POVERY AND INEQUALITIES IN SCOTLAND

Just over a week ago I attended a conference on the above hosted by Scotland's Futures Forum at the Scottish Parliament. I shall write more on the conference later but I just want to mention here what a great day it was. The first part of the morning was taken up with speakers giving their slant on what we in Scotland and what the UK as a whole has done about poverty and inequality. There were some discussions about whether there is any difference and, I think, a general view that the extremes of inequality in the UK create the poverty. Later we had a series of soapboxes where a variety of speakers had four minutes to speak on a specific topic followed by four minutes questions/discussion, then in the afternoon a cafe conversation discussing how we think Scotland can/will move over the next ten years.

There was plenty of plain speaking during the day and many great suggestions at the plenary session. Despite the current crisis, the mood of the day was generally optimistic and I left feeling fired up again. Particular praise must go the the Presiding Officer of the Parliament who hosted and chaired the day (with significant help from the journalist Keith Aitken). Some of the comments about politicians were less than complimentary but the Presiding Officer never flinched and thanked everyone for their contribution. I'm looking forward to the final report which should be available at http://www.scotlandfutureforum.org/assets/library/files/application/1230811200.ppt. An audio of the day is available at http://vr-sp-archive.lbwa.verio.net/archive/Future%20Forum/futures_forum.wma.

SYSTEMS THINKING

A few weeks ago I attended a Masterclass organised by the Centre for Confidence & Well-being. It was led by John Seddon who talked about systems thinking in service organisations. John is highly critical of the approach, favoured by the present Government, of setting targets and micro-managing. He used an example of a telecoms provider and the approach when you call to report a fault. It exactly mirrored my experience which I wrote about three years ago, down to the person at the callcentre blaming me for their fault!

John is a marvelous speaker whose passion for his subject occasionally leads to him using what is euphemistically called "colourful language". I took no offence nor did anyone around me. When we have experts like John and his team around and when they have often shown their findings and offered their help to government at local and national level, why does this country continue to act in ways which are useless and expensive? This is our money that is being wasted. These are our friends and relatives who are being killed by an obsession with meeting targets as opposed to helping people. How long will this go on before we rise together and clear the lot out?

Check out http://www.systemsthinking.co.uk/home.asp for more.

SCHOOL OF EVERYTHING

I was at a Channel 4 event in Glasgow a few weeks ago and heard from Paul Miller who founded the amazing website http://schoolofeverything.com. As Paul describes it it's a sort of eBay for people have something to teach. basically you register (free of charge) telling the world what you want to teach, where and what you want in return. Students who want to learn then visit the website to find an appropriate teacher. Students can also register, telling the world what they want to learn then teachers can find them.

What you want to teach can be anything. I suppose that quantum physics could appear there but it includes driving tuition (at the moment because it's a new website there are a lot of driving instructors!), music tuition, reading, knitting - nothing seems to be ruled out. How you want to be paid can also be flexible. My entry describes me as wanting money or knowledge exchange. If someone is willing to teach me tenor saxophone in exchange for hypnotherapy or coaching or some kind of training, I want to meet him/her now!

Another blog, Boing Boing, described School of Everything as follows. 'It's one of those great, simple, smart ideas that make you want to smack your head and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"' If you have a skill you want to pass on or there is something you want to learn, check out School of Everything.

Monday was a special day for me. It was my 60th birthday. My wife and I had a quiet day and went out for a meal on Monday evening to a local Asian restaurant, the Indian Cottage. It was not our first visit to the place but, as we do not dine out often, it has been some time since were last there. We could certainly not be described as regular customers.

While the waiter was taking our order, my wife made a comment about it being my birthday. He politely asked if it was a particularly special event and we told him it was my 60th. Wishing me happy birthday and making a polite comment about me not looking my age, he went off with our order.

At the end of the meal (which was as good as any we have had recently), he returned with our bill and handed me a bottle of wine saying, "It's not every day that you're sixty." There was no need for that. We did not ask for nor expect any special treatment. As I mentioned earlier, we are not regular customers. It was just a very nice touch. My wife and I have already told at least a dozen people about it and we shall certainly return to the Indian Cottage soon. It was not an expensive bottle but that is not the point. It was lovely gift.

See, customer service is not complicated, not expensive, but it pays.

THE PARADOX OF CHOICE

I've recently been looking again at Barry Scwartz's book of the above title. It's based on research in the USA into the fact that today people have more choice than ever but are less happy than previously. Logically we think that more choice is better but psychologically this is not the case. There is a cut off point beyond which people end up confused and they then make no choice, or sometimes end up making choices without evaluating all the options with the result that they end up unhappy with the choices they make.

This is important for business. Let's say you run a shop selling running shoes. A customer of average height, weight and running style is looking for advice on the best pair of shoes. There are about a dozen pairs which will suit her so you offer them all. She just gets confused and leaves saying she'll think about it and return. Alternatively, you offer just one pair. This time she thinks you're just trying to punt the most expensive pair and again she leaves and goes to a rival store.

The best thing to do is to offer her three or four pairs. It's much easier for her to do a quick, mental cost-benefit analysis or pros and cons analysis and she is much more likely to make a decision. This results in a satisfied customer and money in your till.

So more choice is not necessarily a good thing. Some choice is better than no choice but too much leads to confusion and confusion leads to dissatisfaction.

GOING GLOBAL

Last weekend I attended an event at the Scottish Parliament as part of the launch of the Tomorrow Project's latest publication, Going Global. Michael Moynagh and Richard Worsley, directors of the Tomorrow Project have produced a comprehensive and well-researched book which examines emerging trends and the future of work, business, climate, food supply and others.

Richard spoke first, giving a few examples from the publication and he was answered by Professor Andrew Hughes-Hallett. Following that those attending were invited to discuss in groups the implications for our futures, following which a panel of Michael Moynagh and Professor Hughes-Hallett answered questions.

There were many different strands to the discussions as there are in the book but two things remains with me. Firstly, Richard's comment, quoting someone else whom I don't remember, that the first human to live to be one thousand (yes, 1,000) has probably already been born. That is quite a statement. And secondly, and I write this from supposedly dour and pessimistic Scotland, the optimism and energy which filled the room. No one ignored the problems of the inequalities in the world today but almost everyone believes that it does not have to be that way and that the world is beginning to move to make some of the necessary changes.

Anyone interested in the work of the Tomorrow Project or of the Scottish Futures Forum which hosted the event should look at http://www.tomorrowproject.net/ and http://www.scotlandfutureforum.org/.

On Wednesday I visited some old friends at Fair Pley. Check ou their website at www.fairpley.co.uk. It was great to see Stephen and Jim again and I was hugely impressed by their demonstration of their Smoothiecycle. Essentially this is a smoothiemaker powered by a bicycle! Incredible! You exercise to make your smoothie then you have a healthy drink to replace the fluid lost by the exercise. Check it out on the website.

STORYTELLING

There was an article in People Management, the CIPD journal, last November about storytelling and the use of stories, or parables as I called them in a recent post, in training. One story concerned a large hotel. A man and a young boy were spending a few days there and the staff had, rightly, surmised that they were father and son.

One evening the man returned to reception after taking his son to his room and told his story. It seemed that the boy was seriously ill and was about to begin a course of chemotherapy. What concerned him most was the fact that he was about to lose his hair. To pre-empt that, he had decided to shave his head that night and his father was going to do the same as a mark of support. The father wanted to ask the staff not to react when he and his son came down for breakfast the next day.

When the man and boy arrived for breakfast the next morning, they were astonished to find that ten of the male staff had also shaved their heads and were going about their duties with shiny pates. That is customer service!