THE PARETO PRINCIPLE

WHY 80 PERCENT OF THE OUTPUT IS ACHIEVED WITH 20 PERCENT OF THE IMPUT

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Italian economist Vitfredo observed that 80 percent of Italy's wealth belonged to 20 percent of the population. And thats not all: 20 percent of workers do 80 of the work; 20 per cent of criminals commit 80 percent of the crimes: 20 percent of car drivers cause 80 percent of accidents: 20 percent of hedge funds invest 80 percent of the money, 20 percent of pub goers consume 80 percent of the alcohol. We wear 20 percent of our clothes in our wardrobes and spend 80 percent of our time with 20 percent of our friends. In business meetings, 80 percent of the decision are made in 20 percent of the time and 20 percent of the company’s clients (products) are responsible for 80 percent of its turnover.

Of course, the Pareto rule applied to everything (mathematicians prefer the more precise ’64/4’ rule because 80 percent of 80 is 64 and 20 percent is 4). But anybody who wants to plan their time optimally should know that roughly 20 percent of the time spent on a task leads to 80 percent of the results.

I am definitely going to take a course on time management.. just as soon as I can work into my schedule Louis E Bone

THE SMALL WORLD MODEL

HOW SMALL THE WORLD REALLY IS

In 1967, the social psychologist Stanley Miligram claimed that every person in the world is connected to every other person by just a few degrees of separation- a maximum of six, to be precise. In the 1990's, the model experienced a renaissance as a party game " I know somebody who knows somebody else who knows somebody else'

In this way you can connect yourself to practically any famous person in the world- you can connect all actors that have ever appeared in a film to one another. Surprising laurance Oliver is only two steps away form Pamela Anderson. Pamela Anderson appeared in Marathon Man 1976 with Laurence Oliver. If you don't believe it, check out the website oracleofbacon.org

The small world phenomenon becomes even more interesting when it comes to viral marketing: who do you know who could spread a word about an idea or product? Social networks like Linkedin and Facebook show how many contacts you have through how many other people you know these contacts.
Its not about what you can do, but who you know.

THE SINUS MILIEU AND BOURDIEU MODELS

WHERE YOU BELONG

The Sinus Milieu is a psychographic method for establishing the different socio-cultural groupings to which a person belongs to. It is often used in marketing to define the target groups. The idea was developed by the french sociologist Emile Durkheim. On the next double page is a rarely used version by another French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, in the form of an axis model. Bourdieu's analysis of cultural consumption challenges us to think about our deep rooted cultural preferences and practises.

The narrowness of the Sinus groups is often criticised. It is true it can not answer the question where do I belong if my father was a bus driver, my mother a hippie, I am a fashion designer and in my spare time I hang out with my friends at the golf club? ' The popularity of the model can be explained by the lock in principal: If we get used to something new or different that might be better.

Nearly all market research and market analysis use the Sinus Millieu model, despite its limitations. It shows us that if a majority have become used to one system it is difficult for another system to establish itself. Habit is stronger than desire improvement.

Our origins are our future. Martin Heidegger

THE AI MODEL

WHAT KIND OF DISCUSSION TYPE ARE YOU?

The abbreviation AI stands for Appreciative Inquiry a method attributed to the American management expert David Cooperrider that involves concentrating on the strengths, positive attributes and potential of a company or a person rather than weakness. 'What is going really well at the moment?' replaces the classic question' What is the problem. Concentrating on weakness creates a negative impression from the outset. on Weakness creates a negative impression from the outset.

Every person, every system, every product, every idea has faults. In the best case senario, an awareness of this fact can lead to a determined pursuit of perfection. But in many cases, focusing too strongly on the flaws of an idea or project stifles the open positive approach that is essential for good working practises. The basic principle is to take an idea that is not yet developing it instead prematurely abandoning it.
People often reveal their character in their approach to discussions. Four basic types can be identified, according to how people react to suggestions.

The fault finder 'The idea is good but'
The dictator 'No!"
The school teacher ' No The idea isnt good because
The Al Thinker Yes and we could also

Any fool can, and most fools do.
Benjamin Franklin

THE DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING MODEL

HOW TO LEARN FROM MISTAKES

Double loop learning involves reflecting on your actions and learning from them. The theory is based on the work of the system. Theoreticians Heinz von Foster and Nicholas Luhmann. In particular on the idea of second-order observations. Strictly speaking this is not a model but a technique for know it alls. How can you master this desirable outcome. Simple you learn how to observe first-order observers. 

First-order observers say things that appear to them, for them the world is simply that there. Second-order observers on the other hand attribute what the first order observers see how they say it. In other words second-order observers observe a way of observing. 

For example you criticise a football referee them making a wrong decision, you are a second-order observer, your perspective is different from the referees because you're one step removed from the game, and not actually calling the play and you think that makes you a better judge. 

