"World, let me introduce you to the best author you’ve never read: Gerry Feehily. His stunning debut novel Fever was published last year and an extract from his work-in-progress appears in the forthcoming Offbeat anthology. Gerry is also a talented literary translator and a freelance journalist. Born in London, raised in Ireland, he now resides in France where he bothers geese given half the chance. Be warned: this man is seriously talented. You read it here first."

For the full post, complete with video Fever recital, Click here...

EVERY campaign, we hear the same buzzwords over and over again. And most Americans fall for them all, over and over again.

Barack Obama and John McCain and their respective posses are tossing out these buzzwords as fast as we can gobble them up. "Flip-flopper," "elitist," "establishment" -- these words trigger gut reactions, but what do they even mean any more? Glad I asked...

Flip-Flopper

At some point in our history, changing your mind became a bad thing, a sign of weakness. But our president hasn't changed his mind on anything in eight years and where has that gotten us?

I have great respect for someone who can admit he was wrong when presented with new information. If that's flip-flopping, so be it. It's the pandering that disgusts me -- when a candidate cynically and conveniently changes his stance or "moves to the middle" based on opinion polls and the mood of the voters. And everyone's doing that in this race.

Elitist

Um, you're running for president of the United States. Is any job in the free world more elite? Don't you want the smartest people around you if you get the gig?

Republicans crack me up when they try to paint Obama as an elitist, 'cause it ain't easy for a black or biracial person to get into the elite in this country -- that Obama did seems to indicate he's got some balls and some smarts and that he won't be denied. But that just might be the problem -- when they call Obama an elitist, it seems to me like they're really saying "he's a smart black guy and we need to put him back in his place."

Small-Town Values

Republican shorthand for "guns are a God-given right, and when an intruder breaks in and tries to rape your daughter, you can send him to Kingdom Come. But if your girl gets pregnant, she'll have to have the baby."

I grew up in a small town, and yeah, they're nice and all, but you don't see a lot of black people or Jews or foreigners or other such "undesirables," and the people who live there can be pretty close-minded and sheltered, even if they can see Russia from their porch.

Turns out there are parts of this country where lots of people live. And guess what? They're not so bad! Yet some Republicans wave the flag and profess their great love of country while spitting out the names of places like Massachusetts, Chicago and San Francisco as if they were Sodom and Gomorrah.

Our country is not simply a small town on a grand scale, and it can't be governed like one. Anyway, can you really tout small-town values when you have enough houses to actually create your own small town?

Change

That's about all the money we'll have left if someone doesn't fix things fast.

There's no need to keep bringing "change" up, guys -- we get it, things suck now and you're gonna make everything better. Now if you would just tell us how ...

Celebrity

The Republicans have painted Obama as an attention whore, lumping him in with Britney and Paris. Why, because he is hugely popular and draws big crowds and is good-looking and is "celebrated"? Sour grapes, anyone? I've seen McCain doing his shtick on "The Daily Show" about a dozen more times than Obama, and it was McCain's wife's $313,000 outfit that Vanity Vair dissected after the conventions. Sorry, but running for president puts you in the spotlight -- to lash out if your opponent upstages you is childish.

Career Politician

Can we all just let this one go? By the time they get around to running for president, they've pretty much made a career out of politics. Would you rather we had a dentist in the White House, or an actor? Uh, never mind.

Out of pocket - unavailable and unreachable for a certain amount of time.  E.g. “Im going to be out of pocket for a few hours so I wont be able to respond to emails. “ Use this term rather than saying "out of the office" or "on break". In fact never say you are "on break" that's something you say if you work at the grocery store. "Out of the office" sounds like you are on vacation. Out of pocket is perfect because it sounds like you are thinking about work even though you are probably drunk.

Beach Head - a united front to tackle a problem. E.g. "We need to establish a Beach Head and hit these clients head on." I heard my boss use this term once. I was confused and then asked him what he meant. He explained patiently. A week later I got fired. True story.

Bandwidth - typically used for describing your connection to the Internet but is now used for how much more work you can handle. "Im awfully stretched for bandwidth this week. I've got to put that deck together for Morgan Stanwick." Bandwidth should probably only be used by director level and up. Some little millennial using the term bandwidth makes me kind of ill.

