sign of the times

It can be very useful to write your way through the core values and practical aspects of your business. Finnish textile company Marimekko 's core values deeply resonated with me. 

• ethics
• genuineness and honesty
• freedom of creativity, courage and responsibility
• enthusiasm, commitment and goal orientation
• positivity, aestheticism

(They also have a fine Vision, Objectives, and Strategy - read here) 

I was talking to a friend a while ago about how we cannot change the people around us, or who we work with for that matter. What we can most certainly do is take the initiative and follow what we think is best. For my friend this meant resigning from her work as she could no longer support the way her workplace was being run. My husband is having an ethical debate at his workplace, also on behalf of his colleagues. It seems to be 'a sign of the times' for many to make new and conscious choices. A boss is no longer able to simply tell his (qualified) workers to do what they're told. Nowadays managers and leaders have to set an example, which usually means improving how they act. Naturally this creates obvious dilemmas as bosses are human. They have to inspire their work force, if they don't they will lose them. As someone put it to me: how can they expect us to do what they want, if they don't want to do the hard yards themselves, do not respect us nor our opinions and change the rules to fit their needs? The fact is de-motivated staff is dangerous territory.

Work has changed much from the perception of just earning wages that pay the mortgage to supporting some sort of cause or vision. We also have to be able to respect our bosses, the companies that give us work and our leaders. We do have a choice, and many employers don't realize this. Why stay in a situation we can change nothing about? It's a dead end. Once growth stops, it's game over. 

So, ending on a positive note: that what we can change, add upon, give our dedication to, what inspires us and fuels our passion; that we will stay true to and work very hard for. So there is good news after all. Work shouldn't be 'just' work, preferably it should be great fun and a passion to boot. What is yours?

An inspiring story about an ethical way to run a business is Bholu, read about that on my friend Lucy's website The Design Files here. 

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identity

On Linkedin I was answering a question regarding design briefs and also I was remembering a question I had asked a few weeks back: to what extent do you identify yourself with your work? Do you still respect yourself if you have no work to go to? Would you know who you are if you didn't work a 9-5? Who are you really? Mostly we don't think about this much, it's either too hard or it would freak some of us out. What do you mean who am I? Jeez girlfriend, I'm not into that stuff. You know, get real.

To some this may seem like an outrageous stupid question: who am I? That's fine, but you'd be surprised how many people link their abilities and personality straight to their work. Even our 'talents' are put up against our work to show we did well. Work has become 'proof' and a means to measure on how well we are doing in life. Would it matter really? To a lot of us work is related to status so yes it does I guess. I know I get excited myself if a fabric design takes off.

I think it definitely helps if we have a self esteem regardless of what we do in life. If you like yourself and have a fair idea of who you are chances are you will do a heck of a lot better should you be made redundant, then someone who identifies too strongly with their work. So are we talking attitude again? Well yes that's always got a lot to do with how things go in life. Funny that.

The design brief question I was answering was about how to respond to clients who basically determine your paycheck and who like to be in control. I felt the question related was about power play, the pulling of strings and the resentment this causes the puppet. We all have people in our lives who effect us and who's opinion we could choose to be dependent on. What it boils down to is: will you let them or do you go with your gut feelings and stand your ground too if need be? Will you have the confidence to cut the cords?

It would have been very unlikely we would have heard of Nelson Mandela if he had chosen not to do anything about his imprisonment. Being remarkable is, to do something for yourself as well as others, that sets the bar higher then what is accepted at the time. Having a standard cannot only be a good thing, but necessary as well.

Here's to the comeback of ethics and moral fiber. Celebrate your uniqueness while you're at it: there's only one of you. Cool or what!

the good work

I have great appreciation for a pasta dish. However, if I end up needing a bib to prevent my tagliatelli drooling all over me I might change my mind... I appreciate being able to eat in a decent fashion, being looked after in cafes or any time someone's happy to see me. That's just nice.

Do we stop and realize what we can be appreciative for on a daily basis? Probably not. We tend to forget as we're in a hurry or we focus on that which doesn't pan out as we anticipated.

Appreciation is an interesting word. It's sounds huffy snooty wooty but means 'liking something and being grateful for it'. It was enjoyable this week to see a lot of different wonderful people and get an idea of what they are working with, thinking of, struggling with or are dreaming about. I like listening to their stories and understanding why they do what they do and what they love doing in general.

