Are you a B.C. Manager ?

Yes.... Are you a B.C. Manager ?
No this is not about whether you have a 'Before Christ Managementstyle'.....
The question actually is:




Are you a Border Collie Manager ?






But seriously now.. let's start with...

What is a Border Collie?
A Border Collie is a special kind of dog, trained to herd sheep.
The herding instinct of Border Collies is in fact the original killing instinct of a wolf that - over the past two hundred years - has been toned down through selective breeding. Border Collies circle the livestock at the far end and bring it back to the handler.

How do Border collies manage?
Border Collies tend:

• not to use force (initially) to drive the livestock where they want to
• use what is known as "eye", a sort of threatening stare-down that intimidates the stock into moving in the desired direction
• If the non-physical means of moving stock doesn't work, his natural instinct is to slowly escalate the encounter into an ever-increasing use of force.
• Barking, nipping, and eventually gripping (biting) are used to get the point across to the more stubborn sheep.

Comparison
Now let's translate this behavior into a management environment.
Think of yourself in the position of a CEO who has to manage his managers (border collies) in the managementteam.
Your managers have 'to deal' with your employers (with all respect: the sheep in this example).

Now, please think about the next considerations:

• Would you like your managers to operate like border collies
  At first site it may look like your managers don't have their own opinion. They act on your whistle. But looking closer, managers - like border collies - have a clear goal, make their own decisions and act as a coherent team without mutual competition to achieve their goal.
  
  
• Would you like your employees to be treated like sheep by your managers?
  Of course you wouldn't! Your employees are the key factors in achieving the success of the company. And looking closer, your managers - like border collies - treat your employees (the sheep) intentionally with dignity en gradually build an adequate approach for each employee. So each employee (sheep) has the possibility to learn and develop itself.

Of course, every comparison (this one too) has its limits.In practice you'ld probably some of your best "sheep" to operate as border collies too. You as the CEO of the company are responsible for the Corporate Teambuilding
of you border collies.

The principals of border collie management are trained by TLC according to the next two managementprinciples

TLC Management Principles Body Language and the Boardroom You don’t have to be a mountaineer or orienteer to learn about team spirit, body language and leadership skills. In fact you don’t need to run, climb, or engage in any strenuous exercise. Sheepdogs are excellent teachers of patience, understanding, tolerance and teamwork. They have their own form of ‘language,’ and learning the communication skills of a ‘thinking dog’ is fascinating. TLC - Think Like Canines Dogs in a pack work together in harmony for the good of the pack. They don’t argue about their position, they accept and respect leadership but use their initiative whenever the need arises. For years shepherds and their dogs have worked together, neither one afraid to take responsibility, to delegate or to question a decision that could ultimately save time and energy. Is it any wonder that the humble sheepdog is proving invaluable as a role model for the corporate world? From the managing director to the tea maker everyone is important and everyone is part of a team.

You, as a CEO Super Border Collie of course handle this process with dignity and respect. Be conscious, be a border collie manager if the situation demands to be one.

Links:
- TLC : Thinking Like Canines
- The Ten Management Principles of Supercommunity Banking

IF

One of the best inspirational poems ever written, is 'IF' , by Rudyard Kipling (1895):

So..., 'If' you ever feel down or depressed, take up this poem, read it again and feel the energy coming back into your blood vessels....

Word Empowerment

This empowerment by words is also visible when a text, document or url is translated into Word-Picture. A wonderful application called Wordle, helps you to build these word-clouds.

Here is a Wordle example from Kipling's poem IF:

Enjoy the IFs in your life!

Are you the boss

What does it takes to be the boss?

The Parrot One day a man goes to a parrot shop to buy a parrot. The assistant takes the man to the special parrots section and asks the man to choose one. The man asks, ''How much is the one on the right?'' The assistant says, 'a $ 100.'' The man is surprised and asks the assistant why this parrot is so expensive. The assistant explains, 'This parrot is very special. He whistles and sings' 'What about the other two the left?' the man asks. The assistant says, 'They costs $ 200 a piece, because they also speak, answer incoming telephone calls and takes notes.' 'What about the gray one in the middle?' the man asks. The assistant says, 'That one's $900 !' The man says, ''What does HE do?'' The assistant says, 'I don't know, but the other parrots call him boss.'

Powerpoint Mortality

Whether you're an accountant, consultant, student or salesman, when we take up a new challenging project, we're inclined to spend most of our time on data mining, modeling, reconsidering, detailing, arguing, making things perfect and finally, drawing the conclusions and writing the exhaustive proposal report....

Fortunately - in this case - your right on schedule! You've got exactly one day left before your Board presentation of the project. Still completely in a rush and overexcited about the stunning results of your successful investigation, you start up your laptop to wrap up your proposal report in a full flash Powerpoint presentation.

