of something, you don't necessarily need to have more of something.  Now, that's class :)

Stop wanting, expecting, gaining more from your surroundings and the people around you.  It is in fact, enough.  Now, is all you need.  And it's all there is.

Peace guys and have a good weekend x

What is UX design?

UX design is human-centred design process.

Question.  If planners are representatives of the human population within an agency, then logically planners must also give a lot of input in UX when it comes to any sort of production.  I thought the author, sylvaincottong.com, explained it rather clearly:

Since we're not manufacturers, our main production would be creative campaigns and more relevant than ever, anything that requires interactivity - within a space or behind a screen.  Maybe not a strat planner planner, but some kind of human researcher planner, no?

I'm a 2.0 planner, not yet a 3 so I'm intrigued...

I thought this was a good example for UX framework consideration by Wikipedia:

Example

Lisa is on her way home by bus, and wants to know how her husband is doing on a business trip. The bus is crowded and she did not get a seat, but she wants to use the time to contact her husband by phone. What affects her user experience with the mobile phone?

• Lisa’s own mental state and characteristics (motivation, expectations, mood, know-how) and current physical resources (only one hand available for the phone)

• The context, i.e. the current situation:
  • Physical (moving bus, views passing by, lighting, noise – the environment Lisa feels via her senses);
  • Social (fellow travellers, code of conduct, husband's availability - how other people affect user experience);
  • Temporal (the duration of the bus trip – time constraints);
  • Infrastructural (availability of network, cost of calls and text messages, legal restrictions); and
  • Task (sending a text message is part of a bigger "task" of two-way dialogue, other ongoing activities such as monitoring when to step out of the bus, possible interruptions).

This context motivates Lisa to use text messaging as the means to communicate with her husband. The context also affects the interaction with the mobile phone and thereby the user experience.

• The system needed for text messaging (mobile-phone and text-messaging service in this case): user interface and functionality (e.g. text-messaging software and keypad), design and brand, the replies coming from the husband. The primary value comes from the discussion itself, and all other parts of the system should support this purpose.

Depending on the husband's messages, Lisa's emotions may range from delight to sorrow, from excitement to despair. User experience focuses, however, on Lisa's feelings about using the mobile phone, not those about her husband. Did the system enable her to communicate with the husband in the way she wanted in this context? Did the system delight her by exceeding her expectations or by attracting positive reactions from others?

Any thoughts?

How do you survive an attack from a grizzly bear?

I laughed when I read this joke from this month's Wired.  And this is something that I totally have to share :)

Once upon a time, there were two campers whose tent is besieged by a hungry bear.  One of the campers starts to lace up his running shoes, to his pal's puzzlement - grizzlies, after all, are much faster than humans.  His pal asked him, "What are you doing, man?  Shouldn't you be running for your life already!?"

Pause here.  Now, if you were the camper with those fancy Nikes, how would you reply him?

Hold that thought.  Now, here's my humble analysis of the situation:

Problem: Hungry bear (macro problem affecting us).

Potential outcome: We get eaten (industry game over).

Constant: Speed of bear > speed of human (doomed).

Potential solution: Abandon camp and run for our lives (immediate (logical) solution).

Risk calculation: Possibility of outrunning bear = almost zero (we used to word almost because we like to be optimistic).

Very nice.  I'm pretty sure most of us follow that logical plan of action at first response.  After all, how much time have you got to spare in between bear saying first hello and you being dinner?


But if you spare 2-seconds to calm the f*** down and devise an action plan, it may totally change the outcome of the story.  So let's revisit the situation:


Problem: Hungry bear (macro problem affecting us).

Potential outcome: One of us get eaten (bear needs time to chew, which will give sufficient time for one to escape).

Constant: Speed of bear > speed of human 1 > speed of human 2 (break down facts to find your golden insight).

Potential solution: Being human 1 increases your survival tremendously (Constant versus Potential outcome = your clear solution).

Risk calculation: There's no way you will outrun the bear, but outrunning your fellow camper is still 50-50.  Therefore, survival = 50% chance (now compare with first situation).

Geddit?  Amirite?

The printed answer was:

"I don't have to outrun the bear, " the first camper explains.  "I just have to outrun you".

Exactly.

This 'joke' provides great insight to how we tackle business 'problems' don't we?  While, I don't suggest you do that to a 'pal' in the event of such unfortunate incident but it does make you think about how you approach your business, manage your competition and tackle end-of-the-world macro problems.

There are many ways to solve a problem.  But there's always one that is a clear winner. Just need a bit of calculation ;)

The Good Samaritan Shop.: ZARA sleeveless loose vintage tee.

The Good Samaritan Shop.: ZARA sleeveless loose vintage tee.: Size: S/M Colour and design: Off-white cream, vintage Hansel & Gretel in watercolour print. Condition (newness): 8/10 Price: RM20 ...