Sir Alex Who?

I had a brief flirtation with football during my schoolboy days.  Growing up in north London, it was expected that lads (male chauvinist attitudes in those days!) would support Arsenal or Spurs and I chose the former - Up the Gunners!  But by my early teens when my father's job was relocated to Manchester and I moved with my parents to the north of England, I grew out of the football bug.  That's not to say I didn't enjoy watching the occasional match from the comfort of an armchair pointing towards a TV!  The 'English Disease' of football hooliganism in the 1970s appalled me and soured any remaining taste that I had for the sport.

I hardly thought about football during my adulthood, until 2003 when I met and developed a strong friendship with a guy who is a fanatical Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) supporter - and I mean fanatical!  On his Twitter account he describes himself as a 'pre Munich Red'.  Our friendship meant that we would understandably discuss football, although we were certainly not stuck for conversation without it, and I gradually gained an understanding of the footballing 'religion' - in this case faith in and worship of MUFC.  From my point of view, my new knowledge didn't encourage me to support MUFC, or any other football club, but I was interested in the business model and in particular, the MUFC brand.  I was, and still am, on a very steep learning curve.  You have to understand that prior to 2003, I didn't know who was the manager of MUFC and so not surprisingly, I had no knowledge of Sir Alex Ferguson - hence 'Sir Alex Who?'!

I was fascinated by the financing and ownership of the club and in particular, the purchase of a controlling interest by Malcolm Glazer in 2005.  It was a highly leveraged takeover and the club's debt prompted protests from fans, including some choosing to wear green and gold when going to matches, which were the colours of the original club, Newton Heath.  Suddenly a huge number of supporters had become financial experts.  They decided debt was a bad thing and Malcolm Glazer was an evil man, unfit to have a controlling stake in their club.  Throughout this period, MUFC continued to perform excellently on the pitch under Sir Alex Ferguson's management but, in my opinion, he really demonstrated his leadership acumen by the way he focussed on the one thing that football should be all about, WINNING GAMES!  Unlike some of the fans, he didn't allow himself to become distracted from that goal - no pun intended!  Indeed I am not aware of Sir Alex having expressed any complaints about the ownership of the club because like all business leaders, he knows that ALL stakeholders are important to the success of the enterprise.

So when I heard the recent announcement of Sir Alex's resignation as manager of the club, albeit continuing as a director and ambassador, I didn't feel any emotion, unlike many of the club's fans, but I do recognise that he will be a hard act to follow.  The timing of his resignation and his apparent succession plan with the impending appointment of David Moyes as the new manager, is yet another example of Sir Alex's exemplary leadership and commitment to MUFC's future success.

Well done Sir Alex........Sir Alex Who?........Sir Alex FERGUSON of course!!

Living with Change.

Tom Peters published Thriving on Chaos in 1987 and I read it shortly afterwards. It's an excellent book aimed at the business community and Tom Peters explains how rapid and unpredictable change, i.e. chaos, is a way of life, which businesses must accept. Indeed, he urges managers not to fight change, not just to cope with change, but THRIVE on it. Regard life's unpredictability as an opportunity for constantly seeking innovative solutions to highly complex problems. Now that's a good inspirational tonic to guide any business leader and it certainly had an effect on my thinking. In particular, I found it useful to introduce changes just for the hell of it, not just in my business environment but also with day-to-day chores. For example, on the domestic front, I used to vary the route I took to work in the morning, break fixed eating and drinking routines, change my hairstyle, and change other habits that had become a way of life. The object of the exercise was to take me out of my various comfort zones but I must admit I didn't always feel better for the experiences! So at work and play, change was the order of the day - how's that for a catchy poetic adage?!