Deck - a powerpoint presentation. E.g."Would you like to get in and check out the deck? It's in your email" ELMs can use this term to sound smart because 'powerpoint' is a term more typically used by administrative assistants. ELMs are not physically capable of being administrative assistants – they're managers of office administration.

Ping – originally a term used for an update to a blog or data feed that hits another server. Now used as a term to contact someone using technology, ideally a text message. "Ping me about this later and we can put those facts in the deck." Ping is annoying and over-used. Perfect for someone new to an office setting.

Monetize – means to turn something that does not make money into something that makes money. E.g. “My little brother’s wrestling team has a Facebook page. He really should monetize it with some advertising.” This a common millennial sentiment – it sounds promising and informed but will soon be forgotten.

Buy-in – means getting agreement or conviction. “Can I get your buy-in on these ideas for monetization that I included in the deck?” Use the term buy-in during an interview and you will get hired.  If you don't, please feel free to shoot me in the foot.  Seriously, give me a call. 

Close the loop – means to finish something off that has been going on for a while. E.g. “Can we close the loop on these monetization ideas that you put in the deck? No? Well ping me about it later. Actually forget it. I’ll be out of pocket this afternoon.” Close the loop is one of the classics. Take it, it's yours.

Gap analysis – looks at how a business does over a period of time and looks at the gaps. Gap analysis is actually not that bad of a buzz word. You can use it in business and sound really smart. I'm getting toward the end of this article and I want to give it some meat so I threw it in there. If you want to walk around talking about gap analysis with your friends go right ahead.

LOCATION: SOMEWHERE

SEN. OBAMA

I just wanted to touch base with the people of the United States about the need for transparency in the Department of Homeland Security. We can make a committee that can jumpstart an empowering dialogue about the various challenges that need to be overcome in this arena.

SEN. MCCAIN
Just to piggyback on Sen. Obama's sentiments-

SEN. OBAMA

Please, do not piggyback on me.

SEN. MCCAIN

Just to bounce off what Sen. Obama was saying: action items. Oh, and non-profits, art, community, fiction, poetry, gravitas, sensitivity, etc. Any questions?

GOV. PALIN

I found it interesting that this connected with this and I like to hear myself talk, dontcha kno'

-

the end

In my opinion, it was a deliberate wielding of a jargon/buzzword designed to embarrass. Having lived trough the Internet boom of the 90's and fighting the use of meaningless buzzwords in my own work place I've become acutely aware of the destructive power of these types of words.

If you look at the video it plays out like this;

1. Charlie- Asks a "jargon" based question.(Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?)

2. Sara- Asks for a definition of the jargon.(In what respect Charlie?)

3. Charlie- Starts defining the jargon but decides instead to ask her to define it, knowing she has no idea what he's talking about. (The Bush...Well what do you interpret it to be?)

4. Sara- Asks for clarification.(His world view?)

5. Charlie- gives a vague Pseudo-definition. (...Enunciated September 2002 before the Iraq War.)

6. Sara- after having a very small amount of context(..before the Iraq War.) Gives an answer that she thinks fits what he is talking about.

7. Charlie- Finally defines his terms with a disclaimer(The Bush Doctrine, as I understand it, is...) Not for clarity but to demonstrate that She doesn't understand the Jargon. The ironic thing here is that he's asking for a definition not based on a universal understanding of the term but "...as I understand it...".

8. Sara- Now with a clear definition She speaks directly and clearly to the question.

The understandable mistake that Sara made was to try to dig out the definition from the context, instead of just demanding that Charlie clarify his terms up front. I say understandable because she was probably aware that she would be giving the media an arrow against her if she admitted that she didn't know what the "Bush Doctrine " was.

What most victims of Jargon Wielders don't understand is that your ignorance of buzzwords is actually your greatest defense against them. When confronted with jargon it should be looked at it as an opportunity to interrogate the Wielder's thesis. Ask as many questions as you can and most of these jargon/buzzwords will drop like flies.

It's not trendy, it's "on trend," and if clothes are really good, they're "fierce" or "dope." Don't like the lingo of fashion? Whatever.