During the act of observing first-order observers unaware of their own way of observing, it is their blind spot recognising this blind spot enables second-order observers to become know it alls. They are able to point out the first-order observers that is possible to observe differently that seeing things differently. 

The psychologists Chris Argyris  and the philosopher at Donald Schon developed double loop learning out if theoretical ideas on observation. In the best case scenario that the single loop. The first order (the first order observation). is best practise. Something that works well is not changed, but simply repeated. In the worst case scenario it is the worst practice. The same mistake is repeated our problems is solved without questioning how it arose in the first place. 

In Double loop learning you think about and question what you're doing and try to break your own pattern by not doing something differently, but by thinking about why you do it the way you do it. But the objectives and values behind your actions. If you're fully aware these you may be able to change them.

The problem inherent in double loop is a discrepancy between what we say where about to do (known as espouse theory) and what we actually do (known as theory in use). If we really want to change something it's not enough to create guidelines for our employees or ourselves or to give it directives. These only reach us as a command theory (Espouse theory). Real changes occur when we reassess our more rooted reasons, objectives and values. There are the ‘force fields’ that affect the theory in use.

Be the change you want to see.

THE MASLOW PYRAMIDS

WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT. 

The three most important questions begins in the 2003 German film. How Hierankl

‘Are you having sex? Do you have a family? Are you intellectually stimulated? Scoring 3 yeses is paradise. 2 yeses is what you need to be happy, a one yes is what you need to survive.

The filming spy but the questions that are so good. In 1943 the psychologist Abraham Maslow published a hierarchy of needs model. He categorised human needs is following. 

Psychological (meant eating, sleeping, warmth, sex).

Security (Somewhere to live, health protection, against adversities).

Social relationships (friends, partner, love).

Recognition (status power money). 

Self actualisation (Individuality realising personal potential but also faith and transcendence).

The first three are basic needs. If they are satisfied, a person no longer thinks bout them.  The two are satisfied, a person no longer thinks about them.

They can never really be satisfied a person no longer thinks about them. The last two becomes interesting if we contrast our aspirations or personal growth needs, they can never really be satisfied. The pyramids model becomes interesting if we contrast our aspirations our needs.

Rule of thumb for the Western World: The things we desire the most are the things we need the least.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

HOW TO COME UP WITH BRILLIANT IDEAS

A really innovative idea- rather than and old idea that has been applied to new context, or a variation of an existing idea or variation of an existing idea is rare.

Innovative ideas usually emerge when we leave our comfort zone, or when we break the rules.

The example used here is the nine point problem, which first appeared in puzzle magazines at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The task: Connect the nine points using a maximum of four straight lines without lifting your pen from the paper.

The solution: the trick is to extend the lines outside of the box. 

This puzzle is often as an example of the creative thinking but don't jump to any rash conclusions because Dr Peter Suedfield made an interesting observation he developed the restricted environment stimulation technique. REST. Which involves a person spending time in that Darken room, no visual artistry stimulation.

Sued field noticed that the subjects experiment didn't go mad. On the contrary: their blood pressure went down, their mood improved and they became more creative.

The person who wants to think outside the box, is better off thinking inside the box. 

THE SWISS CHEESE MODEL

HOW MISTAKES HAPPEN

Everyone makes mistakes some people learn from them, but others repeat them. Here is what you need to know about mistakes. There are different types of mistakes:

Real mistakes- occur  when the wrong process is carried out. 

Blackouts- occur when part of the processes is forgotten 

Slip ups- occur when the right process is carried out incorrectly. 

There are various levels on which mistakes occur. 

Skill based level

Rule base level 

knowledge base level

And there are various factors that contribute to mistakes occurring. 

People involved- boss team colleagues friends

Technical provisions -Equipment workplace

Globalization- all elements

Toss to be filled timing. 

Outside influences time economic, climate, weather. 

The most impressive illustration of the causes and effects of mistakes is the human error or swiss cheese model by James Reason (1990) The model compares different levels on which mistakes occur which slices of emmental cheese. In a mistake 

free world the cheese would have no holes. But in the real world the cheese is cut into thin slices, and every slice has many holes. They different in different places and in different slices. Imagine the holes are conduits fir mistakes. A mistake remains a  irrelevant if it penetrates only one hole in one of the slices. That it can lead to catastrophe if the holes in different slices align and the mistake passes through all the holes in defence since. The model can be used in the fields of medicine and air traffic for example -And anywhere the stakes have fatal consequences. 

Experience is in the name everyone gives to mistakes Oscar Wilde

THE SUPERFICIAL KNOWLEDGE MODEL

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

THE NETWORK TARGET MODEL

WHAT YOUR FRIENDS CAN SAY ABOUT YOU

Could you say who your 5 best friends are?And could you say with which 5 people you communicate the most. And could you also say what all of your aquintanceships have in common?

