في عام 2007 كان "مايك كورنيت" ينتظر دوره في أحد المستشفيات، وكان انتخب قبل عام للفترة الثانية عمدةً لمسقط رأسه مدينة "أوكلاهوما سيتي" عاصمة ولاية "أوكلاهوما"، لفت نظره عنوان مجلة "لياقة الرجال" الأميركية: "تعرف على أسمن 10 مدن أميركية" ولك أن تتصور صدمته حينما وجد مدينته على رأس القائمة.
نعم أسمن مدينة بناء على نسب سمنة سكانها، قام العمدة بتحليل شامل لوضع مدينته الراهن، ووجد بعد الكثير من النقاش أن أحد أهم أسباب السمنة هو أسلوب تخطيط المدينة، فكل شيء في المدينة مهيأ للسيارة، ولا مساحة تذكر للمشاة.
دشن حملة واسعة النطاق لتعديل الوضع غير الصحي للمدينة، اعتمدت على محورين اثنين:
الأول توعية سكان المدينة بمخاطر الوجبات السريعة وأهمية الغذاء الصحي، وقام بإطلاق عدة حملات تحث مواطنيه على الاهتمام بمحتوى ما يأكلون وقام بإجبار المطاعم ليس فقط الإفصاح عن محتوى السعرات الحرارية للوجبات؛ بل الالتزام بتوفير وجبات بسعرات حرارية منخفضة.
أما المحور الثاني: فتبنى سياسات عمرانية تحفّز المشي وتساعد على تحسين جودة الحياة. عبر الاهتمام بإعادة بناء الشوارع من جديد وإضافة ممرات للمشاة، وبناء نظام نقل خفيف وسط المدينة، بل اصبحت ممرات المشاة أهم شرط للموافقة على بناء الأحياء الجديدة وتطوير القديمة منها، كما قام ببناء حديقة مركزية ضخمة وسط المدينة مثل تلك الموجودة وسط نيويورك، هدفها تحفيز النشاط الرياضي، حيث ممرات المشاة ومسارات الدراجين، والأجهزة الرياضية المتوفرة للجميع. كذلك قام بتحديد الأحياء الأكثر سمنة في المدينة وافتتح فيها مراكز رياضية مجانية.
المثير في القصة أنه افتتح موقعاً إلكترونياً للحملة بعنوان: "هذه المدينة في حمية غذائية thiscityisgoingonadiet.com، بحيث تقوم بتسجيل اسمك واحتساب كم خسرت من وزنك، والعمدة نفسه سجل أنه خسر حوالي 20 كيلوغرام ،ولك أن تتصور أن هدفه كان تخفيض وزن سكان المدينة بمقدار (455 ألف كيلو غرام) استطاع تحقيقه خلال ثمانية أشهر فقط ، ناهيك عن عداد لخطوات المشي حقق حوالي خمسة ملايين كيلو متر.
بعد أربع سنوات من الحملة المستمرة والتشريعات التي تحوّلت إلى واقع يومي عادت مجلة "لياقة الرجال" إلى المدينة، ولم تكتف بإزالتها من قائمة "أسمن مدن أميركا"، بل أضافتها إلى "أفضل مدن أميركا"، فالمدينة صديقة للبيئة وللمشي، ونسب الوفيات تتراجع بنسبة 3% كل سنة، أيضاً ارتفع معدل الأعمار بنسبة 6% وعاد وسط المدينة جاذب للشباب ورواد الأعمال. واليوم يخدم "ميك كورنيت" مدينته كعمدة للفترة الرابعة، بعد حقق لها المستحيل وحاز ثقة أبنائها، ليضحى اليوم أقدم عمد مدن أميركا في السنوات الأخيرة، والسبب أنه وعد بجعل صحة أبناء مدينته على رأس أولوياته وبالتأكيد أنه أوفى بعهده.
التاريخ هو نتاج الأحداث التي يغلب عليها العنف بين هذه الأصول الحضارية وتعريفاتهاوتناقضاتها المضادة
وحتى مع ذلك ؛ تستثمر المجتمعات المستقرة الكثير للحفاظ على صلاحية هذه الأصول الثمينة ؛ وهو ما يخبرنا كم نحن همجيون بالفطرة
وعندما ننجح في استئصال الفوضى والعنف في مجتمعاتنا ، ونبدأ في بناء الرفاهية الشاملة ، فإننا نضطر لحمايتها من الفوضويون لكي تقوى وتنمو ، وهنا يكون التحدي الذي قد يقوض الشفافية تحت شعار حماية الديمقراطية ، أو قد يقوض الحوكمة تحت شعار رشاقة الآداء وأولويات البناء
Between Governance and Transparency; lays the legacy of Mankind..
History is a product of the mostly-violent affairs between these domains and their counter definitions..
Even so; stable communities invest lots to sustain validity of these precious domains; which would tell how naturally-barbaric we are..!!
When we succeed in eradicating chaos and violence in our societies, and start building comprehensive welfare, we are forced to protect it from anarchists in order to strengthen and grow.. This is the challenge that may undermine transparency under the slogan of protecting democracy, or may undermine governance under the slogan of agility and construction priorities.
Popularized in England, these wavy walls actually use less bricks than a straight wall because they can be made just one brick thin, while a straight wall - without buttresses - would easily topple over.
These wavy walls are also known as: crinkle crankle walls, crinkum crankum walls, serpentine walls, or ribbon walls. The alternate convex and concave curves in the wall provide stability and help it to resist lateral forces.
The county of Suffolk seems to be home to countless examples of these crinkle crankle walls.
