Talk to the right people!

Not one to repeat myself I am shamelessly stealing something from my other blog.......go read it
http://farrstdevelopments.blogspot.com/2011/10/finally-there-has-been-article.html

And think - when have you made a bad decision purely on the fact that you talked to the wrong people

Why we shouldn't squeeze the crap out of sub-contractors or staff......

I have shamelessly stolen this from the good guys at Jalopnik (FTW!) but when reading this I noticed it does not just apply to cars/mechanics......this is a fundamental problem with everything including business operations. We have all turned into a bunch of bean counting idiots. We have failed to recognize that we are only hurting ourselves when we squeeze the bottom dollar out of our relationships.

We should be building proper relationships with these people, and paying them for their worth. We need to change attitudes from "Saving money" to "Making sure money is well spent". The big players in the industry that continue to burn bridges (Wallmart, G.E., Apple, Dell etc) are starting to feel the burn of this as their suppliers/subcontractors and staff suddenly throw a spanner in the works, jamming up the whole system, and costing the firm in more than just capital.

Anywho, have a read, and have a reflection.

Source : http://jalopnik.com/5839253/why-im-not-trying-to-rip-you-off-when-i-fix-your-car

Why I’m not trying to rip you off when I fix your car

If there's any transaction more fraught with fear of scams than buying a car, it's getting one fixed. Mechanic Jeremy Waters explains why people need to be a little more trusting — at least in his shop —Ed.

As a mechanic, I never like delivering bad news to a customer; it's not one of my favorite parts of the job. I don't like telling a customer their 5-year-old heavy-duty truck needs $1,600 worth of brakes, front coil springs (because they are broken and dangerous), tires, ball joints, tie rod end and work to pass state inspection, but I must if that's the case. I don't like telling the single mother that her car needs tires because the ones she has now have metal cords worn through the edges and are about to blow out, but someone has to tell her there's a problem. How many customers check the inner shoulders of their tires? How many remove their wheels every week to check out their brake specs? Very few. And that's why I have a job......

..........Article continued here.....

Are cities the future?

Recently, Alex Steffen talked about the shareable future of cities in a Ted Talk (video at the bottom).
His talk was about how that cities dwellers ended up consuming less resources.
This spits the face of many whom believe the only way to go green is by living in the countryside. But as someone who has experienced both I can claim that I find things far more convenient in the city. And this has probably decreased my consumption as a whole.

Business run similarly.
Some business operate out of the back room/home office. While others operate in massive multistory buildings. With cubicles piled on top of cubicles. While there has a been a marketing push to say that we are moving away from the sweat factories of the past - is this actually true.
Not only that but is this a move to become more efficient or move effective.
I know I operate in a more spacious environment, and I love having a office that I can close the door to the world. But some people operate better with someone looking over the shoulder (I am not one of those people).

Are business run out of city offices the future? Do we need to consume less and sacrifice our own personal space at work?

Watch the video below and let me know what your thoughts are.
-Stew

Cognitive Dissonance - Do you think this applies to the current world?

Just saw this, thought I better share:

But it has stirred the question. When this was devised, people had money.

Does the same result happen in a call center in India?
Do people now accept wages and change their lives and perspectives to suit? Or do they quit and get something better?

Does the theory of Cognitive Dissonance still apply?

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Coming soon!
Stay posted!