The following models attempts to structure your contacts on the basis of your address book. Go through your your contact list and divide up all your contacts according to the following criteria. 

Do you say who do you see and how often and to which group friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues, they belong.

This is also interesting go through your address book and note down. 

How many are richer or poorer than you

How many are younger or older than you

How many do you think a more attractive and less attractive. 

How many are the same nationality as you and how many are of another nationality.

A man doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man. Don Carleone

THE SUBTLE SIGNS MODEL

WHY NUANCES MATTER

Anybody who works with people knows that information doesn't always flow where it is meant to flow, that departments fight each other rather than support each other, and that manages base their decisions on cool sounding strategies rather than on actual facts. In the words of the organisation theorist Elliot Jaques "management is in the same state today that the natural sciences were during the seventeenth century. There is no one single wheel established concept in the field of management on which you can build a testable theory.

Why do some teams work well together and others badly? What are the subtle differences between functioning and non functioning strictures? The answer is that we don't know. But what we do know Thanks to US journalist Mark Buchanan, is that communication takes place on two levels. We say and how we say it.

MIT's Media Lab monitored creative teams at a major bank in order to find the answers to these questions: Who is saying what to whom? Who moves on and when, how often and where to? In what tone of voice is A speaking to B? Who is stressed, who seems to be suffering from burnout?

What sounds like big brother is called 'reality mining' and in the case of the bank it revealed the following. That those who talked alot wit others and who read alot of emails- private as well as work related- seemed generally happier and also more productive than those who concentrated only on work.
Who do you talk to most of all? Whose opinion do you value most?

THE HYPE CYCLE

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE NEXT BIG THING

Here are some questions that the smartest people in some of the biggest companies are pondering right now: Will Facebook survive, Will Microsoft "Bing" evolve? What will be the next big thing? will it be relevant useful and will people love it?

Nobody knows the answers to these questions, but the people at stamford consulting company Gartner might know more than most. They have invented a model called the hype cycle to characterise the uber-enthusiasm or hype and subsequent disappointment that typically comes with new technologies.
What people love about technology is, basically that it works. Email works, internet works, text messaging works. What do they all have in common? They all went through each five phases of the hype cycle.

1. Technology trigger. The product is on the market and you hear about it everywhere:" Have you checked this out?'

2. Peak of inflated expectations. The Hype is at its peak, but people start to find mistakes. You hear 'yeah its great but....

3. Trough of disillusionment. The product fils to meet expectations. The not so cool people use it. You hear 'Its four years ago'


4. Slope of enlightenment. The media have stopped covering the technology, the hype is over this is when many technologies simply fall out of the market. But some businesses might continue to experiment. They might change the original version find new uses for it. You hear ' I never thought of it before, but you could use this in a different way'

5. Plateau of productivity. The benefits of the technology become widely demonstrated and accepted. Often it is the 2.0 or 3.0 version that emerges form  the experimental phase to become a success. You hear... nothing any more. People simply use it.

Love is forever as long as it lasts.

THE PERSONAL POTENTIAL TRAP

WHY IT IS BETTER NOT TO EXPECT ANYTHING

'Such a promising boy'- anybody who has heard this said about them can already guess what lies behind the personal potential trap: a lifetime of striving to fulfil the promise.

It is the curse of talented people 'He just needs to find out what he really wants' people to say. His shortcomings  are over looked and his successes admired for the ease with which they are achieved. To begin with he profits from this attractive yet fatal combination of talent and charisma. That is until the stupid ones become hard working. Then he has to watch from sidelines as he is overtaken by precisely those people who had once enviously looked up to him.
The personal potential trap can be precisely traced, in the model are three curves:

• My expectations of myself
• Other peoples expectations of me
• My actual achievements

The trap opens as soon as others expectations of you and your actual achievement diverge too much. Normally a talented person cruises along until a crisis point is reached. The way to go is to promise 80 and to deliver 120.

Are you prepared to think less of yourself than what others expect of you?

THE MAKING-OF MODEL

TO DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE AND UNDERSTAND YOUR PAST

When it comes to strategic decisions we usually focus on the future, Our dreams acted out in the future and our hopes pinned on filling these dreams.

But why? Perhaps because we think we can determine our future however we tend to forget that every future has a past and that our foundation on which our future is built. 

That is why the important question is not ‘How do I imagine my future, but How do I create a connection, a bridge between the past (e.g of a project) and the future. 

This model inspired by visual planning system developed by. The Grove consulting agency. Helps you to work out what was relevant in your past and what you forget and what you should take with you form your past into your future. 

