ChangeThis Newsletter

59.01 - To Big to Live: Why Letting Banks Fail Is Actually Good For Real People by Douglas Rushkoff

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“As the financial institutions we have come to rely on appear to topple under their own weight, it's only natural that we rush to support them. These are the banks, investment groups, and insurance firms to which we have outsourced our savings, financing, and investing. They fund our businesses and lend most of our currency into existence.

Were we just a bit more aware of how this dependency developed, however, as well as what it costs us in the long run, we might choose instead to exploit their temporary vulnerability toward very different ends. Indeed, if we had our wits about us, we would seek to put our biggest banks out of our misery, for good.”

59.02 - Being Strategic: The Antidote to Fear by Erika Andersen

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“[T]he antidote to fear? […] Pull people out of their panic and self-protective impulses by first acknowledging the difficulties, then raising their eyes and hearts to a possibility of success. At that point you can take advantage of their newly available and hopeful energy to make that possibility a reality.

This is the essence of what I call being strategic: doing a clear and accurate assessment of the current situation, then articulating the possibility of a successful future. And at that point, when you see clearly where you are and where you hope to go, staying strategic means making core directional choices … about how to achieve that future you’ve envisioned.”

59.03 - A Mind for Selling: Brain Science Is Turning Management On Its Head by Charles Jacobs

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"We don’t have direct knowledge of the physical world; we only have knowledge of our ideas of it. This may seem like just an interesting curiosity until we realize that the world we know is not an objective record of the one that exists outside of us, but the version of it we create according to whatever else is going on in our minds at the time. We don’t live in the world of atoms; we live in the world of ideas.”

59.04 - Trusting Google and Yahoo: Search Engines & Information Literacy by Jay Moonah

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“We pride ourselves on thinking critically. But how do our critical thinking skills apply to what we find in our searches? Because the results seem to appear like magic, many of us tend to think of search results as being “unbiased.” But in actual fact, there are many individuals and companies working hard every day to try to push their information to the top of the page in your Google search.”

59.05 - Corporate America’s Big Problem: And How to Fix It for Good by Christine Arena

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“Big business has a serious problem to solve: most people don’t trust it. They haven’t for over a decade, as evidenced by compelling research from firms including Roper, Forrester, Edelman and The Reputation Institute—not to mention the rise of a multi-billion dollar watchdog industry comprised of websites, books, magazines and feature films dedicated to depicting the modern corporation as today’s most powerful and evil force.”

59.06 - Change Your Thinking > To Change Your Results! by Tony JearyClick

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“Business as usual is unrealistic in our current economic climate. Leaders must accept the fact that success is likely to become a moving target and their organizations must become faster, leaner and better equipped to compete and change quickly. To embrace speed as a strategic asset requires higher levels of clarity about the real needs and goals of the organization. Clarity means that the value and purpose of every effort must be evaluated and put to the test.”

58.01 - Creative Elegance: The Power of Incomplete Ideas by Matthew E. May

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"It is nearly impossible to make it through a typical day without exchanging ideas. Whether deciding on something as simple as a restaurant for a long overdue night out, or as complicated as the design of an entirely new product, we are forever involved in sculpting and selling our creative thought. Conventional wisdom says that to be successful, an idea must be concrete, complete, and certain. But what if that's wrong? What if the most elegant, most imaginative, most engaging ideas are none of those things?"

58.02 - The Small Revolution by Linda Kaplan Thaler & Robin Koval

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"When tackling problems, we are often told to think big. We filter out life's seemingly insignificant details in order to concentrate on the greater issues. After all, big ideas yield big results, or so the assumption goes. Certainly, no one wants to be thought of as the person who 'can't see the forest for the trees.' But many times, these very same little details are the ones that can serve as the real catalysts for change in our own lives and in the lives of others—if we only start to recognize their potential.

The SMALL revolution asks people to forget about the old ways. To tackle today's issues and achieve our greatest goals, we need to shift our thinking away from the big picture and focus instead on the small pixels. These new times call for a new outlook, and therefore, we must change our perspective from the grandiose and difficult to the humble and doable. By rediscovering the magic within our smallest actions and celebrating the tiny victories that each of us accomplish daily, we can overcome the big obstacles and effect real change."

58.03 - Ending the Illusion of Control: Let's Kick This Bad Forecasting Habit by Spyros Makridakis, Robin M Hogarth & Anil Gaba

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"Many reputable institutions issue regular economic forecasts that are widely cited in the international press. And yet, how accurate are these forecasts? Should we really trust them?

[...]

In this manifesto, we note the dismal historical track record of much if not most economic forecasting. Despite this reality, however, people still have an insatiable need to issue and consume forecasts. We therefore make three proposals that can make forecasts both more relevant and useful."

58.04 - Who's Got Your Back: Why You Need the "Lifeline Relationships" that Create Success and Won't Let You Fail by Keith Ferrazzi

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"Behind every great leader, at the base of every great tale of success, you will find an indispensable circle of trusted advisors, mentors, and colleagues. These groups come in all forms and sizes and can be found at every level and in nearly all spheres of both professional and personal life, but what they all have in common is a unique kind of connection with each other that I've come to call lifeline relationships.

These relationships are, quite literally, why some people succeed far more than others.

There's a good chance that you've already experienced the power and potential of lifeline relationships at some point in your life. Imagine some of the attributes of the best bosses you've ever had—the kind of boss who encourages you, who gives you space to grow, who appreciates your efforts, who doesn't micromanage but guides your development with wisdom, and who handles your slip-ups with firmness, understanding, and candor. Or think back to that good friend or family member who dropped everything to be there for you at a critical juncture in your life and didn't let you fail. Picture that associate you had at work who took a risk for you, and whose influence still touches you today.

If you've ever had an important person or group of people in your life who've shepherded you in the right direction—even if you've had just a taste of it—you know what I mean."