Industry observers say the language of fashion is changing thanks to fashion blogs and reality television, where shows like "Project Runway" have popularized fashion terms. Now, competition is high to attain originality and avoid cliches.

On the sidelines of New York's fashion shows this week, fashionistas gushed their favorite jargon to capture their approval or distaste for the latest looks.

While time-honored classics like "fabulous" and the perennial "chic" are still in abundance, bloggers, young designers and reality TV personalities have been adding their own lingo to the mix.

"'Cool' to me is dated, whereas 'chic' is not," said Tim Gunn, "Project Runway's" fashion consultant, whose phrases -- including "make it work" -- have helped hone his fashion credentials.

"'Sophisticated' is a word that will always be with us," he predicted. "'Polished' is a word that will always be with us."

Gunn said "on trend" was more in vogue now than "trendy" and that he dislikes "modern" to describe a new look. He said the TV show helped make the fashion vernacular accessible to a larger audience who now have "a vocabulary to talk about fashion."

But some slang adjectives were likely flash-in-the-pans, he said, such as 'fierce' -- popularized by a previous winner of the show, Christian Siriano, after being used by former model and television host Tyra Banks.

"When it comes to the more popular culture aspects of it, people saying 'fierce' and whatever, I figure that comes and goes," he said.

AVOIDING CLICHE

At fashion week, popular words included well-worn favorites such as "hot," "lovely," and "amazing."

Designer Ashleigh Verrier said her favorite fashion word was "diaphanous" -- an adjective characterizing fineness of texture. "As in, 'That dress is so diaphanous!"' she said.

"I like 'Glamit'," said fashion designer Marc Bouwer, who uses the term for a fashion line. "It is so gorgeous and glamorous. You don't want to use cliched words."

Designer Thuy Diep said "prune" was popular within her fashion crew to express disapproval.

"We say 'What a prune' when we see a garment that is sewn poorly and looks like a shriveled-up prune because the fabric's all wrinkly and ripply," she said.

Fashion stylist Kelli Browne said her pet phrase was 'dope,' describing any style as excellent. "It is used as in, 'That outfit is 'dope!"' she said.

Browne said she looked to more marginal communities, younger generations and urban streetwear labels to hear the latest in fashion rhetoric.

"It is funny when you see people in the fashion world aged in their forties and fifties using these juvenile words," she said.

Kathryn Finney, author of the fashion blog "The Budget Fashionista," said her staff had grown as the influence of the more traditional commentators in the industry had changed.

"Fashion is undergoing major changes right now, in terms of who the gatekeepers are," she said. "The new 'new media' is having an impact. Granted, (Vogue editor) Anna Wintour is still Anna Wintour, but she's not the be all and end all any more."

Most agreed "chic" was likely to continue its popularity as the famous labels it is closely associated with, such as Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, continue to impress.

And while some fashionable buzzwords might come and go, their function remains the same.

"They make people feel like they are an insider in an industry that they may not know very much about," said Gunn.

(Additional reporting by Jan Paschal and Michelle Nichols, Editing by Mark Egan)

It’s normal that each area of life has its own specific terms. The Financial Times Deutschland has been collecting some of the words and phrases that are less meaningful than others. They are the kind of words that you can use in meetings if you want to sound as if you know what you are talking about.

But beware - these particular words and phrases are empty of meaning!

More seriously, it has been shown that managers who rely too much on buzzwords like these are less well regarded than people who use clear and concise language.

It’s not only what you say, it’s the way you say it - as this cartoon shows.....

Dow Jones Industrial Average is simply the average value of 30 large, industrial stocks. Big companies like General Motors, Goodyear, IBM and Exxon are the kinds of companies that make up this index. Designed to tell you how companies traded on the stock market are doing in general.
(source: http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/dow-jones-industrial-average.htm)

Equity: Ownership interest in a corporation in the form of common stock or preferred stock. It also refers to total assets minus total liabilities, in which case it is also referred to as shareholder's equity or net worth or book value. In real estate, it is the difference between what a property is worth and what the owner owes against that property (i.e. the difference between the house value and the remaining mortgage or loan payments on a house). In the context of a futures trading account, it is the value of the securities in the account, assuming that the account is liquidated at the going price. In the context of a brokerage account, it is the net value of the account, i.e. the value of securities in the account less any margin requirements.
(source: http://www.investorwords.com/1726/equity.html)