This is how it works you define a time-frame e.g. the last year, your school days, your marriage or from the founding of a company to today -and think back to the start of that period either alone or in a group and then at the following timeline. 

The people involved.

Your goals (at the time).

The successes. 

The obstacles you ever came. 

What you learned. 

The field in model reveals the importance you attach to your past. 

Memory is the only paradise from which we cannot be driven Jean Paul

THE PERSONAL PERFORMANCE MODEL

THE PERSONAL PERFORMANCE MODEL

HOW TO RECOGNISE WHETHER YOU SHOULD CHANGE YOUR JOB

Many people are unhappy in their jobs. But how can job dissatisfaction be measured? This model will help you to evaluate a your job situation. 

Every evening for three weeks ask yourself the following three questions, and insert your answers in the model on a scale of one (Doesn't apply at all) to ten (Totally applies). 

Have to. To what extent are my current tasks being imposed on me or demanded of me. 

Able to. To what extent do my tasks match my abilities. 

Want to. To what extent does my current task correspond to what I really want?

After 3 weeks analyse the shapes of the difference sails. If you're moving then your job office you variety. If the shape of the cell is always the same then ask yourself the following.

What do you want?

Are you able to do what you want?

What are you able to do?

Do you want want what you are able to do?

If you can’t do something, you have to work at it. 

THE POLITICAL COMPASS

WHAT POLITICAL PARTIES STAND FOR

Although we still tend to think of politics in terms of 'left' and 'right' this polarisation is too simplistic to describe todays complex political landscape. Traditionally at opposite ends of the political spectrum, Labour and conservative have moved so close together in terms of shared economic and social policies, that there is any little left to distinguish them. Traditional definitions can also be misleading. Its position on race and nationalism means that the BNP is generally regarded as radically right winged, yet it is far to the left even of labour when it comes to social issues like health and housing.

The clear cut political divisions of the past may have become blurred, but there are models for measuring the views and attitudes of voters. One of the most famous of these tools is called the Political-axes of which are left-right and liberal-authoritarian.
Note that the left-right axis relates not to political orientation in the traditional sense, but to economic policy: Left= Nationalisation, right+ privisation. The liberal- authoritarian axis related to individual rights: Liberal= all rights lie with in the individual, authoritarian+ the state has high degree of control over its citizens

Always radical, never consistent. WalterBenjamin

THE SUPER MEMO MODEL

HOW TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU HAVE LEARNED
Long-term memory has two components: retrievability and stability. Retrievability determines how easily we remember something, and depends on how near the surface of our consciousness the information is 'swimming' stability, on the other hand, is to do with how deeply information is anchored in our brains. Some memories have high stability but a low level of retrievability. Try to recall one of your own phone numbers- you probably wont be able to. But if you see the number in front of you, you will recognise it immediately.
Imagine that you are learning Chinese. You have learned a word and memorised it. without practise, over time it will become increasingly difficult to remember. The amount it takes for you to forget it completely can be calculated, and ideally you should be reminded of the word precisely when you are in the process for getting it. The more often you are reminded of the word the longer you will remember it for. This learning programme is called Super Memo and was developed by the Polish researcher Piotr Wozniak.
It s not what you know, its what you remember Jan Cox

THE ENERGY MODEL

ARE YOU LIVING IN HERE AND NOW?

Its is always said that we should live 'in the here and now'. But Why?
The Swiss author Pascal Mercier says this: 'It is an error, a nonsensical act of violence, to concentrate on the here and now with the conviction of thus grasping the essential. What matter is to move surely and calmly, with the appropriate humour and the appropriate melancholy in the temporally and spatially internal landscape that are we.
Here is a non-judgmental question: how much of your time do you spend thinking about the past and future? or to put it another way, how often do you think, wistfully or thankfully, about what has been? How often do you have the feeling that you are really concentrating on what you are doing at a particular moment? How often do you imagine what the future may hold and how often do you worries about what lies ahead of you? The tree examples shown in the model on the right can also represent cultural values: memory-driven, in nostalgic Europe: driven, in the USA,  the "land of opportunity' and reality driven in industrious Asia.

You cant change the past. But you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.

THE FASHION MODEL

THE UFFE ELB/EK MODEL

HOW TO GET TO KNOW YOURSELF
If you want to gain a general understanding of yourself and others. Uffe Elbacks public opinion barometer is a good starting point. It reveals behavioural traits and tendencies.

You should bear in mind that you are always subject to four different perspectives:
How you see yourself
How you would like to see yourself
How others see you
How others would like to see you

PROCEED AS FOLLOWS
Without taking time  to think about it, decide the following on a scale of one to ten. How much of team person are you on a scale one to ten. How much of a team person are you and how much of an individualist? Do you pay more attention to content or to form? What is more important to you., the body or the ind? Do you feel more global than local? Use a pen to connect the lines.
Now take a different coloured pen to mark on the scale how you would like to see yourself
Define your own axes ( rich-poor, happy-sad, extroverted- introverted).