Life moves on and now that I am not thriving with the cut-and-thrust of the corporate pantomime, you might think more stability was the order of the day. Forget it! In recent times my life continues to change but not as a result of planning, indeed the opposite - serendipity! Since Sandie and I got married seven and a half years ago, an event which in itself was serendipitous, we have lived in four homes, including a boat on the River Thames, two of which we actually named Serendipity. The same name was used for a business that we created in Turkey, which was difficult to explain to the authorities because there doesn't appear to be a literal translation of serendipity into Turkish. During this time we have inherited a family of two dogs and a cat, whilst pursuing a challenging lifestyle with a healthy balance of physical and intellectual activities. The main difference between our current self-employed status versus our pre-marital employed status, is that changes in our personal lives are not planned now to the same degree as previously. I have no doubt that if I am writing a post in seven years time, I will be able to recall many other unplanned and hopefully serendipitous experiences.

I know I am very fortunate to have partner who has, as one of her many attributes, a love of change. In fact, her desire to play 'musical chairs' continues in our home. Rarely a week goes by without something moving! It can be a picture, a clock, a mirror, an item of furniture or indeed, complete room changes! The lounge has become the dining room and vice versa, the main bedroom has become the spare bedroom and vice versa, and so it goes on....but it's fun! I must admit that sometimes my brain has difficulty keeping pace with these domestic changes, firstly noticing them and after they have registered, adapting to the new arrangements. The waste paper bin was concealed in a cupboard in the kitchen. Sandie moved it to a different cupboard and for weeks afterwards I kept going to the wrong cupboard! It's moved again but it's now not concealed so I don't have a problem. More recently, I went to my 'normal' cabinet for a pair of underpants, only to find a drawer full of bras and knickers!! Two items of furniture had been interchanged. Last week I conducted a simple experiment. I swapped two furniture pieces in the lounge and dining room. It took Sandie an hour to spot the change, longer than I had anticipated, but she was busy doing housework during that time. I explained it was an experiment to observe how long it would take her to spot the difference, to which her response was "I'm only trying to make the place better". Eureka! I learnt more from that statement than from observing her reaction time to my silly experiment. Her continual desire for change is actually an aspiration for improvement, so she THRIVES on change.

Not all change is serendipity. One of the synonyms for 'serendipity' is 'happy accident', which can be translated into Turkish! The massacres on Syria, the disease and starvation in Africa, can hardly be described as serendipitous. But that doesn't mean we can't all learn something from these and other disastrous events. We can't change history but we can all try "to make the place better". The only thing we can predict with any certainty is that things will change. So we have to live with it and might as well thrive on it!

Inspirational Quotes

I like inspirational quotes. Why? I suppose because they usually encapsulate very profound messages in concise statements. But if a quote is to be truly inspirational, then it should inspire, stimulate, motivate and encourage. How often do inspirational quotes have lasting inspirational effects? Not very often I would suggest. Well, within this post I have included three quotes, which in my view are truly inspirational. I will demonstrate how they are connected and for me at least, how they have had a lasting motivational effect.

The first quote is by Gandhi:

"There's enough for everyone's need in the world but not enough for everyone's greed."

This quote so often comes to mind, particularly in the light of current world issues, such as the on-going financial crisis, climate change and global inequalities. It seems to me that we are all greedy and selfish, to varying degrees, and when individual desires are mixed together on a global scale it creates a system with an emergent property of inequality. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That is not what any individual would necessarily want to be a system attribute but it just happens. Indeed, the phenomenon of a very small percentage of the world's population owning a very large percentage of the global wealth, can be demonstrated by computer simulations of the world's economy. Gandhi's quote is profound because if you total-up the world's wealth and divide it by the population, there is enough for every individual to live comfortably although not surprisingly most of the developed world would have to take a cut in living standards. Don't you believe me? Well let's look at Gross Domestic Product (GDP) using 2012 figures. In that year, the world GDP was around $60 trillion and the population was almost 7 billion. This equates to a share of $8,600 GDP for each man, woman and child on the planet. But consider the current inequalities. Luxembourg has the highest GDP per head at over $105,000 and Cambodia has the lowest at $720. Those are average figures so in both of those countries there will be inequalities and I suggest, the inequalities are created by individual selfishness and greed.

My second quote, originator unknown, is:

"If you wish to change the world start with yourself."

