Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Sunday, November 13, 2016
What Donald Trump and Silvio Berlusconi have in common | The Economist
What Donald Trump and Silvio Berlusconi have in common | The Economist
"Mr Trump . . . may find it tempting to indulge in another form of personalisation that became a speciality of the Italian former prime minister: that of diplomacy. Mr Berlusconi was convinced he could foster Italy’s interests with the same deal-making skills that had made him rich. Never much at ease with his EU peers, he found his talents worked best with dictators like Muammar Qaddafi and the leaders of “illiberal democracies” such as Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin.
It can be argued no real harm came of the man-to-man chats of which Mr Berlusconi was so fond. But it is one thing for the prime minister of Italy to cosy up to the Kremlin, and quite another for the American president to do so. After all, he is the man with his finger on the nuclear trigger."
"Mr Trump . . . may find it tempting to indulge in another form of personalisation that became a speciality of the Italian former prime minister: that of diplomacy. Mr Berlusconi was convinced he could foster Italy’s interests with the same deal-making skills that had made him rich. Never much at ease with his EU peers, he found his talents worked best with dictators like Muammar Qaddafi and the leaders of “illiberal democracies” such as Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin.
It can be argued no real harm came of the man-to-man chats of which Mr Berlusconi was so fond. But it is one thing for the prime minister of Italy to cosy up to the Kremlin, and quite another for the American president to do so. After all, he is the man with his finger on the nuclear trigger."
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
These 6 Sectors of Africa’s Economy Are Poised for Growth
These 6 Sectors of Africa’s Economy Are Poised for Growth
To unlock growth, companies should look for opportunities in six sectors
that we find have “white space”— wholesale and retail, food and
agri-processing, health care, financial services, light manufacturing,
and construction. All these sectors are characterized by high growth,
high profitability, and low consolidation.
To unlock growth, companies should look for opportunities in six sectors
that we find have “white space”— wholesale and retail, food and
agri-processing, health care, financial services, light manufacturing,
and construction. All these sectors are characterized by high growth,
high profitability, and low consolidation.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Infantilization by Regulation - CATO
http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/regulation/2016/6/regulation-v39n2-5.pdf
We dubbed this perverse result “cognitive hazard” in a 2006 law review article. Our term plays on the related concept of moral hazard,which captures the idea that when someone is protected from the costs of a bad decision, the incentive to invest in precautions against making a bad decision is muted. When government insulates individuals from the consequences and costs of their short-sighted planning and impulsive choices, and from the challenges of fending off hucksters and dealing with one’s mistakes, individuals have little incentive to do things differently in the future and little ability to learn how to navigate the dangers and uncertainties of life. And they are likely to develop a greater sense of entitlement to more protection, a lower sense of agency and self-efficacy, and a greater willingness to blame others for their own problems.
We dubbed this perverse result “cognitive hazard” in a 2006 law review article. Our term plays on the related concept of moral hazard,which captures the idea that when someone is protected from the costs of a bad decision, the incentive to invest in precautions against making a bad decision is muted. When government insulates individuals from the consequences and costs of their short-sighted planning and impulsive choices, and from the challenges of fending off hucksters and dealing with one’s mistakes, individuals have little incentive to do things differently in the future and little ability to learn how to navigate the dangers and uncertainties of life. And they are likely to develop a greater sense of entitlement to more protection, a lower sense of agency and self-efficacy, and a greater willingness to blame others for their own problems.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
The Science Behind How Leaders Connect with Their Teams
The Science Behind How Leaders Connect with Their Teams
One way to increase interpersonal synchrony is through a technique called “reverie”.
With this technique, leaders set aside time for rambling
self-reflection in the presence of followers—not well sculpted thoughts,
ideas and strategies, but more sincere, emergent ideas.
Counter-intuitively, this increases the interpersonal connection. Called
intersubjectivity, leaders and followers become more connected and synchronous. This happens because
a brain region called the mirror neuron system (MNS)
activates—indicating automatic resonance with the other person. Also,
the default mode network (DMN) activates, causing the mental state of
the other to be represented in the leader. Think of these as the
“feeling for” and “feeling like” networks of empathy. Intersubjectivity
integrates both.
Leaders can also achieve this sense of “wholeness” in a subtly different state called mind wandering.
In contrast to mindfulness, when leaders set aside time to engage in
relaxing tasks not central to the main mission of the organization,
their brain’s DMN
is also activated. Group walks, card games or knitting are examples of
such activities. When the DMN is activated, memories from the past integrate with the present to construct a vision of the future. This makes leaders feel more “whole”. In addition, leaders will be better able to walk in the follower’s shoes.