I’m often asked (as I was asked yesterday during a moderation) - what sets a person apart whilst applying for jobs or generally what makes you deliver better. Here it is:
The 5-C’s of soft skills that set you apart–
1)Communication–every role is people facing; how you communicate with your colleagues, clients, vendors sets the tone for relationship building and as a result, long term value. I’d place this on the top of my list for things we look for while hiring.
2)Consistency– every role, every assignment every body goes through a cycle of ups and downs– it’s inevitable; it’s life. But do you show up consistently? Everything we build at HOB is a result of the little steps we take (no matter how small) every single day.
3)Clarity– clarity on the role, on the micro/macro goals, on communicating effectively– clarity is paramount!
4)Competitiveness (healthy)– everyone wants to be a part of a winning team and Iike I’ve always said– attitude is everything. Having that winning attitude- whether while pitching or solving for a problem stands out.
5)consciousness- who you are as a person, outside the office counts. Are you mindful? Do you give back? Do you care about something that’s larger? Are you helpful, empathetic, caring?
People Walking And Cycling Spend More In London’s Shops Than Motorists
Fresh research from Transport for London (TfL) has added to a previous paper that revealed that people walking, cycling and using public transport spend more than motorists in local shops. Those not in cars spend 40% more each month in neighborhood shops than motorists, and this finding from 2013 has been bolstered by a new report from Matthew Carmona of University College London’s Bartlett School of Planning.
The research was conducted in areas of London which have benefitted from Dutch-style streetscape improvements, such as the addition of cycleways.
Transport for London's “Healthy Streets Approach” designs streets for people that are easy to access by foot or bike.
TfL's Director of Transport Strategy Lilli Matson said: “This research from our new online hub shows the link between creating enjoyable spaces, where people want to spend time, and the results for better business.”
In those areas improved – such as Bromley – the number of people walking in the streets increased by 93%.
People also spent more time in the street, with a 216% increase in activity such as going into shops and cafés.
Thanks to the increased – and improved – footfall, retail rental values increased by 7.5% and there was a 17% decline in retail vacancies.
London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman said: “With businesses across London really struggling to survive, we have to do everything we can to support them.
He added: “Adapting our streets to enable more people to walk and cycle makes them cleaner, healthier and more welcoming, which encourages more people to shop locally.”
Update, April 6, 2021: This post was updated to more accurately reflect the figures published in the study.
"You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backward for the technology."
Steve Jobs
This advice that Steve Jobs gave at the Apple WWDC in 1997 after being insulted is probably the greatest piece of advice for every leader
"Unfortunately understanding the customer falls under marketing and branding and too many technology specialists don’t think these disciplines are credible or good enough to be taken seriously - I leaned this the hard way as I left the engineering world to pursue marketing. There’s so much to learn from Steve jobs and Apple’s journey"
Charlie Whyman B2B Marketing Coach that talks about OTTERs
"As a leader in Digital transformation, this is an excellent throwback from a legend and could not agree more! Many organizations are facing this challenge now and I describe it as "Hammer looking for a Nail". In Technology and digital transformation understand the customer better first! versus showing a tech solution to the customer. If not, after all that hammer is going sit there and rust looking for a Nail that is not there! I also think understanding the customer we serve is everyone's responsibility and should be DNA of the company!"
Sudhir Nair
Award winning Digital transformation Leader, Disruptor, Educator & Operations Leader
"If you wish to ever succeed in business, you have to put yourself in his boots first, understand what is the problem you are going to resolve with the capabilities you have to deliver a satisfactory product to your customer. Only when you are in sync with the customer's need, only then you can conceive the experience you want to deliver. To deliver that experience you need the vision more than the product, most of the engineering is already available there, with the vision the leaders like Steve Job can create wonders out of the ordinary."
Pawan Kakkar
Managing Director at Jugapro India Private Limited
#1 Click with some, forget the others. If they share your vision & values, they will invest. Are you building what they wish to see tomorrow? The ones that don't, don't (invest). And that's fine! There is plenty of fish in the sea. Just be ready to take these hard hits. Out of 133 people contacted, only 18 told me yes. That's 115 hard no, ghosting & self-doubts. It hurts like daggers to have some of the wealthiest and most successful people in the world tell you 'no'. It requires SO MUCH emotional resilience to take 10 calls after dozens of no's. Show up full of positive energy and confidence. EVERY DAY. For weeks.
#2 Use the power of socials. I used LinkedIn. A lot. Remember, I created this ridiculous post of me riding a unicorn in a suit to find female Angel investors. And people helped me make it viral. They tagged relevant investors. I reached out. It's a game of receiving if you give.
#3 A good fundraiser is a good writer. Being clear, concise, and emotional. I wrote every single investor a short personal message telling them WHY I believe they would be a good fit. You got it right: Being able to write why is key. SageWealth's why? Millennials will inherit 56 000 000 000 000€. Yes, that's the correct amount of 0s. And sustainable investing is the most impactful thing you can do with your money (other than donating). We help them meet their financial goals, & shape the future of the planet.
#4 Trust comes from data. Investors don't like to take risks blindly. They want to take calculated risks. You need data to prove your business work. We launched several sold-out events, build email lists, had clients invest, made relevant partnerships with banks, ran small marketing campaigns... A clear demand for what we were doing. But you need to turn the data into...
#5 Storytelling. Why do us founders understand our customer's pain? → We are psychologists (read: not from finance). → We are passionate about sustainability. → We are inheritors.
A perfect fit for our startup. Find your story. Craft it. Test it. God knows how much you're gonna share it.
# Bonus: Have fun. Give your investors a good time. Joking, being vulnerable, still being professional while having fun. They need to get a super smooth experience from start to finish. Hey, I told you it was like a date.
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