People are so diverse and interesting. How come we may set goals and more often then not we find we can't quite reach them? Have trouble realizing our dreams or find when we are doing the work we wanted to do that it may not be what we anticipated? What happens when we had a perfect job only to be forced out of it and now having to adjust to new circumstances? How do we guard our 'me' time? (This is a biggie especialy for women who fret over husband, family, work, juggling it all.) Do we even have me time? Do we worry too much? Do we say 'thank you' enough? Are we considerate or thoughtful? Do we like ourselves? Do we feel valued by others? Are we taken seriously by others? Is it important that we are?

What's most important for each of us to happen in our lives that makes us smile and keeps us going?

I like to know how things are going in the worlds of those I know. If I can help them, with whatever it may be, I will. It comes down, again, to simply do what can be done to help out, improve their situation if that's what they're after, to refer work, or to email them something of use, to make them laugh, cheer them up or remind them about their potential. I don't know about you, but it makes sense to me. I'm not out to help others simply to climb up their brownie points ladder to score points. I do it because for me it's a very natural thing to do. I used to not even think about it, where I do more now (as I have learned not to throw my energy out the window or waste it where it's wanted not.) I don't understand how some people I've encountered in the world of business seem to be strategic fluffers, they seem to treat socializing like it's playing chess. I don't get it and I don't do it. Playing games only means something like getting out the Scrabble in my book.

Appreciation, whether its regarding our work, a person, activity or of our own state of mind is always a good thing. It contributes, shares and builds. It grows, it's positive and I like that. I'm very much a positive builder. I like people, mostly those who are genuine and have a sense of humor.

Right it's friday so I'm wrapping up. Go do some one on one appreciation this weekend and keep up 'the good work'. Thank you for reading -and hopefully enjoying- my humble wee blog.

Business and friendship

Why do we network? To increase business, relations and get to know people ‘like us’.

Steve Pavlina: “First and foremost, I look for shared values. I seek out people who are happy, growth-oriented, open-minded, self-actualizing, and willing to try new things. People who are unhappy, inflexible, immature, or highly judgmental don’t make good friends or contacts for me.”

I’ve tried different networking routes and decided: hey I’m not going to join ‘a club’, a group or whichever else for quite a while. I’m momentarily “grouped” out. Naturally it makes sense when you sport, have a hobby etc to then meet people who are ‘like you’.

Thing is I have a problem: I enjoy meeting people, who are also “not quite like me”. Why? We learn only from someone who is not like us and from situations that force us to push our boundaries and think. The famous ‘point of difference’ comes to mind.

Meeting people ‘you know’ or who are ‘like you’ can be comfortable, cozy and great fun, but may also be limiting. Friends for example are beneficial if they have the guts to be in your face and say hey do you know what you are doing? Have you thought about this? Why do you do that? They keep us on our toes bless them. Networking is not about friendship, but it is about mutual respect and wanting to know what the other person is about and to exchange and learn.

On Linkedin.com there was a discussion about whether friends can limit your business growth. This I found interesting because yes, generally speaking: don’t involve friends in business and if you do partner up with someone you get on with well: get a lawyer in and the paperwork sorted to the max. Otherwise ‘no way gose’. Things can get too complicated however tempting.

Charles Caro:
“One of the Ferengi (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) "Rules Of Acquisition" goes as follows: #123 - A friend is only a friend until you sell him something. Then he is a customer. Another one of the "Rules Of Acquisition" states the following: #21 - Never place friendship before profit.
In the Star Trek series many people thought of the Ferengi as "over-the-top" capitalists, but there is a lot of truth to many of their "Rules Of Acquisition". When people are faced with conflicting loyalties they frequently wind up doing harm not only to those they are trying to help but themselves as well.”

Consider for yourself whether indeed your networking is the arena for work, benefit, exchange of knowledge and mutual growth. Are you being professional or friendly? Where do you put your boundaries?

Generation M: stuff that matters

Sharing with you today:

The Generation M Manifesto
by Umair Haque

"Dear Old People Who Run the World,

My generation would like to break up with you.

Everyday, I see a widening gap in how you and we understand the world — and what we want from it. I think we have irreconcilable differences.

• You wanted big, fat, lazy "business." We want small, responsive,

micro-scale commerce.

You turned politics into a dirty word. We want authentic, deep democracy — everywhere.

You wanted financial fundamentalism. We want an economics that makes sense for people — not just banks.

You wanted shareholder value — built by tough-guy CEOs. We want real value, built by people with character, dignity, and courage.