One way to increase interpersonal synchrony is through a technique called “reverie”.
With this technique, leaders set aside time for rambling
self-reflection in the presence of followers—not well sculpted thoughts,
ideas and strategies, but more sincere, emergent ideas.
Counter-intuitively, this increases the interpersonal connection. Called
intersubjectivity, leaders and followers become more connected and synchronous. This happens because
a brain region called the mirror neuron system (MNS)
activates—indicating automatic resonance with the other person. Also,
the default mode network (DMN) activates, causing the mental state of
the other to be represented in the leader. Think of these as the
“feeling for” and “feeling like” networks of empathy. Intersubjectivity
integrates both.
Leaders can also achieve this sense of “wholeness” in a subtly different state called mind wandering.
In contrast to mindfulness, when leaders set aside time to engage in
relaxing tasks not central to the main mission of the organization,
their brain’s DMN
is also activated. Group walks, card games or knitting are examples of
such activities. When the DMN is activated, memories from the past integrate with the present to construct a vision of the future. This makes leaders feel more “whole”. In addition, leaders will be better able to walk in the follower’s shoes.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
When to Skip a Difficult Conversation
When to Skip a Difficult Conversation
How can you assess whether you’re making a strategic choice to avoid a
difficult conversation or just chickening out? Here are 11 questions
designed to help you consider what to say, delay, or skip:
How can you assess whether you’re making a strategic choice to avoid a
difficult conversation or just chickening out? Here are 11 questions
designed to help you consider what to say, delay, or skip:
- Based on what I know about this person and our relationship, what
can I realistically hope to achieve by having the conversation? - What is my “secret agenda” or “hidden hope” for this conversation? (Long-term harmony? Revenge? That they will change?)
- What concrete examples do I have to share of how this issue has shown up?
- What’s my contribution to the situation?
- Do I tend to look for problems with this person or about this issue?
- Is it already starting to resolve itself?
- How long ago did it arise? Is it a repeat or recurring problem? Could it become one?
- How “material” is the issue to our relationship or to the job?
- How committed am I to being “right”?
- What reasonable, actionable solution can I offer?
- Is this the right person to talk to about this issue?
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Business Leaders Have Abandoned the Middle Class
Business Leaders Have Abandoned the Middle Class
To prevent such catastrophes from happening, business needs to play a more active, engaged role in creating the kind of thriving, vibrant economies that inoculate societies from self-implosion—because those implosions take businesses down with them, too. Brexits don’t happen in thriving economies; they only happen when the pie is shrinking. People who have good jobs — jobs that allow them to do something useful, that pay livable wages, that come with good benefits — who can educate their children, get the health care they need, and live lives that are decent and whole generally don’t blow up their own economies in a misguided bid for attention, justice, and vengeance.
To prevent such catastrophes from happening, business needs to play a more active, engaged role in creating the kind of thriving, vibrant economies that inoculate societies from self-implosion—because those implosions take businesses down with them, too. Brexits don’t happen in thriving economies; they only happen when the pie is shrinking. People who have good jobs — jobs that allow them to do something useful, that pay livable wages, that come with good benefits — who can educate their children, get the health care they need, and live lives that are decent and whole generally don’t blow up their own economies in a misguided bid for attention, justice, and vengeance.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Two-Thirds of Managers Are Uncomfortable Communicating with Employees
Two-Thirds of Managers Are Uncomfortable Communicating with Employees
The next time you need to have a difficult feedback conversation with an employee, consider these guidelines:
The next time you need to have a difficult feedback conversation with an employee, consider these guidelines:
- Be direct but kind. Check your motives before
diving into the discussion. If your goal is to shame someone or to feel
superior in some way, you’re way off track. However, if you see an
opportunity for growth, be direct. Don’t beat around the bush. Include
specific examples of desired behaviors to help illustrate what you mean. - Listen. Listening provides a space in which both
people feel respected. Ideally, a feedback conversation is meant to
spark learning on both sides — you must understand the situation
together to make positive change. Consider this recent HBR.org article by
Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, which shared the results of a global
study in which respondents were asked to rate their managers on the
extent to which they “carefully listened to the other person’s point of
view before giving them feedback.” Respondents who rated their managers
as highly effective at listening felt more positively about the
manager’s ability to provide feedback. The respondents who strongly
disagreed with this statement rated their manager significantly lower on
providing honest and straightforward feedback on a regular basis. - Don’t make it personal. Imagined slights and
malice are toxic. It’s easy to take things personally in a feedback
conversation, but if you acknowledge the emotions being felt, you will
offer the recipient a relief valve for the stress. - Be present. Show up fully for the discussion, and
don’t rush off once it’s over. Be brave enough to allow moments of
silence to come into the conversation. Follow up later so that
afterthoughts don’t create imagined distance. - Inspire greatness. Be sure to communicate your aspirations for the person you’re giving feedback to.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
3 Ways to Stop Yourself from Being Passive-Aggressive
3 Ways to Stop Yourself from Being Passive-Aggressive
Passive aggressiveness is an attempt to regain power and relieve the tension created by that gap between anger and silence.