That night at 01.00 AM, you successfully finish your ppt presentation. Just in time! Completely satisfied about this phenomenal achievement, you e-mail the ppt to Nosica, the Board's secretary you know well. She, as well as the Board, will be impressed by your 'night shift work'. Who said you were doing a 9 to 5 job?

The next day, at 14.00 AM you enter the Board room, full of confidence. Your presentation is start-ready, the beamer glows, you're fully concentrated on your audience and in a 'cashing' flow....

After 20 minutes of presentation, including your ten recommended practices and some questions, you leave the 26th floor. All went well...
Time for a drink and a well earned good night sleep...

Next morning, 09.00 AM, the Board's secretary replacement calls you: Your proposal has been declined....

You're flabbergasted, how could this happen? After all this work you've been through.

What went wrong?

The answer is simple, you denied Wayne Burggraff's Law of Presentation:

"It takes one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation time."

So next time, in case of a 20 minutes presentation, invest 20 hours of your time in research, development, organizing, outlining, fleshing out, and rehearsing your presentation.
In essence: if you fail to prepare well, you are well prepared to fail.

Tips.....
Here are some practical tips that might help you with your preparation:

1. Ask yourself: ''If I had only sixty seconds on the stage, what would I absolutely have to say to get my message across."
   -- Jeff Dewar --
2. The simplest way to customize is to phone members of the audience in advance and ask them what they expect from your session and why they expect it. Then use their quotes throughout your presentation."
   -- Alan Pease --
3. No one can remember more than three points.
   -- Philip Crosby --
   
   

Fear of presentation
It's surprising to see that people are more afraid (41%) of 'speaking to a group' than of death (19%).
Now it's clear why we search the help of Powerpoint to 'survive' on stage.

Powerpoint Mortality
We all know Powerpoint..... Powerpoint itself is not good or bad, it's the way you use it.

The mortality rate of Powerpoint is humorously demonstrated by Don McMillan:

Life after death by Powerpoint

Who Needs Powerpoint?
Last January I was heading for a presentation with the help of Powerpoint. Full house. However, on the supreme moment the local beamer gave up. I simply decided to bring my message in an interactive session with my audience, without the help of Powerpoint.

Yes, it was different, challenging and even fun! Because of my thorough preparation - I was able to concentrate on almost everyone of my audience. So...., another Maggid's tip could be:

Prepare your presentation without Powerpoint!

A presentation try out
In the mid nineties my employer's company was heading to get listed at the stock exchange. I remember I had to give a presentation before a panel of 70 international analysts, who would probably raise all kind of difficult questions. In order to prepare 'abap', I called my strategy director as well as my CFO and asked them to act as my 'try out analysts audience'.

I told my colleagues I would give the presentation three times in a row. In the first two presentations they were obliged to interrupt me as much as possible, to raise difficult or weird questions and to put me to test (keeping my humor and concentration). During the third presentation they had to act as normal audience.

To make a long story short: after three presentations, my two colleagues kept their breath in combination with a desperate look in their eyes. I told them not to worry and reassured them my presentation at the analyst session would be successful.

And so it was, as I was fully prepared on every possible question and didn't had the need to look at my ppt presentation, I could fully focus on my audience. Lesson: Make the preparation tough, you'll benefit from it in the final presentation.

The powerpoint master
Yes, there are a lot of rules, regarding the use of Powerpoint.
The Golden Rule is that all PowerPoint presentation rules, principles, and guidelines are just secondary to doing what is ultimately right for your audience. Critical point is, you can only break the presentation rules if you know them .

It's just like in other sciences, once you've become a master, the real art of your profession is not anymore in applying equations and methods 'by the book'. Now it comes down to break the existing rules and conventions in a such a professional way, that new problems and social challenges are being (re)solved in a different way. Key point here is that not only your professional skills have to be outrageous, but your presentation skills as well. As the success of a good peace of master craftsmanship, is completely dependent on the way it is presented.

Mindmapping
Let's conclude with some practical free(ware) presentation tip.
Although you're probably aware not to overuse clip art, it's good practice to set up your presentation in a consistent and well polished style.

Of course you can use expensive business packages to illustrate your presentations, but there's also an excellent freeware application called: EDraw Mindmap 4

With the help of Edraw, creating presentations and mind-mapping is a question of minutes.

Enjoy preparing and giving presentations, learn to be(come) yourself on stage and overcome any possible fear of speaking to groups......