Network neutrality (equivalently net neutrality, Internet neutrality or simply NN) is a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality)

Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a treaty to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Non-Proliferation_Treaty)

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries which seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear related exports.
(source: http://www.nuclearsuppliersgroup.org/)

Peer to peer (or P2P) computer network uses diverse connectivity between participants in a network and the cumulative bandwidth of network participants rather than conventional centralized resources where a relatively low number of servers provide the core value to a service or application. P2P networks are typically used for connecting nodes via largely ad hoc connections. Such networks are useful for many purposes. Sharing content files (see file sharing) containing audio, video, data or anything in digital format is very common, and realtime data, such as telephony traffic, is also passed using P2P technology.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer)

Real Estate Terminology
http://www.mschoryconsulting.com/education_terms.php

Russell 2000 Index: It's the mini-me index! The Russell 2000, one of 21 U.S. equity Russell indexes, is used to measure the performance of U.S. small company stocks ("small caps," in Street parlance). But these aren't the smallest of the small. They are actually the 2000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 index, a broad based index that represents approximately 98% of the value of the investable U.S. equity market, but leaves out the tiny mini- and micro-cap stocks that make up the remaining 2%. The Russell 2000 makes up only about 8% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000.
(source: http://www.fool.com/school/indices/russell2000.htm)

Standard & Poor's 500 Index - S&P 500: An index of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry grouping, among other factors. One of the most commonly used benchmarks for the overall U.S. stock market.
(source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sp500.asp)

At first, I was thinking, "I should write a rock song, because rock in an office is funny." But then I went running, and while on the treadmill, Sly and Family Stone came on, and I realized that "rock+office" has been done before, and isn't so outlandish. Some offices probably think they do rock.

What no office does, is get funky. White, button-down shirts, ties, clean shaves and telecom buzzwords do not a funkytown make. So we spent an afternoon letting our funk flags fly, dancing up a storm (yes, these are basically my real dance moves) and doing our best to win a trip for 2 to South by Southwest this coming March.

The awesome thing is that you win a VIP package for all the events at South by Southwest. The bad news is that it's for "South by Southwest Interactive," not the "Rock music, sex and drugs" South by Southwest being held at the same time. Still, could be a free hotel room and airfare, and I can't see not sneaking away from the "How blogging will impact quarterly returns" seminar to go check out Nada Surf or whatever band the kids think is hippest these days.

Buzzwords in education have been in existence since the on-set of formal education as we know it today. Many of these terms come and go based on their usage and their context but some terminologies have withstood the test of time. Let us take a look at some of the common terms along with the chronology of how they evolved.

Although often used interchangeably, there is distinction between distance education and distance learning. Distance education takes place using print-based and electronic learning resources. Learners are connected to resources, instructors, and to other learners, and they tend to be separated by time and/or geographic/physical distance. Distance learning on the other hand is the actual system and the process, which connects a group of learners with the distributed learning resources. Learning takes place in various different forms but in general learners, instructors, and the necessary resources are separated by time and space.

Distance learning has over the years transitioned to online distance learning. It tends to utilize synchronous and asynchronous tools, and learning and communication methods. Synchronous learning uses electronically delivered teaching and learning with participants simultaneously and directly connected and communicating. On the other hand asynchronous learning is characterized by a time lag in communication.

A while back, along came e-learning! Electronic learning (e-learning) is defined as the delivery of instructional content using electronic means such as the Internet, intranets, audio and video equipment, web conferencing, virtual classrooms, CD-ROM, and more recently Web 2.0 tools. Simply put, e-learning is another mode of technology-aided teaching and learning. In the last few years, it has come to replace terms such as audio-visual learning, computer-based learning, web-based learning, online learning, and other buzz terms of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

E-learning is moving toward total automation of teaching and learning processes using software known as Learning Management Systems (LMS). To facilitate the development of courses that utilize Internet-based technologies, more and more colleges, universities, and businesses have embraced both open source and proprietary LMS tools. A growing trend in e-learning is the use of "hybrid" or "blended" or "multimodal" instructional approaches that replace or supplement partial in-class instruction with technologically enabled teaching and learning, which in many cases utilizes many tools bundled in the LMS.

