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Der zukünftige Ministerpräsident von Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, hat vollkommen Recht: Ohne neue Mobilitätskonzepte geht es nicht! 

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Nach einer längeren Pause geht es ab heute auf diesem Blog weiter mit dem Fokus auf Wandel. 

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Posted via email from Gnothi Seauton

Valuable insights from Michael E. Porter regarding the future of capitalism. He argues that the old profit maximization rule propagated by Milton Friedman 'The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits' is no more valid and calls for a new perspective in order to create what he calls 'shared value': What's good for society is good for business.

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They say that fairy tales are just for children. Is this really true? Can't a closer look reveal valuable insights for everybody?

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A very long time ago, Confucius said 'What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others'. He called it the Golden Maxim, in the meantime it's better known as the Golden Rule or the ethic of reciprocity. It figures prominently in many religions and is the central foundation for human rights. As a matter of fact, it is a very social rule.

Great leaders are also great listeners. Just like Epictetus over 2.000 years ago, they know that we have two ears and one mouth, so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

Having realized that nobody has a monopoly on good ideas, leaders listen to markets, customers and employees. Humans never cease to learn, but that requires careful listening. The more we learn and know, the better we become at what we do.

An intelligent dialogue brings out the best in the participants of a conversation, which makes the dialogue more fertile than the monologue. Only dictators would disagree. The reason being that they believe in an absolute, oppressive and at times abusive exertion of power. Unfortunately the concept of managerial dictatorship is still alive and well in many companies and institutions. More subtle than in the past, but still popular.

Managerial dictators think that they know-it-all and that they therefore don't need listen to their subordinates. They consider them to be literally inferior, their only function being to obey and follow orders. Interestingly that arrogance is often coupled with fear, because deep down they know that they are not geniuses, that 'command and control' is an anachronism and that they could learn from others. But they lack the wisdom or the greatness to admit that.

More and more, employees are not willing to put up with this behavior. An old proverb says 'Never tell your story to a deaf man'. Employees won't accept being controlled by managers talking in monologue. Instead they will look for and follow listening leaders.

In 2010 I have seen more car recalls than I care to remember, but not just from the mass producers. Premium manufacturers like BMW, Rolls Royce, Ferrari and others were also busy recalling. There are many reasons for this: complex technology, increased outsourcing combined with cost pressure on the suppliers, just to name a few. Plus, 'built to last' seems to be a strategy of the past.

Not only that, I am certain that the number of unreported cases is much higher, because in many countries the car recall legislation is not as tough as in the US. In these markets, manufacturers often choose not to do an official recall. Instead they fix the problem without informing the consumer when the car is in the workshop.

But those are topics for another post, today I want to draw your attention to a seeming contradiction:

Despite the huge number of recalls, US as well as global car sales in 2010 are rising! In other words, we buy more and more of a product, that is being recalled more frequently due to quality problems.

It is the same old story, we are not exerting our influence sufficiently and seem to be content with less than we have to. We forgive and forget, which effectively boils down to turning the other cheek. Unfortunately many brands, not just car brands, will only act once decreasing profits indicate a need for action. As long as it is cheaper to say sorry and recall a product than to get it right from the start, many will continue to excuse themselves. In those cases, boycotts are the only answer.
 

Posted via email from Gnothi Seauton

Humans behave like sheep more often than they want to believe. Why is that?

A major reason is that many feel safe in the anonymity of the masses, i.e. herd, and are sheepish when on their own. They voluntarily follow and do as they're told. But that subservience always comes at a price. Somebody will perceive it as an offer to be taken advantage of: politicians do it, companies do it, bosses do it, colleagues do it, media do it, networks do it. Subservience leads to exploitation.

The message is "We know what's good for you, you don't have to worry. Save yourself the time and trouble to think about it. Just eat, i.e. consume, what we serve you. In return we get your wool, i.e. trust, vote, money, time, personal data – whatever is applicable – and take care of the rest". The sheep are fed, sheared and their wool sold. It goes without saying that the profits don't go to them.

Sheep sell themselves short!

Bleating in the anonymity of the herd isn't going to change that. We have to step out of the illusion of heteronomous happiness driven by consumption. As opposed to sheep, we can think and we can take control of our lives. That obviously comes at a price, as there are no rights without duties.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free". And you?

Posted via email from Gnothi Seauton

Posted via email from Gnothi Seauton