By Saul Kaplan, on Mon Jan 20, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET Beware of random collisions with unusual suspects. Unless, of course, if you want to learn something new. In that case seek out innovators from across every imaginable silo and listen, really listen, to their stories. New ideas, perspectives, and the big value creating opportunities are in the gray areas between the unusual suspects. It seems so obvious and yet we spend most of our time with the usual suspects in our respective silos. We need to get out of our silos more.
It is human nature to surround ourselves with people who are exactly like us. We connect and spend time with people who share a common world-view, look the same, enjoy the same activities, and speak the same language. We join clubs to be with others like us. I want to belong to the non-club club. The only tribe I want to be in is a tribe of unusual suspects who can challenge my world-view, expose me to new ideas, and teach me something new. Our tribe of unusual suspects can change the world if we connect in purposeful ways.
As an “accidental bureaucrat” over the last six years I had a front row seat to observe the silos in action. Every week went something like this; On Monday I met with the health care crowd, on Tuesday it was the education crowd, on Wednesday the energy crowd and so on, you get the idea. This cycle repeated over and over again. Each crowd was comprised of the usual suspects, well-intentioned people rehashing the same discussion incessantly. The scene is right out of Groundhog Day. Most of the participants were there to represent institutional perspectives and to protect their respective interests. In each crowd there are always a few innovators that want to change the conversation but they make little progress. At the end of each week I always came away with the same conclusion. If only we could take the innovators from across each of the silos and bring them together to enable more random collisions.
 Maybe we could change the conversation if we connect the unusual suspects in purposeful ways. Maybe then we can make progress on the real issues of our time, little things like health care, education, and energy. It will take cross silo collaboration and breaking down the boundaries between industries, sectors, and disciplines.
People always ask me how I could have worked in the public sector after being in the private sector all of my career. Doesn’t it move too slowly? I don’t know about that. I worked with many large companies, during my road warrior consulting days, and I don’t remember them changing so quickly. You are right, I would say, government agencies move pretty slowly too. I can’t resist adding, I am certain that academic institutions move the slowest of all! The point is few organizations across both the public and private sector have the capacity to innovate and change because they are working hard pedaling the bicycle of their current business model and trying to stay alive and competitive.
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Saul Kaplan: Random Collisions
By Julie Rath, on Fri Jan 17, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET
BFI National Archive, “Between Showers,” 1914.
True, I have been posting a lot lately about men’s boots, but in the winter, sometimes all you see on a person is his outerwear and footwear, and that’s why I’m a little obsessed. My general feeling about mens footwear is that it should be streamlined and not chunky or clunky. However (and maybe it’s the Maine in me), but when it comes to boots and outdoor gear, I love the look of something rugged and tough. It just screams out masculinity. Like this is a guy who would scoop me up, carry me across a puddle and deposit me on dry curb.
Here are my picks for rugged, lady-scooping goodness:
Red Wings
Red Wings have enjoyed a monster resurgence as of late, largely due to smart partnerships with some major clothing companies.
These babies above are a J. Crew exclusive. If you get them, make sure you go with the “dark wood” color. “Dark straw” is a color no one should ever put on his or her body, I don’t care how close to the ground it is.
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Julie Rath: Puddlejumping and Lady Carrying
By Josh Bowen, on Thu Jan 16, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET The new year opens up the flood gates of new gym goers, all with the mission to get in “shape.” Many of these gym goers have never worked out before and have never been to the “gym.” This is a new playground, a new adventure and a new experience. Many will be intimidated and may do things they don’t know are wrong. So with a little fun, I have compiled a list of “rules” for your gym experience. Here we go (print these off and take them with you!):
1. No one is staring at you…they are staring at themselves.
Not really a “rule” but a statement! Believe it or not, people are not staring at you working out, in fact they are staring at themselves. Why do you think they put mirrors up? To check our form? No! To check if we are showing definition in the triceps. Duh!
2. Re-rack Your Weights
One of the first rules we learn as a child; if you bring your toys out, you have to put them back where they came from. You take the 5lbs dumbbells across the gym to do hammer curls, take ‘em back Jack!
