Showing posts with label social impact. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social impact. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Ted Tuesday: A "Double" Feature— Paolo Cardini: Forget Multitasking, Try Monotasking

"People aren’t just cooking anymore -- they’re cooking, texting, talking on the phone, watching YouTube and uploading photos of the awesome meal they just made. Or worse, doing it all and driving!"







Good Morning Folks,

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the level of technology that is available to you? Maybe, like me you feel like you are constantly multitasking and it just may not be the most efficient way to get what you need done.

People aren’t just cooking anymore -- they’re cooking, texting, talking on the phone, watching YouTube and uploading photos of the awesome meal they just made.

With over 1,602,736 views, Paolo Cardini's TedGlobal Talk, likes asking some important questions about the way we live, like: Does multitasking actually help us become more efficient? How far will social networking go? Who are the players in the myriad conflicts in the Arab world? What is the next frontier in product development? -- and trying to answer them with playful designs, like his I Like Sit chaise lounge, which updates your Facebook status depending on your position, and MiddleField, a foosball table depicting different players in the Middle East.

For TEDGlobal 2012 Cardini created a unique product called the MONOtask project. To help you deal with your overly multitasked life, Cardini has designed 3D-printed smartphone covers that "downgrade" your phone to be much dumber.

Following Cardini's talk is a very special short ad that's relevant to topic and a must see (skip the ad preroll to the ad which is Google throwing a Lexus ad on a Volkswagen PSA, go figure!). Kudos Volkswagen. What a brilliant way to communicate how risky it is to use mobile phones while driving. You'll be wanting to share this with everyone you know.




Cardini is currently an MFA Design Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.


FSO is growing at an extremely fast pace. Outsiders want to know the keys to that success -- the driving force behind the ambition. We know it's our people that make the difference. So please don't text and drive. We won't be the same without you!

Let's all go make things happen today. I look forward to seeing you soon.


Love Life!


Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  


Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

See a brief video portrait of who we are and what can can do for you, HERE

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

TED Tuesday: (re) IMAGINING THE FUTURE

Image: TED2014
“I’m so astonished by the last 30 years that it’s hard to imagine what might blow our minds in the next 30. That’s how pervasive technology has become for many of us." ~~Karen Wickre, editorial director, Twitter





Good Morning Folks,

As you know I am in the thick of it at ALA where we are about to make news. So I'll make this brief and ask you to stay tuned to our live Twitter and Linked In updates where I promise to keep you posted. Meanwhile….

In keeping with the ALA theme "An Education & Networking Mosaic" designed to move the business of law forward, and FSO's own mission to (re)IMAGINE  a future that is very different from today— I call your attention to TED2014 theme “The Next Chapter."

TED asked some of the world's leading thinkers to opine on what might radically change society, life, technology and so on in the next 30 years. From funny and wry to deeply insightful, the answers will surprise you.

One idea I hope comes to fruition is from Doreen Lorenzo, president, Quirky. She predicts: “What will blow my mind in the next 30 years is the ability to diagnose a disease before you know that something is wrong with you, treat it with medicines designed specifically for you and eradicate it so it never happens again. The concept of connected health, wearable technology and ingested medicines are all pointing us in that direction. The ability for someone to tie it all together, tailored for the individual is mind-blowing.”

How will our lives be different in the not-so-distant future? See all of the insightful presentations (26 Ideas From The Future) HERE.

If you are at ALA Toronto you can learn more about how FSO (re)IMAGINES the ways Legal Services are run, by visiting booths 631 & 633 on the Expo Floor.

I hope you are feeling great and having a personal, passionate, productive week. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love Life!


Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

See a brief video portrait of who we are and what can can do for you, HERE

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Ted Tuesday: Dr. Michael Norton: What To Do With Your Money?

Dr. Michael Norton shares his research from behavioral economics about ways to spend money to increase happiness. Hint: it is not about buying more for ourselves..







Good Morning Folks,

I'm on the road so I have to be brief but I've found a special treat to inspire you on Ted Tuesday.

Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton's counter intuitive talk challenges the way we think about money. If you think money can't buy happiness, maybe you're not spending it right.

Indeed money can buy happiness — when you don't spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people. (Filmed at TEDxCambridge.)

OK folks. I have to run or I will be late. Promise me to not let anything get in the way of your passion to succeed. Reach. And to be the best you can be. So go out of your way to smile to everyone. Or to nod. Or to introduce yourself. You are the right people at the right time to make something great.