Beware! You are only creating a snapshot and note that the sum of an axis should always be ten ( you can not be ten points local and ten points global).

THE UNIMAGINABLE MODEL

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN THAT YOU CAN NOT PROVE?

MODELA explain how everything is connected, how we should act and what we should and shouldn't do. But do they prevent us form seeing things for what they really are?

As early as the eighteen century, Adam Smith warned against being carried away by a love of abstract systems, and two centuries later Albert Einstein received a Nobel Prize for recognising that models and 'logical system' are ultimately a a matter of faith. The historian of science and philosopher Thomas Kuhn argued that science usually just works towards corroborating its models and reacts with ignorance when, as is often the case- the models do not correspond to reality. This insight may not have earned him a Nobel Prize, but he did land himself a professorship at an elite university.

We often believe so strongly in models that they take on the status of reality. A good example of this is the ontological proof of the existence of god, which Kant explored in his philosophy. He maintained that if we are able to imagine a being as perfect as God, then he must exist. Ways in which we blindly accept models as reality can also be found in our everyday lives. For example, if we are told that humankind is full of greed and egoism, this model of behaviour may be internalised and (unconsciously) Imitated.

I hate reality but it's still the best place to get a good steak
Woody Allen.

THE MUSIC MATRIX

WHAT YOUR TASTE IN MUSIC SAYS ABOUT YOU

THE COGNATIVE DISONANCE MODEL

WHY PEOPLE SMOKE WHEN THEY KNOW ITS UNHEALTHY

There is often a big gap between what we think and what we do when we do something despite is immoral, wrong or stupid, we have a conscience. The psychologist Leon Festinger used the term 'cognative dissonance' to describe our state of mind when our actions are not consistent with our beliefs- For example when we smack a child, even though we condemn violence against children. But why do we do we find it so difficult to recoginase our mistakes Why do we even go as far as defending our actions when we are confronted with their short comings? Rather than asking for forgiveness, we embark on one of the more unlikeable human attributes, self justification. This acts as a protective mechanism that enables us to sleep at night and frees us from self doubt. We see only what we want to see, and ignore everything that contradicts our view. We look for arguments that reinforce our position. But how can we overcome this dissonance? Either by changing our behaviour or attitude.

A great nation is like a great man when he makes a mistake, he realises it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. he considers those who point out his faults as his most benevolent teaches Lao Tzu

THE FLOW MODEL

Over two thousand years ago Aristotle came to the unsurprising conclusion that what a person wants above all is to be happy. IN 1961, the US psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote: " While happiness itself is soughtly for its own sake, every other goal - health beauty money or power is valued only because we expect that it will make us happy'. Csikszentmihalyi  looked for a term that described the state of feeling happy. He called it the flow. But when we are 'in the flow?'

After interviewing over a thousand people about what made them happy, he found found that all responses had 5 things in common happiness and flow occurs when we are:

1. Intensely focused on an activity
2. Of our own choosing, that is
3. Neither under challenging (burnout) nor over-challeging (burnout), that has
4. A clear objective, and that receives
5. Immediate feedback

Csikszentmihalyi  discovered that people who are in the flow not only feel not only feel profound sense of satisfaction, they also lose track of time and forget themselves completely because they are so immersed in what they are doing. Musicians, athletes, actors, doctors and artists describe how they are happiest when they are absorbed n an often exhausting activity- totally contradicting the common held view that happiness has to do with relaxation.

THE JOHNARI MODEL

WHAT OTHERS KNOW ABOUT YOU

We cannot 'grasp' our own personality, but we can be aware of what part of our personality we reveal to the outside world. The Johnari window ('Johnari ' is derived from the first syllables of the first names of its inventors, John Luft and Harry Ingham) is one of the most interesting models for describing human interaction a four 'paned' window' divides personal awareness into four different types:

A. This quadrant describes characteristics and experiences that we are aware of ourselves and that we like to tell others about

B. This 'hidden' quadrant describes things that we know about  ourselves but chose not reveal to others. It decreases in size the more we build up trusting relationship with others.

C. There are things that we do not know about ourselves but others can see clearly. And there are things that we think we are expressing clearly, but which others interpret completely differently. In tis quadrant, feedback can be enlightening but also hurtful.

D. There are aspects of ourselves that are hidden from ourselves as well as others. We are more complex and multifaceted than we think. From time to time something unknown rises to the surface from our unconscious- for example in a dream.
Choose adjectives ( fun, unreliable, etc) that you describe you well. Then the others ( friends, colleagues) chose adjectives to describe you. The adjectives are then entered in the appropriate panes of the window.