Along the same lines many students engaged in e-learning may not be geographically distanced from the institution. For example, learners may be traditional learners living on campus or nearby yet taking course partially or fully online. This is often linked to the need for flexibility in personal (family) responsibilities and work schedules. Taking advantage of e-learning adds an extra layer of flexibility. In fact some people see distance learning as not being synonymous with e-learning, argue the point that distance learning is a generic term that presently happens to use the Internet as a vehicle. Thus, the position presented is that while distance education and e-learning do overlap, they are not identical but complementary.

E-learning is growing rapidly and is often associated with the Internet. There are however other modes of learning that are growing at a considerable rate too. Mobile learning (m-learning) for instance, is a rapidly growing innovation that has the advantage of allowing learners to be "on the move while learning. In other words, multi-tasking, for example jogging or listening to recorded lectures while driving to work. Therefore, m-learning is an extension of e-learning, which uses mobile (cell) phones, Personal digital assistants (PDA), and MP3 players (with iPods and podcasting being the mostly widely used). In places where bandwidth is limited m-learning is growing at a rapid rate.

As the technology gets more affordable and readily available, educational options will continue to expand. For those looking for flexibility due to family and work commitments, e-learning and m-learning may be an option to consider. For organizations and institutions looking to train employees without having to trade-off on productivity, time, cost, or hiring a consultant, this is also an option to consider.

But last night's Daily Show shows that it continues to stay ahead of the curve—and to name the hypocritic truths at work in today's political scene. It's as good as any satiric editorial/column as I've read in a while. To wit:

Vagina American: the perfect(ly snarky) term to describe the cynicism with which McCain is seeking to court women in this election.

I’m tired. And the sense I’m getting from others is that they’re tired, too. It becomes more exhausting every day to decipher what most of our fellow marketers are trying to actually say or recommend and I think I know why.

We want to make sure other people know we’re smart. So we overpopulate whatever we’re writing – emails, presentations, etc. – with as many big words, buzz words and “ize” words as possible. The problem is that most people don’t have time these days to peel apart unnecessary layers of hype and jargon to get to the meat of what you’re really saying. If a client or colleague has to re-read your recommendation three times to understand the essence of what you’re actually recommending, that’s a problem. It doesn’t show how smart you are. It shows you don’t respect their time.

The truth is that we’re all pretty smart. Well, most of us. We know a smart strategy, idea or insight when we see it, hear it or read it. Wrapping up a bad recommendation in elegant wrapping with a beautiful bow on top doesn’t make it a better recommendation. Likewise, great thinking is great on its own. Don’t muddy a great idea by bogging it down just to show how many words you have in the arsenal.

This is also a big problem when social media types try to explain what they do. Tossing around things like “emerging media,” “social capital,” “open source” and the names of every social media platform on the Interweb as fast as you can just makes most people feel lost. I believe one reason more brands aren’t using social media initiatives is because we don’t talk about them in ways that are inviting. Instead we overwhelm them with a whirlwind of jargon.

To be clear, I’m not saying words aren’t important. I’m saying the opposite. Words ARE important. Be clear. I believe we’ll get more done that way.

Let’s start a movement on this one. Who’s with me? Maybe we can get the LeFevers of Common Craft fame to do a video on Speaking in Plain English.

*Image by Chris.

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Real words for multiple:

a few
assorted
diverse
heterogeneous
manifold
many
more than one
multifaceted
multifarious
multiform
multipartite
nonuniform
numerous
of all sorts (or conditions, or kinds, or shapes, or descriptions, or types)
several
some
sundry
two (three, four...or whatever is appropriate)
various

For now I'm glad to give you a brand new page, where I'm noting down the most frequently used words and locutions. It's a work in progress, so don't expect to see it finished one day. But it will be constantly enriched, I can promise that.

Fantastic Colors. - Science For A Better Life.

Neue Energie.
Freude am Fahren.
Versicherung. Vorsorge. Vermögen.

Wir entwickeln die Zukunft für Sie. - Answers for questions to come.