Have a GREAT day and…. Love Life,


Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Ted Tuesday: Advertising Guru Rory Sutherland— "Perspective is Everything"

"In truth, brand value is not determined by the flagship product or main service of an organization, it is determined by all of the factors that affect perception. What affects perception? Everything and anything that a customer perceives and thinks about your business," says Rory Sutherland. At TEDxAthens, he makes a compelling case for how reframing is the key to happiness.


Good Morning Folks,

What a rare treat we have for you this fine Tuesday morning.

Rory Sutherland is Vice chairman of Ogilvy. He stands at the center of an advertising revolution in brand identities, designing cutting-edge, interactive campaigns that blur the line between ad and entertainment.

From unlikely beginnings as a classics teacher to his current job as Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group, Rory Sutherland has created his own brand of the Cinderella story.

He is creative, funny and compelling in this amazing brilliant talk opining why looking at our lives through a different lens may be the key to greater happiness, no matter what challenges we face.

Motivating people, our own key to success at FSO, is often about perspective. Really small changes can make dramatic impact of whether something is boring or interesting, good or bad, safe or unsafe, ... you get the picture.

Rory also gives really strong arguments that:
- when making decision we should base it on technology, economics and psychology
- selling our product is not solely about the quality of product or price but also about perception of our service
- if we have a great service/product but perception of it's quality is that it's bad, don't spend money making it better, spend money changing perspective

All of this is supported by high amount of examples. Rory touches on an interesting topic which is mechanistic innovation and blooms into perception…

‘The london underground cost several billion dollars to reduce commutes by 40 minutes.’ – alternatives would have been to serve free alcohol on the trains or hire supermodels to patrol the aisles. Both would have been cheaper and would have changed perception on the trains being much faster”

This is an interesting distinction, the truth is irrelevant, and in many cases, the truth is more costly than changing the perspective of the user or customer. Several times, the truth isn’t even relevant. When users of the London underground were polled after the 40 minute reduction in time, many didn’t care.

When a problem is solved or an innovation is being created, the truth should not be the end goal, but whatever perception aligns with the business in changing customer perception cheaper. When a company listens to the customer and directly affects the perception, it is a powerful differentiator.

A second point, is thinking from a logical and somewhat economical perspective isn’t always what’s needed. The most difficult things in business to replicate are experiences. Ask yourself if Star-bucks had the goal of being the fastest coffee barista, how difficult would it have been for others to improve and replicate?

Although a customer’s time is important, if Starbucks focused on being fast at delivering coffee instead of their focus on overall experience, it would have become an entirely different company.

A third and final point is the value of brand equity in influencing perception. Rory describes a 5-star restaurant with world class food, yet sewage runs throughout the restaurant. The restaurant could spend a high amount of money on making the food even better, yet no matter how much money is spent on improvement, the sewage has a greater negative affect on perception.

In truth, brand value is not determined by the flagship product or main service of an organization, it is determined by all of the factors that affect perception. What affects perception? Everything and anything that a customer perceives and thinks about your business –  from a negative yelp review to brand confusion caused by mixed marketing messages, to a change in positioning that has not yet affected perception. All of these misalignments are more powerful then truth, and that folks is the truth. 

What a great speech. ENJOY!



After watching this, how can one not be pumped, super excited and ready to rock.

With hat tip and big shout out to the Cleverly Engaged blog for your input.


Have a GREAT day and…. Love Life,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  


Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Ted Tuesday: Sir Ken Robinson— How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life

“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” 









Good Morning Folks,

As I woke up this morning I wanted to share another inspiring @Ted talk with you.

The Sir Ken Robinson @Ted talk that follows is one of my all time favorites. It reminds me of a book which I also highly recommend called "Finding Your Element: "How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life" which you can find at Amazon.

Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk video and groundbreaking book introduced readers to a new concept of self-fulfillment through the convergence of natural talents and personal passions. The book has inspired readers all over the world and has created for Robinson an intensely devoted following. Among the questions that this new book answers are:

• How do I find out what my talents and passions are?
• What if I love something I’m not good at?
• What if I’m good at something I don’t love?
• What if I can’t make a living from my Element?
• How do I do help my children find their Element?

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Sir Ken Robinson:

“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” 

“Creativity is as important as literacy”

“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it's the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.” 

 “We have sold ourselves into a fast food model of education, and it's impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.” 

“Human communities depend upon a diversity of talent not a singular conception of ability. and at the heart of the challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability and intelligence” 

In his talk that follows which counts 26 million views on Ted.com alone, Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.



What an inspiration Sir Ken is to the very core and spirit of FSO's brand. 

I could not help to be completely Inspired by the great teams and clients we have - so much passion and commitment to greatness and so much opportunity for all.