Try this exercise with your partner. Are there things about your partner that you wished you have never discovered? and what do you wish you didn't know about yourself?

THE CROSS ROADS MODEL

So What next we all have time in our lives when we find ourselves at a cross roads and ask ourselves: Where now? The cross roads model is inspired by the Personal Compass, developed by San Francisco consulting agency The Grove, and helps you find your direction in life. Fill in the mode; on the basis of the following questions:

WHERE HAVE YOU COME FROM?
How have you become who you are? What have been the main decisions, events and obstacles in your life, and who were your main influences? Think about your education, your home, where you grew up. And make a note of keywords that strike you as important.

WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Write down the first three things that come into your head you don't have to go into detail or be specific. What are your values? What do you believe in? Which principles are important to you? When everything fails what remains?

WHICH PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Here you should think of people whose opinions you value and who influence your decisions, as well as those who are affected by your decisions. Think also about the people you like and those you fear.

WHAT IS HINDERING YOU?
What aspects of your life prevent you form thinking about the really important things? Which deadlines do you have in your head, and what is hindering you? what do you have to do and when?

WHAT AER YOU AFRAID OF?
List the things, circumstances or people that cause worry and rob you of your strength

Look at your note. what missing? What issues have risen? Do the keywords you've written down tell the story of how you became who you are today? If necessary, jot down more keywords and questions. Now look at the roads that lie ahead of you. We have given six examples. Imagine each one:
1. The road that beckons- what you have always wanted to try?
2. The road that I imagine in my wildest dreams, regardless of wether or not it is achievable or not-          what do you dream of?
3. The road that seem sensible to me the one that people whose opinion I value would suggest to me.
4. The road not travelled- one you have never considered before.
5. The road I have already been down.
6. The road back to a place you once felt safe.
You decide.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

THE CONFLICT RESOLUTION MODEL

HOW TO RESOLVE A CONFLICT ELEGANTLY
Psychologists agree that conflicts have to be dealt with in order to prevent deadlock and recrimination and restore stability and communication. The question is how? In principle there are six different ways of dealing with a conflict situation: escape, fight, give up, evade responsibility, compromise or reach a consensus.

Flight. Escaping is the same as avoiding. The conflict is not dealt with and the situation remains the same. It can be assumed that neither side will gain anything this is a lose lose situation.

Fight Those who deal with a conflict aggressively have only one aim: to win. But winning alone is not enough as somebody also has to lose. This approach is about conquering the opponent, and asserting on's own position in the face of resistance from others. The result is a win-lose situation.

Give up. Those who give up their own position in a conflict solve it by retreating ie they lose. The result is a lose-win situation.

Evade responsibility. Those who feel overwhelmed by a conflict often delegate the decision- and this also the confrontation- to another authority, usually a higher one. This authority solves the conflict for them, but not necessarily wisely, and not necessary in the delegators interest.  There is a trick that the parties on both sides of the conflict will lose ( Lose-lose situation).

Compromise. Depending on how it is perceived a compromise is a situation acceptable to both parties. It is often felt that although the solution isn't ideal it is reasonable in the circumstances ( win-lose/ win-lose).

Reach a consensus. A consensus is based on a new solution that has been developed by the parties. In contrast to a compromise, it is a win-win solution for bother parties, because nobody has to back down. Instead both parties develop a "this way" together.

Our failures are due not to the defeats we suffer but to the conflicts we don't participate in.
Graffiti on a youth centre in Bern Switzerland.

THE CONSEQUENCES MODEL

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MAKE DECISIONS PROMPTLYWe are often forced to make decisions based on limited or ambiguous information. At the beginning of a project, for example when the finer details have yet to be clarified, we need to be bold in our decision making particularly because these early decisions have the most far reaching consequences. Towards the end of a project we know more and have fewer doubts, but by then there is no longer anything fundamental to decide.

The most important question, then, is how we can bridge the chasm between decision and doubt.

Beware! We often defer decisions because we have doubts. But not making a decision in itself. If you delay a resolution it is often an unconscious decision, one that you do not communicate. This leads to uncertainty in a team. So if you want to make a decision later, be sure to communicate this clearly.

With this model, the Danish Organisation theorist Kristin Kreiner and Soren Christen encourage us the be courageous, and make decisions based on minimal information.

I'd rather regret the things I have done than the things that I havent. Lucille Ball

THE ESQUIRE GIFT MODEL

HOW MUCH TO SPEND OF GIFTS
Gift- giving is something of a minefield. A Cheap or impersonal gift can make the recipient feel undervalued, and create an awkward situation for both giver and receiver. This little model form esquire magazine has two axes
How long have you known the person to whom you are giving the gift?
How much money should you spend on the gift?

TWO RULES OF THUMB
Being generous beats being miserly(don't be misled by the sentence 'that really wasn't necessary') buy something that you would be pleased to receive as a gift yourself.