Related links:
- EDraw Mindmap 4 (Completely freeware!)
- EDraw Mind Map 1.0
- Edraw Max (not freeware)
- Lovelycharts (free, one application; online)
- Presentation skills (youtube)
- The New Office Math (youtube;Don McMillan )
- Presentation skills (ppt)

Bumblebee Feedback

We all know those plump Bumblebees that fly around. Until now scientists have been unable to develop a sound theory on how Bumblebees fly. Traditional aerodynamic theories (e.g. theories that explain how airplanes fly) are inadequate to explain the lift or fast forward flight of a Bumblebee. Yet, Bumblebees fly!



Clue
Although it's hard to fit into mathematical formulas, scientist have a clue on how insects, Bumblebees in particular, are able to fly.

Contrary to an airplane, insects are flapping their wings.
Bees beat their wings approximately 200 times a second (video), which is 10–20 times as fast as nerve impulses can fire. They achieve this because their thorax muscles do not expand and contract on each nerve firing, but rather vibrate like a plucked rubber band.

The clue can be found in the way insects flap their wings. The flapping motion causes the leading edge vortex to spiral out to the wingtip, siphoning off the vortex and delaying stall. One way or the other, the augmented lift, coupled with the delayed stall, is the principle mechanism that insects use for generating 'lift'.

Until this very moment (2009) we are unable to explain the exact principles behind this complex lift effect. Perhaps there isn't a single simple theory and is the only 'explanation' found in a process called 'Feedback Dynamics'.


Feedback Dynamics
In the world of Feedback Dynamics we adapt and adjust 'our' behavior - without any conscious handling or direct nerve interference - in small rapid steps until the desired goal (e.g. 'lift') has been attained.

Feedback Dynamics doesn't ask 'how' or 'why'.

Counting in the dynamic influence of the continuously changing environment, Feedback Dynamics simply persistently adjusts behavior in the direction of the defined goal (e.g. I want to fly).

What can we learn from the Bumblebee?
Our bumblebee lessons could be summarized as follows:

• Logic & Science
  Even if you think you don't qualify or are unable to achieve things in life because 'logic' tells you so, the doctor (specialist) has told you or your family tells you you can't: Don't accept this 'science' for an answer. Find new ways to achieve your goals, show your environment it can be done, although perhaps in a different way.
  
  
• Stop How & Why?
  If you want to achieve extraordinary new results and you found out they couldn't be achieved 'the normal way', don't count anymore on your history of 'how' and 'why', but trust on your gut-feeling. Take a few small steps in a arbitrary direction and see if you can get away from your current position. This - strange at it might seem - preferably isn't necessarily in the direction of your predefined goal. From this new achieved position, repeat small steps again. Enjoy the journey and soon you'll learn to discovered Nova Terra or have learned to fly.
  
  
• Math Models
  Most things in life can't be fully explained by mathematical models. A math model helps to explain to describe reality. It is, at its best, a simplified projection of reality, but must not be confused with reality itself.
  
  
• Flap your wings
  If you get stuck in life, never sit down in despair too long, but flap your wings: Take action!
  
  
• Believe in yourself
  Like the Bumblebee, always keep believing in yourself. Never (unhealthy) doubt yourself or don't ever let anybody bring you down who can 'proof' you can't fly or tells you that you aren't good in 'this' or 'that'. You don't need proof, you Are the proof. Even if you're now and then wrong, that doesn't mean you're totally wrong. It shows you're human. Try to learn from it (if possible) and in any case don't give up on yourself!
  
  

Enjoy life and apply Feedback Dynamics in it!

Sources:
- Dissecting Insect Flight (2005)
- Mechanics of Forward Flight of Bumblebees (1989)
- Control Theory: Design and Analysis of Feedback Systems
- Wikipedia
- Why bumblebees can fly

The Golden Rule

At the end of 2009 I would like to quote 'Unexamined Assumptions', a subpart of a chapter called Falsity, from the interesting on-line book :

On the Preservation of Species

A Logical Argument in Support of a Rational Basis for Community including Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Sustainable Happiness for All Sentient Beings in a Hypothetical World

1989 - 2007 , by Thomas L Wayburn

Unexamined Assumptions

We think we know almost everything; what we actually know is almost nothing – and most of that is false. The most pernicious type of ignorance is belief in falsehood. We are ignorant, but our minds are filled with something.

In the beginning, our minds begin to be filled by words, which represent ideas. Next, our minds begin to be filled with notions, i.e., unexamined assumptions, promulgated or inculcated by parents, teachers, government, business, etc. Some of these notions we hear repeated everyday, but others are buried so deeply that never are we aware of their existence. In either case they are prejudices, by definition, since they have been assimilated without the exercise of judgment or reason, i.e., from Latin: prejudicium – before judgment. Some are true, but most are false.

Social institutions are willing to go to great lengths to prevent falsehood from being exposed. Heterodox views are everywhere repressed. The world stands on the brink of the Orwellian abyss.