The inequalities that I have just highlighted, will not change overnight, nor is there any person or indeed any organisation that has the ability to make the changes. Individuals have to change their behaviours in order for societies to change. After all, societies are collections of individuals. This post is too short for me to list all the things I believe individuals should or shouldn't do, but in general we should all 'practice what we preach'. For example, don't be critical of debt-ridden societies but at the same time rack up personal debts. Don't be critical of law breakers whilst seeing no harm in breaking speed limits. Don't say something has to be done about climate change without first cutting down on your own carbon emissions (travel, heating, lighting, etc). Do you get the idea?!

My final quote is from Buckminster Fuller:

"You never change the existing reality by fighting it. Instead, create a new model that makes the old one obsolete."

Now I believe this one really is profound. A system, which is anything with interactions, i.e. most things, is rarely designed. It is created by constant evolution and often becomes too complex to be understood. I'll give a couple of examples. Firstly a business organisation. I have many years experience working in different organisations at all levels of seniority, including running the show. I know from painful experience that trying to 'transform' organisations is nigh on impossible. At best you can merely nudge them in slightly different directions. My other example is marriage. Now there's a complex system if ever there was one! I don't know the exact statistics but I believe that although divorce rates on first-time marriages are quite high (particularly in Europe and the US), 'second time around' success rates are generally higher. So as much as a couple might persevere to save a failing marriage, often the solution is for them to go their separate ways and start again.

So there we have it, three quotes with different messages but a connecting 'thread' that I believe starts to address our global challenges. Inequalities need to be addressed by individuals changing their attitudes and becoming more altruistic in their behaviours, casting away the old mindsets and embracing change for the greater good. Amen!

Why should I respect your opinion?

Most days I come across opinions I disagree with, either through direct discussions or when watching 'factual' TV programmes. No doubt many people disagree with my opinions. But what really gets up my nose is when someone's response to an opinion is something like:

"I disagree with you but I respect your opinion."

Now how can you respect an opinion that you disagree with? Maybe you can respect the right of someone to have an opinion and express it because after all, that's freedom of speech. Even without freedom of speech, you can respect someone's right to think what they like because no one can control another person's thought processes! I suppose when judging someone's stated opinion, the starting point should be the premises, or what is accepted or assumed as far as the argument is concerned. Next we can look at the way the conclusion is drawn from the premises i.e. the reasoning. So if you disagree with one or more of the premises, or you disagree with the reasoning, then you will almost certainly disagree with the opinion. But you might (and I do mean MIGHT) respect the fact that the proponent of the argument has employed a structured thought process of premises followed by reasoning. That is surely better than forming an opinion on a whim!

It is, of course, dangerous to assume that opinions that our based on sound premises and follow valid reasoning, are correct. No doubt in Stalin's Russia, people were persuaded that it was for the greater good to denounce innocent friends. Likewise, those who dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki probably made the decisions on premises and logic that they thought formed compelling arguments. The Scottish philosopher, David Hume, wrote:

"Reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions".

If reason is isolated from feeling it will not always lead to good. Does the person expressing the opinion have an effect on your view of the opinion? If a person you respect has an opinion that you disagree with, can you respect the opinion because of your respect for the person? Well, in my humble opinion (!) the answer to that question has to be NO!! I think it's important to detach the person from the opinion, although if a respected person has too many outrageous opinions, that could affect your respect for the person. Although this does beg the question, what is an outrageous opinion? If, in your opinion, the world is flat then I would argue that is an outrageous suggestion given all the evidence that demonstrates the world to be close to spherical, apart from the bulging equator due to the earth's rotation. However, if, in your opinion, strawberries taste better than raspberries, I might have a different opinion but our tastes and therefore our statements, are both purely subjective and so we should just agree to disagree. But even in this case, there is no reason for me to respect your opinion!

So as much as I wrestle with this issue I am still firmly convinced I cannot respect an opinion that I disagree with................that's not an opinion, that's a fact!!

We must be crazy.