I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.
Oscar Wilde.

THE MORPHOLOGICAL BOX AND SCANNER

WHY YOU HAVE TO BE STRUCTURED TO BE CREATIVE
Innovation can mean doing something completely new, but it can also mean a new combination of things that already exist. But how is this achieved?
The concept of morphology stems from the study of biological structures and configuration.
In the 1930's Swiss physicist Fritz Zwicky at the institute of technology in California developed a problem solving method using what he called morphological boxes, in which a new entity is developed by combining the attributes of a variety of existing entities. This method, which was initially applied by Zwicky to jet engine technology, also began to be used in marketing strategies and the development of new ideas.

HOW IT WORKS

For the development of a new care, for example all the relevant parameters (e.g vehicle type, target group) are noted, and as many attributes as possible are ascribed to each parameter. This requires expertise as well as the imagination the aim is to create something new out of something that already exists. The result in the case is a two-dimensional table (Although a morphological box can have up to four dimensions)
The next stage requires brainstorming: the car has to be an SUV, say it but it also needs to be energy efficient and inexpensive to manufacture. Which attributes match these requirements? Connect your chosen attitudes with aline. This new configuration of attributes can form the basis for an evaluation of your desired car. Besides the morphological boxes, the SCAMPER checklist developed by Bob Eberie will also help you to reconfigure an existing idea or product. The following seven key questions are drawn from a questionnaire developed by Alex Osborn the founder of the advertising agency BBDO.

Substitute? substitute people components, materials.
Combine? Combine with other functions or things.
Adapt? Adapt functions or visual appearance.
Modify? Modify the shape texture or acoustics.
Put to other use? Other new combined uses.
Eliminate? Reduce simplify, eliminate anything superfluous.
Reverse? Use conversely, invert, reverse.

The task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody see. Arthur Schopenhauer

THE FAMILY TREE MODEL

THE CONTACTS YOU SHOULD MAINTAIN
This model is based on the premise that humans are fundamentally social, interactive beings. Brand Loyalty can be understood as a persons's attachment to a brand or product and that persons desire to tell others about it. Conventional models for determining brand loyalty often serve as a justification of often imprudent expenditure of decision that have already been made rather than as an objective evaluation of strategies.
A simpler and more constructive starting point for determining brand loyalty is to find out what your customers think about your product instead of a complex questionnaire, in this model the customer is asked a single question: 'Who recommended this product to you, and who would you recommend it to? Three groups of respondents can be defined based on the answers: promoters, passive satisfied customers and critics. The ratio of promoters to critics in the barometer of success.
Draw a client or portfolio structure in the shape of a family tree. Now you will see how or whom a client became a client.
HELP INTERPRETATION
The more family trees you have to draw, the more diverse your customer  structure or portfolio. Boughs with more branches require more maintenance. They represent a risk over- concentration and can easily break.

You don't have customers? Then think about your circle of friends and acquaintances is structured. through whom did you meet most of your friends? Are you still friends with this person.

THE FEEDBACK MODEL

DEALING WITH OTHERS PEOPLES COMPLIMENT'S AND CRITICISMS
Feedback is one of the most difficult and sensitive processes in groups. It is easy to hurt people with criticism, but false compliments are also unhelpful. Compliments can often make us too complacent, while criticism damages our self esteem and can lead us to unwise choices.
The one dimensional question 'What did you find good, what did you find bad?' is therefore not necessary helpful. In terms of what can be learned form feedback, it is is better to ask yourself 'What can I do with this criticism?' In other words, see what as it is and what needs to change (but may have been good up until now).
It is not only about establishing what has not succeeded, it is also about deciding whether and how to react. The model will help you to categorise the feedback you receive in order to clearly establish a plan of action.
It is also important to ask yourself honestly which success or failure was in fact due to luck? Were you the winner of a match because the ball found its way to the net purely by chance? Do you really deserve this compliment?

Pay attention to your thoughts, because they become words
Pay attention to your thoughts, because they become actions
Pay attention to your thoughts, because they become habits
Pay attention to your thoughts, because they become your character
Pay attention to your thoughts, because it is your fate.
From the Talamud

THE RUBBER BAND MODEL

HOW TO DEAL WITH A DILEMA.
Is this a situation you are familiar with? A friend, colleague, or client needs to make a decision that could irrevocably alter their future: for example to change career, move to another city or take early retirement. The arguments for and against are evenly balanced. How can you help them out of their dilemma?
Copy out the rubber band model, and ask the person to ask them-selves: Whats is holding me? What is pulling me?
At first glance the method seems a simple variation of the conventional question "What are the pro's and cons?' The difference is the 'What is holding me?' and 'What is pulling me?' are positive questions and reflect a situation with two attractive alternatives.


