the western world seems to be on the back foot....  europe is imploding under the weight of debt and bureaucracy... britain is about trying to create a new society but lacks conviction....  usa is trapped in the building of an huge welfare state at the expense of wealth creation... china is turning export success into a domestic triumph without another internal revolution... the arab spring is an uprising against what existed not for a new vision.... where are the big ideas?

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 12:39 PM EADT

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I contend that we all live in "success bubbles" of our own design....  are you happy with your current bubble?

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 11:13 AM EADT

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social media is good at prepetuating the storyline, myth, spin, consensus, or group think about an issue.... it is not good at framing a conversation, debate, or discussion about an issue...  this is a serious flaw....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 11:22 AM EADT

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facebook is being valued, a strange term, at around $US85 billion.... this does not make sense to me... facebook is a bubble....  it will implode.... what is an imploded bubble worth.... we have to wait and see....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 1:22 PM EADT

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digital media should be in great shape right now because it is so pervasive...  everywhere you turn there is a digital media message for you about whatever brands you favour.... you and I are being carpet bombed with digital media that aims to help us decide what to spend our money on...  problem is digital media is not like the old analogue media... it does not work well as a prompt to buy or a demand creator instead its role is to re-inforce what you already think, believe, experience, etc.... it works best as a 'like button' on Facebook rather than a commercial on TV....  problem is the 'like button' is over rated....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 2:59 PM EADT

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digital media should be in great shape right now because it is so pervasive...  everywhere you turn there is a digital media message for you about whatever brands you favour.... you and I are being carpet bombed with digital media that aims to help us decide what to spend our money on...  problem is digital media is not like the old analogue media... it does not work well as a prompt to buy or a demand creator instead its role is to re-inforce what you already think, believe, experience, etc.... it works best as a 'like button' on Facebook rather than a commercial on TV....  problem is the 'like button' is over rated....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 2:59 PM EADT

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like buttons are popular but meaningless.... no they are dangerous... everyone feels good when other like them, their opinions, their ideology, or their taste.... but what if you don't?  in that case there is nowhere to go... nowhere to object, to begin a debate, to openly discuss alternatives.... we are stuck with de-leveraging, deflation, slow growth, unequal shares of wealth, etc... what is there to 'like' there?  when people consider what is in propect they adopt what others think by pushing a 'like button' ....  the more of us who do that the longer this de-leveraging misery will last....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 12:17 PM EADT

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my data sits on a US server or cloud.  I own the data t who is responsible for controlling it?  turns out it could be the US government.  but I know nothing about the US privacy laws that pertain to the storage and transfer of data across America's borders. my data could be swept up in a national security net that is looking for something unrelated to what I own - what do I do then.  

the concept of cloud computing is that our data sits up there above the land based conventions, rules, and acts of society.  the reality is that the cloud is land based and subject to new laws that are being passed without reference to you or me.  this is not something to be concerned about per se because most of these laws will not affect us.  but corporates and bigger entities may have to consider where thier clouds are located and what legal responsibilities apply to the storage and transfer of data in 2012 and beyond. 

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 9:38 AM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 26 January 2012 12:19 PM EADT

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The United States is in deeper trouble than anyone thought.... the trouble is not with the people because they are hardworking, innovative, and peace loving... the trouble is not with the economy because there are signs of improvement.... the trouble is the President is not up to the job...  his State of the Union address was simply not credible and not worthy of the high office he holds... Obama is likeable, intelligent, and a skilful orator but he is not a leader and thus not what America needs right now....  RIP America at least until you find a President who is up for the job....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 3:46 PM EADT

Updated: Wednesday, 25 January 2012 3:54 PM EADT

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digital overload exists for all of us....  this problem will build as Facebook integrates with brand marketing....   as digital data overload hits us we will increasingly have trouble discerning what is information and what is misinformation.....when misinformation begins to surround the brands we trust then the branded company/person has a problem...  

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 1:07 PM EADT

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Twenty years ago I passed on a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy assets in Europe.  i have regretted it ever since. In 2012 I am happy to say - here it comes again.

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 3:08 PM EADT

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In 2012 I will say goodbye to the junk economy.  It is the economy stupid that is creating all the problems in the world today.  Specifically it is the junk economy.  Government too big says The Tea Party.  Wall Street too greedy says Occupy Wall Street movement.  Both complaints should really be directed at the junk economy.  Problem is we all built and maintained the junk economy - we are all to blame for its growth and now for its failure.

The junk economy lasted nearly 30 years and in its final throws it was  based on wasteful consumption fuelled by cheap goods (low cost production in china) and easy credit (too much liquidity in banks). 

The junk economy is over...... what's next?

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 10:17 AM EADT

Updated: Tuesday, 3 January 2012 10:27 AM EADT

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Deviants needed to fix the world - apply within.  Are you a deviant?  Do you know a deviant? Can you get a deviant to apply for this position?  Will you become a deviant for the cause?

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 11:03 AM EADT

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It is often claimed by expert commentators that there is too little discipline being shown management and employees within today's large/national/global  organisations.

In Australian organisations there is rather too much discipline - corporate life changing discipline - rather than too little.  Management and employees, alike, strive to maintain the discipline they need to live in negative, reductive, blaming, meaningless workplaces.  What is missing is not discipline but FOCUS. Because there is no long-term view - there is no long term view because nothing, and I mean nothing, would get done if it was not labeled urgent, immediate, due yesterday - there is no FOCUS.  Focus is needed to sort out what is important, valued, appropriate work effort and what is not.  No amount of discipline will compensate for a lack of FOCUS. 

Focus is what Steve Jobs enabled/facilitated at Apple, Pixar, Next, etc.  Without FOCUS success is an illusion.

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 2:31 PM EADT

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being trustworthy is the biggest asset a person, company, government,  or country can possess today... to be trustworthy in a global digital world one must be transparent, accountable, and equitable.... 2011 has not been a great year for trustworthiness...  let us all hope that 2012 will be better - the thing is it all starts with you and me, not them and theirs,....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 10:40 AM EADT

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an abundance of data/information creates the illusion of thoroughness, risk management, and good decision-making.  the opposite is often the case.  it is much harder to get the right information in the right place/hands/minds at the right time.  information is like gold.  it is only precious when it is scarce.  an abundance of data/infromation persists today, so be careful because it may turn out to be 'fools' gold'...

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 5:09 PM EADT

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its the small stuff stupid....  the small stuff is super important....  I know because I bought the book 'don't sweat the small stuff' and lived by that rule.... but today, more than ever perhaps, it is the small stuff that really counts... it is the small stuff that differentiates us....

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 1:03 PM EADT

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deleveraging is here to stay for awhile it seems.... perhaps a decade.... may be a generation.... the interesting thing about deleveraging is that most people get it...  what goes up must come down is all we really need to know...

excessive cheap credit supported by expansive governments in the US and Europe led to debt fuelled 'leverage' for consumers....  big houses, fancy cars, international holidays, secure jobs, etc.....  everything was leveraged by the fact that China emerged to feed the world with cheap goods backed by even cheaper labour..... China also picked up the debt tab for a leveraged Western World....  but in 2007/08 the music stopped and the leveraging ceased...  so what went up must come down and it did with a bang....  we are in for a sustained period of deleveraging.... 

Posted by richard-lipscombe at 11:44 AM EADT

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