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Josh Bowen: Rules of the Gym
By Lauren Mayer, on Wed Jan 15, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET Just in case you haven’t seen Avenue Q or studied German, Schadenfreude means “enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others,” which makes it sound like sadism or bullying. But combine it with hubris – in case you haven’t studied Greek or read op-ed pieces about Anthony Weiner, hubris is “extreme pride, arrogance and overconfidence.” So when someone displaying great hubris has a spectacular public failure, one could make a pretty good case for ‘justifiable schadenfreude.’
For example, have you ever enjoyed the delicious satisfaction of seeing a driver pulled over for speeding who a few miles earlier cut you off? Or isn’t it fun to hear someone telling a clearly fabricated story get tripped up by a question he or she can’t answer? It’s not that we are relishing the pain of other people, but occasionally it is sure nice to see someone get caught (often referred to as ‘hoisted by one’s own petard,’ which is a Shakespearean phrase meaning lifted by one’s own explosive device, and that makes me seem kind of mean, but ‘getting one’s just deserts’ makes it look like I’ve misspelled a bakery title . . . but I digress).
Anyway, Chris Christie may have had nothing directly to do with ‘Bridge-gate,’ as the flap over the GW Bridge closure has come to be known. And maybe it doesn’t strain credulity that several senior members of his staff planned an enormous revenge plan without consulting or informing him. However, despite his press conference performance as a mild-mannered clueless mayor sad about being lied to and betrayed, he does have a bit of a track record for being vindictive and combative. Plus in the past few months he’d made any number of disparaging, sarcastic remarks about the reporters and state legislators looking into the whole thing. So is it any wonder that plenty of people are taking just a little, teeny tiny bit of joy in his discomfort?
Incidentally, it looked for awhile like Christie had achieved the impossible – creating bipartisan agreement, since both Republicans and Democrats were criticizing him. But apparently most Republicans got the GOP memo on the subject, so they’re now all talking about the left-wing media witch hunt, and why aren’t we as critical of Obama not knowing about the IRS conspiracy to cover-up the security situation in Benghazi to distract from the health care website rollout, or something along those lines.
So now that we’re back to ‘business as usual,’ I’m indulging in comedians’ favorite form of ‘justifiable schadenfreude,’ which is finding comic relief in a politician’s self-imposed difficulties:
“Bridgegate!” –
By Erica and Matt Chua, on Tue Jan 14, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET Egypt’s modern history may be in the spotlight, but it’s ancient history is it’s gem. Having given birth to the world’s first major civilization, Egypt amazes with the depth and breadth of experiences to have, places to go, and ancient wonders to see. While the Pyramids and temples are the main attraction, the magnificent beaches of the Red Sea and chaos of Cairo add to the intrigue of this country caught somewhere between Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
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DON’T MISS: The Pyramids at Giza. They are magnificent.
MUST SEE: The Temples of Karnak (Luxor), Luxor Temple at night, Valley of the Kings (Luxor), the marine life of the Red Sea, the Library in Alexandria and the striking temple of Abu Simbel.
MUST TASTE: GAD, Egyptian fast food…it’s delicious. Also try koshary, all the carbs that fit in one dish…you have to taste, because it can’t be described!
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TRIP PLANNING: Two weeks provides enough to see the historic sights, but adding another week for the Red Sea will make the trip.
GETTING AROUND: The main sights of the country along the Nile, Alexandria-Cairo-Luxor-Aswan, are connected by train. Take tours to get to far-flung sights and consider flying to the Sinai (Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab on the Red Sea).
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OUR COST PER DAY (2 ppl): $55.87
COST OF A BEER: $1-$2.50 for the local brew at restaurants and liquor stores (if you can find one).
KEY MONEY-SAVING TIP: Traveling to the main attractions independently will save you loads of money, but taking a tour to get to many relieve a lot of the hassle.
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YOU NEED TO KNOW: There is no avoiding the touts, even if you are on a fully inclusive guided tour…be prepared.
IF WE KNEW WHAT WE KNOW NOW: We wouldn’t take a first class train. There isn’t much of a difference between first and second class other than first class costs twice as much.
HELPFUL LINKS TO LEARN MORE: The Egyptian Railways website for train schedules and booking and wikitravel for an overview of sights to see.