A peacefulness follows any decision even the wrong one. 
Rita Mae Brown

THE JOHN WITMORE MODEL

Am pursuing the right goal? If you set yourself goals you should distinguish between the final goals and performance goals. A final goal might be 'I want to run a marathon’; a performance goal helps you achieve they say for example ‘I will go jogging for 30 minutes every morning’. Write down your goal on paper and check step by step whether it correlates with the fourteen requirements in this model.

 A few to note if the goal is unattainable there's no hope. If it is not challenging it will not motivate you. If the fourteen steps are too complicated for you, keep in mind the following ground rule when establishing goal. 

KISS: Keep it simple stupid.

Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler 

Albert Einstein. 

THE PROJECT PORTFOLIOMATRIX

How to maintain an overview. 

Are you juggling several projects simultaneously? Then you are a slasher (/) the term was coined by the New York author  Marci Alboher and describes a growing number of people who cannot give a single answer to the question ‘and what do you do for a living’. 

Suppose you are teacher, musician and web design all the variety may be appealing but how can you balance all these projects and how do you ensure a regular income. 

To get an overview you classify your car projects both work related and private with the help of project porfolio matrix according to the cost and time (see model). Think of cost not only in terms of money but also in terms of resources such as friends involved energy and psychological stress. 

Cost and time I just two examples you can use whatever promises are relevant to your situation. For example the X axis. Could be how much project is helping me achieve my overriding objective. And the Y axis how much I am learning from this project. Now position your projects in the matrix in relation to the 2 axes. Objectives of change and who amount learned.

1. Reject projects if there is nothing you can learn from them and if they do not correspond. To your overriding vision.
2. Projects that you can learn from but do not correspond to your vision I interesting but will not help you achieve your objective try to change the project so it serves your vision.
3. If a project corresponds to your vision, but you a learning nothing new, look for somebody else to do it for you.
4. If you're learning something and achieving your vision you have hit the jackpot.                                                                                                                                                                                    The greatest danger of most of us is not our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Michelangelo

THE EISENHOWER MATRIX

How to work more efficiently. 

The US president Dwight Eisenhower supposedly once said. The most urgent decisions are rarely the most important ones. Eisenhower was considered a monster of time management. I see he had the ability to do everything as when it needed to be done. With the Eisenhower method you will learn to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent. 

Whatever the job that lands on your desk. Begin by breaking it down according to the Eisenhower method (see model) and then decide how to proceed. We often focus too strongly on that 'urgent and important field'. On things that we have to be dealt with. Immediately. Ask yourself when did I deal with the things that our important but not urgent? 

When will I take the time to deal with important task before they become urgent.  This is the field for strategic long term decisions. 

Another method of organising your time better is attributed to the multimillionaire Warren Buffet. Make a list of everything you want to get done today. Begin with the task at the top a little east and continue only once you have completed at. When a task has been completed cross it off the list. 

Better late than never but never late is better. 

THE BCG BOX

 How to evaluate costs and benefits. In the 1970’s the Boston consulting group developed a method for assessing the value of investments in the company's portfolio.  The four-field Matrix distinguishes between four different types of investment.

Cash cows. Have a hot market share but a slow growth rate. This means they don't cost much but promise high returns. 

Consultant's verdict milk them. 

Stars have a high market share and high grot rate. But growth devours money.  The hope is that the stare will turn into cash cows. 

Consultants verdict invest. 

Question marks ‘or' problem children have high growth potential but a low share of the market with a lot of financial support and cajolement they can be turned into stars. 

Consultants verdict a tough decision. 

Dogs are business units with a low share in a saturated market. Dogs should be held on to only if they have a value other than a financial one (e.g. Vanity project or favour for a friend)

Consultants verdict liquidate. 

The most dangerous words in investing are 'this time it's different' Sir John Templeton. 

THE SWOT ANALYSIS

How to find the right solution, with SWAT analysis you evaluate the strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats Identified in a project.

The technique is based on a Stanford University study from the 1960’s which analyzed data from fortune 500 companies. The study found that 35 percent discrepancy between the company's objectives on what was actually implemented. The problem was not that the employees were incompetent but that the objectives what too ambiguous.  Many employees didn't even know why they were doing what they were doing. 

SWOT was developed from the results of the study to help those involved in a project to gain a clearer understanding of it. 

It is worth taking the time to think about each step of the SWOT analysis. Rather than just hastily fill it out. How can we emphasize our strengths  and cover up our weaknesses. How can we maximize opportunities have only protect ourselves against threats. What is interesting about SWOT analysis. Is its versatility and can be applied to business and personal decisions with equal success. 

The things we fear in organisations - fluctuations disturbances imbalances- are the primary sources of creativity Margaret J. Wheatley.