Leistung ohne Umwege.
Leistung aus Leidenschaft.
Leistung. Macht. Spass.

Aus Risiko Wert schaffen. - Wirtschaftlichkeit ist unser Konzept.
So hilfreich kann preiswert sein. - The spirit of commerce.

Schreib mal wieder.
Ruf doch mal an.
Listing Partner.

A Brand like a friend. - So individuell wie Sie.

The architects of finance.
Wir gehören zur Familie.
Sie haben es sich verdient.

So groß kann klein sein. - Die Bank an Ihrer Seite.
Die Zukunft lebenswert gestalten. - Impossible is nothing.

Never stop thinking.

 *(FYI: those first four critters are coral reef creatures and the last four are marsupials.)

To get to the bottom of this biodiversity business, we need to take a short trip down evolutionary lane. (This'll be quick, I promise.) Life is one big competition, at least according to Darwin's whole "survival of the fittest" theory. Every living organism-from the biggest blue whale down to the smallest virus-is constantly trying to win. Win what? Win the chance to pass their genes on to future generations-these winners get babies. Not an all-expenses paid vacation or million-dollar prize, just babies.

But to level the field in the great baby-making game of life, we need biodiversity. And to understand what baby making has to do with biodiversity, you need to understand that life is not like a box of chocolates. Life is like a game of dodgeball.

Imagine a dodgeball game with only one player on each side. (That would be a pretty crappy dodgeball game.) If one player has an obvious advantage (like a massive throwing arm and a "Dodgeball = Life" tattoo), he'll probably win no matter how many times the two play each other. But if you add ten extra players to each side, it gets harder to predict which team will win-even with the über-player in the game. Now, give everyone a ball, get rid of the rules and the teams and yell "Every man for himself!" and who the hell knows who will come out on top.

The one-on-one game is an example of low biodiversity while the free-for-all game has the highest biodiversity. And with more players in the game and balls flying every which way, our big-armed, tattooed brute is more likely to get knocked on his ass than dominate the game.

As an ecosystem becomes less biodiverse (which happens as plants and animals go extinct), the amount of competition drops and that makes it easier for certain species (like the dodgeball-loving brute) to dominate. For example, the recent worldwide surge in jellyfish is due partly to increases in pollution and higher ocean temperatures, but biodiversity loss is the real culprit. By removing lots of big fish (top predators like tuna, sharks and swordfish), we've reduced the biodiversity of the ocean. And it just so happens that the fish we like to eat are some of the fish that like to eat jellies. Without predators to gobble them up, the jellies are going wild, floating into protected coves, getting entangled in fishermen's nets and stinging unsuspecting skinny dippers.

Just as Darwin explained, the jellies are winning, and they are the ones getting to make more babies. And the more they sting skinny-dippers, the fewer babies those skinny-dippers will be making. And that, my friends, is the story of biodiversity.

I also notice that Cadenza now has a blog, with interesting comments from Vanessa Gebbie and Zoe King on how submissions are processed and short-listed. I recognise Vanessa as one of last year's Bridport prize-winners, and Zoe already has a special place in my heart for being the first person to take notice of my writing by publishing a short story on the now defunct Buzzwords.  In fact, the story is still here. (Don't be put off by the nom-de-plume - or the colourful layout!)

Carbon footprint. Biodiversity. Renew. Recycle. Organic. Locavore. Reuse. All of these terms are bombarding us in the news. However, just what do they mean? How do they fit in our world view? What impact do they make on the average tree hugging dirt worshiper?

Growing up during the first wave of Ecological Awareness in the late 60's and early 70's, I have that overwhelming feeling of deja vu. We learned all these ideas on how to save the planet from the voracious consumer and then “poof” it didn't matter. Somehow we'd 'saved the Planet' and mass consumerism took over.

However, like most things we we shove to the back of the closet, it spills out at the moment we least suspect. Right now, the closet has spilled it's guts and we have to take a second look at our lifestyles.

Carbon footprint. That's the impact we make on the planet through our lifestyles. What resources do we use to get to work, cook, heat our homes or go on vacation. Good choices reduce our footprint. Bad choices dump more carbon into the atmosphere and deplete resources. Planting a tree may reduce that carbon debt, but so can walking to work, planting a garden or recycling your trash.