You wanted an invisible hand — it became a digital hand. Today's markets are those where the majority of trades are done literally robotically. We want a visible handshake: to trust and to be trusted.

You wanted growth — faster. We want to slow down — so we can become better.

You didn't care which communities were capsized, or which lives were sunk. We want a rising tide that lifts all boats.

You wanted to biggie size life: McMansions, Hummers, and McFood. We want to humanize life.

You wanted exurbs, sprawl, and gated anti-communities. We want a society built on authentic community.

You wanted more money, credit and leverage — to consume ravenously. We want to be great at doing

stuff that matters.

You sacrificed the meaningful for the material: you sold out the very things that made us great for trivial gewgaws, trinkets, and gadgets. We're not for sale: we're learning to once again do what is meaningful.

There's a tectonic shift rocking the social, political, and economic landscape. The last two points above are what express it most concisely. I hate labels, but I'm going to employ a flawed, imperfect one: Generation "M."

What do the "M"s in Generation M stand for? The first is for a movement. It's a little bit about age — but mostly about a growing number of people who are acting very differently. They are doing meaningful stuff that matters the most. Those are the second, third, and fourth "M"s.

Gen M is about passion, responsibility, authenticity, and challenging yesterday's way of everything. Everywhere I look, I see an explosion of Gen M businesses, NGOs, open-source communities, local initiatives, government. Who's Gen M?

Obama, kind of. Larry and Sergey. The Threadless, Etsy, and Flickr guys. Ev, Biz and the Twitter crew. Tehran 2.0. The folks at Kiva, Talking Points Memo, and FindtheFarmer. Shigeru Miyamoto, Steve Jobs, Muhammad Yunus, and Jeff Sachs are like the grandpas of Gen M. There are tons where these innovators came from.

Gen M isn't just kind of awesome — it's vitally necessary. If you think the "M"s sound idealistic, think again.

The great crisis isn't going away, changing, or

"morphing." It's the same old crisis — and it's growing.
You've failed to recognize it for what it really is. It is, as I've repeatedly pointed out, in our institutions: the rules by which our economy is organized.

But they're your institutions, not ours. You made them — and they're broken. Here's

what I mean:
"... For example, the auto industry has cut back production so far that inventories have begun to shrink — even in the face of historically weak demand for motor vehicles. As the economy stabilizes, just slowing the pace of this inventory shrinkage will boost gross domestic product, or GDP, which is the nation's total output of goods and services."
Clearing the backlog of SUVs built on 30-year-old technology is going to pump up GDP? So what? There couldn't be a clearer example of why GDP is a totally flawed concept, an obsolete institution.

We don't need more land yachts clogging our roads: we need a 21st Century auto industry.
I was (kind of) kidding about seceding before. Here's what it looks like to me:

every generation has a challenge, and this, I think, is ours: to foot the bill for yesterday's profligacy — and to create, instead, an authentically, sustainably shared prosperity.
Anyone — young or old — can answer it. Generation M is more about what you do and who you are than when you were born. So the question is this: do you still belong to the 20th century - or the 21st?

Love,
Umair and the Edge Economy Community"

A bit about Umair:

Umair Haque is Director of the Havas Media Lab, a new kind of strategic advisor that helps investors, entrepreneurs, and firms experiment with, craft, and drive radical management, business model, and strategic innovation.

If you like to read about his thoughts and about what responses he received because of this Manifesto: click here

photo by Devianart

Privacy Act

An interesting aspect to blogging is the ‘privacy act’. How do people know, and still trust you, for not spelling their name right out there along with all the private gory details?

Answer: restraint and integrity. I have been politely questioned about some of my blogs. What motivated me to write them and whether they were appropriate. The comments made were fair and funnily enough did not come from the cast involved. I do not see my friends, husband or clients as ‘blogmaterial’ even though some situations may arise that inspire me about a topic. So rest assured: it’s all censored!

With blogging it’s finding the balance between sharing stories readers can relate to but keeping it informative in a self development professional way opposed to turning it into a Tabloid. I may be a very open person and that’s dandy as long as I’m writing about me. Surprise surprise I’ve got ethics. Consider it Mirjam courtesy.

Why do blog? I like writing. Do I do it because I lack friends to talk to? No. For me writing things down help me make sense of what I see and I figured it could help others too. I like to do a bit of entertaining while I’m at it. I promise I will be decent about it, but I won’t make any guarantees on the profoundness of it all neither do I offer a 100% satisfaction rate. If you like what I write then that’s a bonus for me, not a requirement.