As I write this post, I am surrounded and inspired by a view of trees, plants, fields and mountains and nearby, although not in view, are some of the most spectacular areas of Turkey's Mediterranean coastline. These natural surroundings are not just aesthetically pleasing but also fascinate me from engineering and managerial perspectives. I spent my early career in a design engineering environment before moving into various managerial positions. I found that my engineering training helped me tremendously in understanding commercial business from a systems perspective, particularly when trying to optimise productivity. Now productivity is the product of efficiency and effectiveness, or put another way, a measure of doing things right and doing the right things. As an example and in a production environment, if a factory is producing 100 units per day of which 20% are defective, the productivity is 80 units per day. The same productivity could be achieved by slowing down the production rate to 80 units per day but ensuring no defects. So reducing the efficiency (production rate) but improving the effectiveness (number without defects, i.e. quality) achieves the same productivity.

As I gaze through the window in my office I see natural efficiency and effectiveness in action. For example, in close proximity is a group of 20 mature trees, which collectively absorb about 400 kilograms of carbon dioxide a year and produce enough oxygen to satisfy the needs of about 40 human beings. Also, that group of trees is absorbing about 7000 litres of water each day through the root systems as well producing glucose to feed the trees! Those numbers impress me from the points of view of both efficiency and effectiveness. I can't imagine a man-made machine that could operate 24/7 in my front garden absorbing that amount of dangerous carbon dioxide, that could otherwise add to the frightening build-up of greenhouse gases, as well as produce life-sustaining oxygen for our planet's inhabitants and glucose for the tree. I live on a flood plain so it's also very reassuring to know that the trees are 'pumping' so much water out of the ground each day. Those trees are clearly both highly efficient and effective and therefore extremely productive.

But these trees and millions of others in the world are under constant threat from the very species that they are helping to survive - mankind! As I look around inside my office I see many products that are derived from trees, including furniture, printer paper, books, bills, receipts, filing boxes full of important documents, etc. so these products have reduced the amount of natural absorption of carbon dioxide as well as reducing the generation of life-sustaining oxygen. The products that aren't derived from trees, e.g. plastics, metals, concrete, glass, etc, all use fossil fuels in their manufacture and distribution, pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

So the extremely efficient, effective and therefore, productive natural processes are constantly battling against the human species' desire to plunder the earth's resources. In the case of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to greenhouse gases, there is now very strong evidence that we are creating more than is being absorbed and the climatic consequences are being felt. Yet despite our ingenuity and track record of innovation, we continue to be oblivious to our actions. The population continues to increase, economic growth is seen as a prerequisite to support the rising population and so the viscous cycle continues........ We must be crazy.

It's not a problem.

Recently I watched a BBC TV programme, 'Homes Under the Hammer'. The experiences of buyers of properties sold at auctions, are followed. Homes sold 'under the hammer' are usually in need of significant renovation but the outcomes can be very profitable. For each of the experiences followed, the programme presenters compare the purchase price plus the subsequent renovation costs, with estimates of the resale value and rental income. In the programme that I watched, there were two homes sold under the hammer that, in my view, demonstrated the strong link between the attitudes of the buyers and the qualities of their overall experiences.

A couple bought a mid-terrace property in the Greater London area, which was a bit of a wreck with a very dated interior and some nasty damp areas. The couple, who both had full time jobs, were very positive about their purchase and the male partner said that what really turned him on was solving problems. At the end of their project, they were both very enthusiastic about what they had achieved, a very desirable property that should give them a healthy profit if they sold it on, which was their intention, or a good income should they decide to pursue the rental market. They had completed their project within their budget and although they had exceeded their anticipated timescale, that was because they hadn't let the renovation work take over their lives by ensuring they allocated adequate time to their day-jobs, family commitments and holidays. They thoroughly enjoyed their first experience of property renovation and were psyched up to take on another similar challenge.

On the same programme another guy had purchased a shabby ground-floor flat but with lots of space and potential, also in the Greater London area and he was intending to renovate it with a view to making it his home. It was his first experience of renovation work and whilst he was in full time employment, he felt he had sufficient time on his hands to undertake quite a bit of the building work himself. At the end of the project he had exceeded his budget but had achieved a very acceptable outcome with a good profit potential should he sell, or a healthy income if he rented the property. But wasn't the property going to become his home? Possibly not now! He hadn't enjoyed the experience and said that only completing the job brought a smile to his face. The problems en route to completion had totally frustrated him and whilst he liked the finished result, he had missed his friends and saw the location of his potential new home as yet another problem. He certainly did not intend to take on any more similar projects.