To reduce the challenge, it helps to have an established method for being direct about someone else’s poor behavior.
What I realized is that no matter what I do in a situation like that, I
will end up feeling at least a little uncomfortable. That’s because,
when we’re dealing with someone who is being selfish or inconsiderate,
we need to be willing to assert our interests at least as strongly as
they are willing to assert theirs. We need to be polite but also stand
our ground. And that feels uncomfortable.
Here are three steps that might help:
gap between our anger and our silence — either by dissipating our anger
or breaking our silence.
Breaking the silence isn’t easy, doesn’t feel comfortable, and risks
open conflict. But standing up for yourself is important and, in the
end, open conflict is preferable to underground discord.
Passive aggressiveness is an attempt to regain power and relieve the tension created by that gap between anger and silence.
To reduce the challenge, it helps to have an established method for being direct about someone else’s poor behavior.
What I realized is that no matter what I do in a situation like that, I
will end up feeling at least a little uncomfortable. That’s because,
when we’re dealing with someone who is being selfish or inconsiderate,
we need to be willing to assert our interests at least as strongly as
they are willing to assert theirs. We need to be polite but also stand
our ground. And that feels uncomfortable.
Here are three steps that might help:
- Ask a question. Is there a particular reason you are holding this space for your workout while you’re on the treadmill?
The key is to really be curious (otherwise the question itself may be a
passive aggressive move). Your curiosity might be the only move you
need to make. If you hear a legitimate reason behind a person’s
offensive behavior, your anger may simply dissipate. And, if they have
no reason, they may simply shift their own behavior. If neither of those
happen, then: - Share your perspective while acknowledging theirs. I
understand why you want to hold this space for after your treadmill,
but it’s frustrating to work out squeezed between two posts while the
larger space sits idle. - Make a firm request supported by logic. Since we all share this small gym, please don’t hold space that you aren’t using. Saying
it this way (“Since . . . Please . . .”) imbues you with a certain
amount of authority. It’s somewhere between a request and a demand. You
are setting a standard for how people should act and increasing the
likelihood that the person will comply.
gap between our anger and our silence — either by dissipating our anger
or breaking our silence.
Breaking the silence isn’t easy, doesn’t feel comfortable, and risks
open conflict. But standing up for yourself is important and, in the
end, open conflict is preferable to underground discord.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Monday, June 6, 2016
How 'Emotional Labor' Burns Out Senior Living Staff
How 'Emotional Labor' Burns Out Senior Living Staff
. . . the skill of using deep acting techniques can be increased with proper training and practice. There are implications for training staff on developing strategies for interacting with residents when their own emotions run high or low—both for the betterment of their own health and well-being, as well as of the experience of residents.
The airline industry provides an example of how organizations can successfully train employees to manage emotions in a friendly, emotionally healthy manner when interacting with customers.
. . . the skill of using deep acting techniques can be increased with proper training and practice. There are implications for training staff on developing strategies for interacting with residents when their own emotions run high or low—both for the betterment of their own health and well-being, as well as of the experience of residents.
The airline industry provides an example of how organizations can successfully train employees to manage emotions in a friendly, emotionally healthy manner when interacting with customers.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Monday, May 23, 2016
Matthew 22:39 - Far from bolstering generosity, a religious upbringing diminishes it | The Economist
Matthew 22:39 | The Economist
AN ARGUMENT often advanced for the encouragement of religion is that, to paraphrase St Matthew’s report of Jesus’s words, it leads people to love their neighbours as themselves. That would be a powerful point were it true. But is it? This was the question Jean Decety, a developmental neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, asked in a study just published in Current Biology.
The upshot was that the children of non-believers were significantly more generous than those of believers.