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WE WERE THERE FOR: 3 weeks
OUR HIGHLIGHT: Finally making it to the Pyramids, one of the main sights we wanted to see when we started our trip two years ago!
WHERE WE WENT: Dahab, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Cairo, Alexandria, Pyramids of Giza
WE REGRET MISSING: The Western Desert.
By Saul Kaplan, on Mon Jan 13, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET “Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire” W.B. Yeats
Excuse the rant but I am outraged by the state of the U.S. education system. We have let the pilot light go out and we are failing our youth. Particularly egregious is the way we are failing our urban youth.
We must refocus our national and regional innovation conversation on how to solve real world problems. Job number one is to design a better education system that lights a fire for every youth, creating lifelong passionate learners. It is time to move beyond public policy debates and institutional rugby scrums to try new solutions. What we are doing now isn’t working, and far too much of the federal stimulus investment in education is being spent to sustain the current system.
A report last year from the nonprofit network America’s Promise Alliance showed that 1.2 million students drop out of high school each year. Only about half of the students served by school systems in the nation’s 50 largest cities graduate from high school. The U.S. public education system, especially in the country’s urban centers, must be transformed.
Only about 40 percent of the U.S. adult population earns a college degree. That may have been fine in the 20th century when an industrial economy supplied good jobs to those without post-secondary education. It is not fine today when a college degree is a necessity for a good job.
Our education system was built for the 20th century.
Everyone loves to point fingers at other players in the system as the cause of the problem. Observing our education system today is like watching an intense rugby scrum that is moving in slow motion hoping the ball will pop out. We have finger pointing and incessant public policy debates galore. We love to admire the problems: It’s the unions that are getting in the way. Teachers are resisting change in the classroom. Administrators don’t understand what is going on in the classroom. Parents are not engaged. Public policy makers can’t make up their minds. If only private sector companies were more engaged. Students are unruly, undisciplined and disrespectful. Everyone gets blamed and nothing changes.
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Saul Kaplan: Education Rant
By Julie Rath, on Fri Jan 10, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET How did 2013 go for you style-wise? Were you totally on point, or was there room for improvement? I’ve been traveling over the past month visiting out of town clients and doing some serious people-watching while on the road. I was sitting in LaGuardia Airport at 6AM one day, and I started a list of don’ts, which grew at each of my stops (Minneapolis, Chicago, North Dakota, and Palm Springs), evolving into the New Year’s Bad Style Cleanse below. Read on for 14 habits to purge from your style diet.
1) Don’t wear a crewneck undershirt with your button-up shirt. Showing your undershirt collar is like showing your underwear, something you don’t want to do in public (I hope). This goes for both casual and dress button-ups. I like Tommy John for great undershirts with v-necks that are low enough not to be visible. Here is my review of the brand.
2) Even if you’re traveling, you shouldn’t wear loafers with a suit. Try monk straps instead, as they can slip on and off easily when going through security (tip: packing a travel-size shoe horn will make your life easier).
3) You can leave the top button of your dress shirt undone with a tie, but don’t have the tie hanging down below your collarbone. Your tie knot should be no more than an inch lower than the top of where your shirt collar closes.
4) Never wear a backpack with a suit or sportcoat. It’s terrible for the shoulders. Also, you are going to work, not for a trail run.
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Julie Rath: New Year’s Style Cleanse: 14 Bad Habits that Get the Axe in 2014
By Josh Bowen, on Thu Jan 9, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET “Procrastination is the assassination of motivation”
Time is something you can never get back. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. It is our most precious resource. So why wait? Why wait for anything, knowing what we know. The answer probably falls down to priorities and things that get pushed to the back of the line, tend to be less of a priority than others. I do this with opening the mail. It is literally, one of my top three most hated things. I will push off checking my mail for days, sometimes weeks. Why? Because it is not a priority to me. If it were, I would open my mailbox everyday and sort through it. People treat fitness, like I treat the mail. Its something we can do tomorrow, or Monday or the first of the month or the FIRST of the year! People treat it like the red headed step child of their lives or like I treat the mail. The bad part about it is, I can open my mail anytime and it will always be the same, YOUR time on earth is precious, there won’t always be tomorrow.