These two experiences both ended in successful financial outcomes but there were, as I have described, very different personal experiences for the participants. In my opinion, the enjoyment for the couple renovating the terraced house versus the frustration for the guy renovating the ground-floor flat, demonstrates the link between problem-solving attitudes and feel-good (or feel-bad) factors. I am reminded of the following quote from the Dalai Lama XIV (the present incumbent):

"If a problem is fixable, if a solution is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever."

So life is full of problems but the Dalai Lama's advice is sound, whether or not there's a solution, worrying is an ineffective and potentially destructive use of personal energy. In the Mediterranean coastal region of Turkey where I live, two commonly-heard phrases are "sorun değil" and "problem yok", which mean "it's not a problem" and "there isn't a problem". When you are in need of assistance, seeking guidance or apologising for confusion caused by, for example, language difficulties, it's very comforting to be told "sorun değil" or "problem yok". Those statements immediately guide you towards a solution rather than a problem.

When we worry about situations we are using our imagination to create something we don't want. Now how stupid is that?! Yet we do it all the time!! We get ourselves totally frustrated over situations that are unlikely to arise. Now it's easy for me to pontificate on what we should or shouldn't do but how do we think differently? What is the solution to that problem?! Our brains are 'hard wired', through years of experience, to react to circumstances in predetermined ways and old habits die hard. In my opinion, when we feel periods of frustration or anxiety coming on, we should pause for thought, look for solutions rather than problems as well as diverting our mental energy away from imagining outcomes that might never happen.

Maybe it's easier said than done but whatever, it's really not a problem!

Exciting Breakfast!

Exciting Breakfast!

My breakfast each morning is two boiled eggs, two slices of toast and a glass of Ayran. For those of you who don't live in Turkey, Ayran is a drink of yoghurt, mixed with cold water and salt. Sometimes I might deviate from this selection but only if my wife can persuade me to, for example, have a bowl of porridge. Well this morning I stuck to my normal routine, which included my well-tried cooking method for the eggs to ensure the right outcome, neither hard nor soft. The eggs are placed in the pan and covered with cold water, then when the water starts to boil, the eggs are cooked for four minutes, no more no less ........perfect! :-). In order to ensure accurate timing, I often watch the pan and wait for the water to boil, at which point I start my electronic timer, which has been preset for four minutes. This seems to take forever because, as we all know, a watched pot never boils!

So why do you need to know about my bizarre breakfast routine? Well, what is normally a mundane ritual turned put to be quite exciting this morning. As I observed the water heating up, I noticed the eggs started to rotate counterclockwise around the perimeter of the pan, quite slowly at first but gradually speeding up and at the point of time when the water had started to boil, they were doing one rotation every two or three seconds. I remained composed and started the timer. I use a medium-sized pan and what I observed during the boiling period was truly amazing, the eggs started growing! After four minutes cooking, the eggs, which were still rotating, had filled the pan and were the size of Ostrich eggs! They were each too big to stand in an egg cup, but I love eggs , so I just cracked them open and sampled the end product - absolutely delicious!

So what had happened to my eggs? These days, with the availability of the Internet, there is no excuse for failing to understand almost every phenomenon, although I must admit on this occasion, my Internet research was extremely time consuming. But eventually I discovered the Looflirpa Phenomenon, named after Professor Looflirpa who discovered it in the late 19th century. To cut a very long story short, under certain conditions, currents in water when it is being heated can cause a rotation of the water. This is particularly the case if the heating element (on my cooker, a gas flame) is not central to the bottom of the pan. Apparently, if the rotating current causes the eggs to swirl at a rate of greater than 0.3 revs/sec, growth of the eggs can occur, although this effect is extremely rare. So this morning I was privileged to experience an extremely rare event.

But hang on a minute, check the date, Professor LOOFLIRPA, what's that surname backwards? Yes, you've got it........APRIL FOOL! :-D