Biodiversity. Variety is the 'spice' of life, especially when it comes to ecology. The more variation you have in an ecosystem, the better quality of life for everyone. An area that has good diversity is healthier ecosystem. This includes using local plants instead of imports in your garden.

Renew/Recycle/Reuse. It aught to be second nature by now. Compost that wasted food. Wash out those bottles. Crush those cans. Burn the newspapers. Monitor your trash for a week and see how you rate.

Organic. No chemicals. Often locally grown and not always perfect. Worth it though for the taste.

Locavore. No, this isn't a new kind of predator, but someone who shops locally. Not just for dishes or clothes, but food wise as well. A locavore eats what's in season, and tries to buy food items grown or produced within 50 or 100 miles. Buying locally saves fuel and promotes farmers markets. In Colorado, check out the local produce stands or the food festivals. Take a minute in the store to see if that potato comes from Alamosa or Idaho. Support local agriculture.

I worked for one of the most innovative and creative companies in the world, at least that's what the text books tell me.  Perhaps it's because I worked on the wrong side of the Atlantic, or in a business unit for which they could not fathom out how to apply creativity, but whatever the reason, the terms creativity, innovation and business did not appear in the same book, let alone on the same sheet.   Sure we had lots of training on how to be creative, how to manage our people, how to give effective presentations that would pursuade our listeners to take on board what we were offering, how to change our internal culture, how to 'think outside the box', and we learnt lots of buzzwords, three letter acronyms (TLAs)  and phrases to show that we were at the forefront of the industry ... but in reality, outside of the training room very little changed. 

It was always easy to identify those who would be accelerated up the corporate ladder; they were the ones who spoke clearly and loudly about the latest initiative, within earshot of the people that mattered (to them at least).  Sadly, many of those high fliers wouldn't know a creative bone if you whacked them over the head with it!!  The systems, structures and management style they implemented was more akin to "Do as I say, when I say, not as I demonstrate."  And when a challenge came, we were encouraged to ignore it, pretend that it didn't exist or simply tackle it as we had always done. 

But the really sad thing for me was that many of these 'corporate stars' had no interest in other people, only projects and promotion.  They seemed to forget that they were part of a team, focussing instead on the fact that they were in charge.  What they said, went, and heaven help those who disagreed or dared to challenge such a view. And if they needed to backtrack and lie a little later on, or deflect the blame elsewhere then, hey, wasn't that what managers do.  One could ask about integrity?

Speaking to friends who work in large corporates, it seems that the situation is quite common, with infrastructures now so extensive and processes so complex that any chances for creativity and innovation have been extinguished.  The Kings of the Beasts have become dinosaurs, and the countdown to extinction has started, and will continue until they die ... or they change.

Opinion now is no longer that creativity and innovation are options; the are necessary and the very life-blood of survival and growth.  We have already seen big names of years ago disappear, even in the past few years.

Our propensity to killer tactics focussed on killing ourselves must be reversed.  Our survival and expansion depend on it.  But survival and expansion will also involve risk, a dirty word in many quarters.  Risk such as additional investment in training, even when budgets are tight; implementing changes for the good of all, not just the few ... and more.

I believe that as we return to actually focussing on making a positive impact on our staff, allowing them to contribute and influence our decisions, making them feel valued so that they give without being asked (rather than beaten into agreement or contribution), rather than just talking about it or training around it, then our impact on the market and on broader society will be greater and more positive.

Killer has more than one meaning; let's hope that we open our eyes in time to embrace its positive definition, rather than being a victim of the negative.

Until next time ...

intelligence analytic methodologies: Porter’s Five-Forces, SWOT, event and timeline, scenario analysis,

"Competitive intelligence is not an information profession; it’s a decision strategy profession. It’s time we move away from our heavy reliance on data and recognized that only through data collection
AND analysis can we answer the questions senior executives are asking. "
-- From the article Information vs. Intelligence,  written by Kenneth Sawka (a Principal at Outward Insights) published in the SLA CI Diviision newsletter Intelligence Insights. http://units.sla.org/division/dci/Insights/IIMay05.pdf: page 4