Nobody and I mean nobody will take CARE of the their customers or employees like FSO USA. 

So good morning. Get those inspiration hats on, put those smiles on, and lets rock the world together. 

I can we 2020 clearly. Hope you can as well. 


Love Life,



Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  



Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Ted Tuesday: "I Got 99 Problems... Palsy Is Just One"

"I have cerebral palsy. I shake all the time," Maysoon Zayid announces at the beginning of this exhilarating, hilarious talk. (Really, it's hilarious.) "I'm like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali."




Good Morning Folks,

Today comedian Maysoon Zayid's very funny talk on not letting anything hold you back.

"If there was an Oppression Olympics, I would win the gold medal. I'm Palestinian, Muslim, I'm female, I'm disabled, and I live in New Jersey." Wow, what an amazing person! I believe we need more people like her in the world. And she is funny as all get out. You have to be willing to laugh at yourself and be confident enough to do what she does.

So without further ado, with grace and wit, Maysoon takes us on a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist, and advocate for the disabled.



Maysoon Zayid to me is an example of struggle and perseverance, no matter the obstacles she struggled every day to achieve her goals. Never heeded the ridicule of his peers at school or negative ideas about disabled people, but rather those were the inspiration to achieve what no one thought she could do. Also, Maysoon gives an example because the love of the father can do miracles and that we can all achieve whatever we want long as we never stop beating or doubt our own abilities.


We can do anything folks. If you too have got “99 problems”, then you need to watch Maysoon rap about why your issues in life shouldn’t hold you back unless you let them.


Let’s have some fun and lets LIGHT UP THE NATION. ITS OUR TIME, together we can do it.

Love Life,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  




Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Ted Tuesday: Without Self-Meaning, Money Means Nothing

"Wow. Very Eye Opening!" 
~~ Pat Mustico PhD, VP National FSO Sales



Good Morning Folks,

When I shared a Wharton Americus Reed, II's (the Whitney M. Young Jr., Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) take on today's Ted Talk on LinkedIn, our new VP of Sales, Pat Mustico, stood up and took immediate notice.

His takeaway was that money, in the abstract, is meaningless. Just chits on the digital page, dollars in the trading account.

It's a tool, like a hammer.

A hammer is meaningless until you lift it and build a house, or smash a skull. A hammer can be good, or bad.

Likewise, money.

It means nothing until you do something with it.

Bad, frivolous, or good.

Opined Professor Reed in a Huffington Post review of this Ted talk, "If I had a dime for every business student who entered my office; lamenting the self-described drudgery that is their work-life. They thought that a career on Wall Street or in heavy duty consulting would bring that pristine pot of gold. They were right. And wrong. Yes, those hundred plus hour weeks catapult you into that illusive 5% earner stratosphere. But if I had a dime for every student who would later confide in me: "it just was not fulfilling," ironically, I would be as wealthy as the financial institutions from which they feverishly depart.

"

Enter social psychologist Paul Piff and his provocative TEDx talk "Does money make you mean?" Sixteen and a half minutes of summarized laboratory and field data show an association between wealth, and lack of compassion, empathy and pro-social motivation.

It's amazing what a rigged game of Monopoly can reveal. In this entertaining but sobering talk, social psychologist Paul Piff shares his research into how people behave when they feel wealthy. (Hint: badly.) But while the problem of inequality is a complex and daunting challenge, there's good news too. (Filmed at TEDxMarin.)



Professor Reed, II observes, "This Isn't Your Father's Business Person Identity--therein lies the paradigm shift. There is a new model of business and business student afoot: The student who enters my office with a deep passion to do two things. Make money and do good. Business schools are "rebranding" themselves to welcome this new identity. It's being called "social impact." The identity of the student, who has realized that mindless self-investment into the false idol of material things for their sake, is an empty void--a fast track to an empty soul--is changing. Business students are becoming much more aware, and self-reflective."

This is the battle cry of the millennial generation who is shaping the future of the workplace, here at FSO, and everywhere.

Watch the short 16 minute presentation and see if you don't agree.


Whatever your takeaway is, it takes a brave person to take on the Corporate interests in today's world, because they are global and pernicious - just like they have always been. Bravo Paul for helping us (re)IMAGINE new and different possibilities.

Let’s have some fun and lets LIGHT UP THE NATION.. ITS OUR TIME, together we can do it.



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  



Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE
About the Author:
Welcome to the fastest growing onsite outsourcing company in the nation! Led by Mitch Weiner, co-founder and industry pioneer, FSO is "the" award winning enterprise-wide outsourcing and people solutions firm servicing a multitude of clients across North America.

Contact Mitch: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email