People who are unwilling to examine their prejudices are said to be closed-minded. The notion that all fundamental philosophical questions have been answered is the ultimate mind closer. The world is filled with closed-minded people and most of them will never be influenced by appeals to reason, but that does not excuse any one of us as individuals from dragging out and examining under the cold light of reason even our most cherished prejudices.

The world may not be ready to give up its myths, but there is no law of the universe that says we cannot understand something merely because our ability to make a living depends on our not understanding it.

As soon as one of our assumptions is questioned or its opposite averred by even one solitary soul, it becomes incumbent upon us to drop the contested claim as an assumption and provide for it, instead, a proof. If the claim be metaphysical, it must be supported by reasonableness, aesthetics, and utility. That’s what I believe. None of us is completely open-minded. I am curious to know, however, why there is such a great disparity between what one can say to an individual and what one can say to the general public.

To summarize, we accept much falsehood for two important reasons:

1. most of what we believe was learned before we were able to examine its reasonableness critically
2. we are bombarded by lies every single day of our lives

Adding remarks: The Golden Rule
We've ended up in a society that is aware of itself, but unable to change it.

The awareness has created a 'happy schizophrenic' attitude on an individual level, often combined with an increasing lack or willingness to invest in each other or collective and social initiatives.

There is - without any guarantee- a way out. Live your life according to the principle

'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'

Try to live up to this principle 'by heart' and not just because of fear. This principle is the leading principle, the Golden Rule, in most cultures, philosophies and religions [Christianity (Luke 6:31), Confucius (Analects 15:23), Buddhism (UdanaVarga 5:18) ], except for the Islam, as it is not mentioned in the Quran. However, a very restricted version of the principle of reciprocity can be found in Imam al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths (Number 13) where the Golden Rule only applies only among "brother" Muslims.

Still the golden rule is a basic relativistic-logic ethic and one of the most universal moral codes known.

Anyhow, let's go for a better world and start with ourselves....

Sources:
- Ethics Of Reciprocity
- Versions of the Golden Rule in 21 world religions
- Where is the golden rule in the Quran?

Route in Life

Do you also intent to follow the simplest, direct or easiest route in Life?
Right you are....
Going from A to B in life is like a risk management game.
As the captain of your Body&Mind-Ship (BMS) heading for a New Land at Port Novaya Zemlya, you'll have three starting issues:

Three starting issues

1. Define your target (B): Know where you want to go in life
2. Define your starting point (A): Know Where an Who you are in life
3. Define your Route: Know How you want to go from A to B

In terms of risk management there are two main targets:

Main Risk Management Targets

1. Long term Target
   Reach your final target (Novvaya Zemlya)
2. Short term Target
   Avoid short time risks, tackle problems along the way (avoid ice floes)

So, what kind of approach is right for reaching your goal?

• If you concentrate too much in life on your 'final goal' or you want to achieve your goals too fast or too direct, you'll certainly hit a short term problem, like an ice floe, and end up crashed as a hero or a martyr.
• If you concentrate too much on the short term problems in your life, you'll loose sight on your final goal and certainly fail to reach Novaya Zemlya.

The solution of this paradox is (of course) to concentrate on the short term goals as well as keep an eye on the long term goal at the same time.

The optimal route?
But what is the best strategy for finding the optimal route in life?
Take a look at the next map to find out the best strategy for this ship.

Strategy I: Don't think, go to your target in a straight line
The most logical route from A to B would of course be a straight line. However following this line as a blind man would certainly lead to failure.

Strategy II: Keep as much is possible to the straight line
As BMS captain might look like the 'best strategy' solution. This is how we often directly respond in life when we do not succeed in getting what we want the way we planned it.
Often this route is 2 to 3 times longer than the 'straight line route' and does not always guarantee that you reach your goal in the labyrinth of life.
As mostly in life , the best advice is....

Strategy III: Get help and plan!
As BMS captain with the right attitude and perseverance to succeed, you consult your friends and foes and draw yourself the best possible satellite map, so that you'll be able to oversee the 'seascape' of your life, with all relevant problems, like ice foes ahead.
Often this optimal ice route is 1.5 times longer than the 'straight line route', but it guarantees the highest success rate.



But what to do if you have no information at all? That's when thinking and mathematics come in, or it gets time for an alternative approach before you freeze in reaching for Novvaya Zemlya....

---

Moving targets

I once asked one of my business unit managers with regard to an important project, if he was still on course and how things were going.

He answered friendly:

My ship's on course......
But the port moves !



Sometimes, when you are totally focused on achieving your predefined goals, when you're right on schedule and your project looks perfect...... You can be sure your project will fail. Why? Because while working on your project the environment changes, so you need somebody in your project that constantly checks the defined project targets against the changing environment.

So always, while working keep your head up!