Moreover, a regression analysis on these groups of children showed that their generosity was inversely correlated with their households’ religiosity. This effect remained regardless of a family’s wealth and status (rich children were more generous than poor ones), a child’s age (older children were more generous than younger ones) or the nationality of the participant. These findings are, however, in marked contrast to parents’ assessments of their own children’s sensitivity to injustice. When asked, religious parents reported their children to be more sensitive than non-believing parents did.
This is only one result, of course. It would need to be replicated before strong conclusions could be drawn. But it is suggestive. And what it suggests is not only that what is preached by religion is not always what is practised, which would not be a surprise, but that in some unknown way the preaching
makes things worse.
Matthew 22:39
Far from bolstering generosity, a religious upbringing diminishes it
AN ARGUMENT often advanced for the encouragement of religion is that, to paraphrase St Matthew’s report of Jesus’s words, it leads people to love their neighbours as themselves. That would be a powerful point were it true. But is it? This was the question Jean Decety, a developmental neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, asked in a study just published in Current Biology.
The upshot was that the children of non-believers were significantly more generous than those of believers.
Moreover, a regression analysis on these groups of children showed that their generosity was inversely correlated with their households’ religiosity. This effect remained regardless of a family’s wealth and status (rich children were more generous than poor ones), a child’s age (older children were more generous than younger ones) or the nationality of the participant. These findings are, however, in marked contrast to parents’ assessments of their own children’s sensitivity to injustice. When asked, religious parents reported their children to be more sensitive than non-believing parents did.
This is only one result, of course. It would need to be replicated before strong conclusions could be drawn. But it is suggestive. And what it suggests is not only that what is preached by religion is not always what is practised, which would not be a surprise, but that in some unknown way the preaching
makes things worse.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Sunday, April 17, 2016
The Link Between Income Inequality and Physical Pain
The Link Between Income Inequality and Physical Pain
Why does economic insecurity hurt? The cause is likely rooted in human
psychology. When people encounter economic insecurity, they typically
feel a loss of control. A sense of control is one of the foundational
elements of well-being. When people lose this sense of control, their
body goes a bit haywire and responds to stimuli differently — displaying
weakened resilience and a lower pain threshold.
Why does economic insecurity hurt? The cause is likely rooted in human
psychology. When people encounter economic insecurity, they typically
feel a loss of control. A sense of control is one of the foundational
elements of well-being. When people lose this sense of control, their
body goes a bit haywire and responds to stimuli differently — displaying
weakened resilience and a lower pain threshold.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
If Work Is Digital, Why Do We Still Go to the Office?
If Work Is Digital, Why Do We Still Go to the Office?\
“Distance will die,” or so predicted British economist Frances
Cairncross, along with a host of social and media theorists, following
the spread of the internet in the 1990s. When every place is connected
instantaneously to every other place on the planet, they argued, space
itself would become irrelevant. At that point, we would not need offices
anymore: Why go to work when work can come to you?
The well-known prediction by U.S. professor Melvin Webber seemed
imminent: “For the first time in history, it might be possible to locate
on a mountain top and to maintain intimate, real-time, and realistic
contact with business or other associates” (Webber M.M., 1973).
Instantaneous communication with everyone else on the planet — even from
the summit of Mount Everest — would soon render traditional offices
obsolete.
History has charted a far different course. Today’s technology does
allow global and instantaneous communication, but most of us still
commute to offices for work every day. Telecommuting from our homes (let
alone Mount Everest!) has not picked up as much as many thought it
would. Meanwhile, lots of corporations are investing significantly in
new or renovated office spaces located in the heart of urban areas.
What early digital commentators missed is that even if we can work from anywhere, that does not mean we want to. We strive for places that allow us to share knowledge, to generate ideas, and to pool talents and perspectives.
“Distance will die,” or so predicted British economist Frances
Cairncross, along with a host of social and media theorists, following
the spread of the internet in the 1990s. When every place is connected
instantaneously to every other place on the planet, they argued, space
itself would become irrelevant. At that point, we would not need offices
anymore: Why go to work when work can come to you?
The well-known prediction by U.S. professor Melvin Webber seemed
imminent: “For the first time in history, it might be possible to locate
on a mountain top and to maintain intimate, real-time, and realistic
contact with business or other associates” (Webber M.M., 1973).
Instantaneous communication with everyone else on the planet — even from
the summit of Mount Everest — would soon render traditional offices
obsolete.
History has charted a far different course. Today’s technology does
allow global and instantaneous communication, but most of us still
commute to offices for work every day. Telecommuting from our homes (let
alone Mount Everest!) has not picked up as much as many thought it
would. Meanwhile, lots of corporations are investing significantly in
new or renovated office spaces located in the heart of urban areas.