Now, not to get morbid because that is not the point but procrastinating doesn’t get you anywhere. It wastes time. And by wasting time, we get further and further away from where we want to be. Today is December 4th, 2013 and I know there will be a large percentage of people that read this that are waiting until January 1 to start their fitness program. Why wait? I won’t bore you with trite statistics about New Years Resolutions but the proof is in the pudding. More people fail than succeed. I’m here to help you succeed and take action now so when 2014 makes its appearance you are already on the road to success. Here are some action steps to take:
“A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step”
Step 1- Start. There is nothing magical about starting on the first, a Monday or a new year. Literally nothing, other than psychological. Get out and start moving. You don’t have to go purchase a gym membership or buy fancy workout equipment, but do something. Walk, run, bike, lift weights, yard work, something, anything to get you moving.
Step 2- Start small. There is no need to go all out. Life is all about momentum. Instead of committing to working out everyday, try 2-3 days. Build up your tolerance and your confidence. If going to gym is not your thing, start working out at home. Just do something.
 Step 3- No analysis by paralysis. Google fitness and you’ll find anything and everything you could ever want to know. Theres too much information out there. Hence the reason why I wrote the “12 Steps to Fitness Freedom” In my book I take all the jar gain and all the rhetoric and condense it to a nice 12 step process. Shameless plug, available January 7th!
Step 4- Have fun. Do something you like to do. You like to dance try Zumba, you like to life heavy things (best way to get into shape in my opinion) do that. The point is to do something. Obviously some thing’s are better than others but my suggestion is always to get started now, never to wait.
Bonus
Step 5- Personalized fitness. Everyone needs guidance particularly with things we don’t know much about or can’t seem to motivate ourselves towards. Even I need help with my fitness. Go see a personal trainer. Interview them and see if it may be a good fit. If you want more information about me click on this link
2014 is right around the corner but 2013 still has some legs to it. Make the most of the time we have.
Now drop and give me 20!
By Lauren Mayer, on Wed Jan 8, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET We’ve all been guilty of it – the inside-out logic of deliberate self-delusion, to try to convince ourselves of something we really wish were true, such as
– “I’ll get there on time as long as I hit every light and there’s no traffic”
– “I can quit drinking/smoking/bingewatching Downton Abbey whenever I want”
– “If you eat leftover dessert standing up, it doesn’t have any calories”
– “How can global warming be real if it’s snowing?”
So I’d like to give the GOP the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their objection to extending longterm unemployment benefits, spearheaded by Senator Rand Paul. His explanation is one of the all-time classic inside-out rationalizations, “Extending benefits does a disservice to the unemployed.” See, they’d be out looking for a job, even though there are 3 unemployed people for every available job, except that $200 weekly check is making them way too comfy, and so they’ll be grateful for the kick in the pants they need to go out and get a job that doesn’t exist.
And let’s assume their objection is also out of concern for the economy – even though most economists say that every dollar in unemploment benefits adds more than a dollar to the economy (because unemployed people will spend the money on frivolous items like food, housing and utilities), and even though the shutdown last fall cost just about the same as extending benefits would. It’s just that in Rand Paul land, up means down, and numbers work backwards. (Either that, or he’s too busy footnoting every single word he says, so that we mean liberals won’t accuse him of plagiarizing again.)
In that spirit, I’m only likening Paul to a certain Seussian green-skinned character because they’re both so cuddly and cute!
By Mark Nickolas, on Tue Jan 7, 2014 at 3:00 PM ET Click here to learn more and invest now!
With less than 16 hours left, we’re 90% of the way there. But we still need one last push to secure the remaining $1,900 to successfully cross the finish line by 11:59pm ET tonight.
If you haven’t pledged and have considered doing so, I would be so very grateful for you joining us on this journey. And if you are already supporting and can afford to increase your pledge by just a few dollars, it would mean a great deal. We’ve had 60 new backers (and another 15 who increased their pledge) over the past 4 days, but I still have more work to do.
Thank you so much for getting this project in such a strong position in the final day, and I am so excited to begin production on this film. We’re almost at the summit…just one last push!
Best, Mark
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