What early digital commentators missed is that even if we can work from anywhere, that does not mean we want to. We strive for places that allow us to share knowledge, to generate ideas, and to pool talents and perspectives.
Why Retirement Is a Flawed Concept
Why Retirement Is a Flawed Concept
While we think of retirement as the golden age of golf greens and cottage docks, guess what they call retirement in Okinawa?
They don’t. They don’t even have a word for it. Literally nothing in
their language describes the concept of stopping work completely.
Instead, one of the healthiest societies in the world has the word ikigai (pronounced
like “icky guy”), which roughly translates to “the reason you wake up
in the morning.” It’s the thing that drives you most.
To put it another way: We don’t actually want to retire and do nothing. We just want to do something we love.
While we think of retirement as the golden age of golf greens and cottage docks, guess what they call retirement in Okinawa?
They don’t. They don’t even have a word for it. Literally nothing in
their language describes the concept of stopping work completely.
Instead, one of the healthiest societies in the world has the word ikigai (pronounced
like “icky guy”), which roughly translates to “the reason you wake up
in the morning.” It’s the thing that drives you most.
To put it another way: We don’t actually want to retire and do nothing. We just want to do something we love.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Friday, April 8, 2016
What the Left Gets Wrong About Scandinavia - Fortune
What the Left Gets Wrong About Scandinavia - Fortune
If you want to measure the effects of high government spending and wealth
redistribution, there are plenty of other examples to draw lessons
from. “Why not bring up Italy or France?” Sanandaji asks, referring to
two other large, but less robust, economies with large welfare states.
If you look at the years in which these countries built the wealth their
citizens now enjoy, it was long before leftist ideas took hold. For
instance, from 1870 through 1936, Sweden was the fastest growing economy
in the world. But after 1975—when the Swedish state began to expand in
earnest—Sweden’s economy noticeably slowed, falling from the 4th richest
in the world to the 13th by the mid 1990s.
And Nordic voters are starting to take notice. Scandanavian governments have been paring down the size of their governments.
If you want to measure the effects of high government spending and wealth
redistribution, there are plenty of other examples to draw lessons
from. “Why not bring up Italy or France?” Sanandaji asks, referring to
two other large, but less robust, economies with large welfare states.
If you look at the years in which these countries built the wealth their
citizens now enjoy, it was long before leftist ideas took hold. For
instance, from 1870 through 1936, Sweden was the fastest growing economy
in the world. But after 1975—when the Swedish state began to expand in
earnest—Sweden’s economy noticeably slowed, falling from the 4th richest
in the world to the 13th by the mid 1990s.
And Nordic voters are starting to take notice. Scandanavian governments have been paring down the size of their governments.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Monday, January 18, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Access to Cash Predicts Life Satisfaction
Beyond Income: The Importance for Life Satisfaction of Having Access to a Cash Margin - Springer
Being able to get cash in a
pinch is a strong predictor of life satisfaction, according to a study by
Martin Berlin and Niklas Kaunitz at the Swedish Institute for Social Research
at Stockholm University. Analyzing data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey,
they found that Swedes who said they could not come up with a moderate sum of
money (a little over $1,000) within a week — either from savings, family,
friends, or a bank — reported lower measures of life satisfaction than
those who said they could. Countering the decrease in “satisfaction with
life circumstances” that’s associated with being unable to get cash would take
more than a fivefold increase in income; it would take a twentyfold
increase in income to make up for
the dip in “satisfaction with daily life,” the other measure of life
satisfaction. Not being able to attain money even had a greater association
with life satisfaction than cohabitation or marriage. This suggests that a
sense of economic security, not wealth per se, is what matters for someone’s
well-being, the authors say.
pinch is a strong predictor of life satisfaction, according to a study by
Martin Berlin and Niklas Kaunitz at the Swedish Institute for Social Research
at Stockholm University. Analyzing data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey,
they found that Swedes who said they could not come up with a moderate sum of
money (a little over $1,000) within a week — either from savings, family,
friends, or a bank — reported lower measures of life satisfaction than
those who said they could. Countering the decrease in “satisfaction with
life circumstances” that’s associated with being unable to get cash would take
more than a fivefold increase in income; it would take a twentyfold
increase in income to make up for
the dip in “satisfaction with daily life,” the other measure of life
satisfaction. Not being able to attain money even had a greater association
with life satisfaction than cohabitation or marriage. This suggests that a
sense of economic security, not wealth per se, is what matters for someone’s
well-being, the authors say.
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