Würst of the week - Stippgrütze

This week's Würst is the Stippgrütze.

The Stippgrütze, also known as Wurstebrei, is an eastern Westphalia speciality, often compared with Scotland's Haggis.

Literally meaning "Groat Sausage" in English, the Stippgrütze is primarily made from barley groats cooked in Wurstbrühe (sausage juices), a mixture that is enhanced with offcuts of meat and offal, generally heart, kidney or liver, which are together seasoned with salt and various spices, often allspice and thyme.

Once cooked the sausage mixture is minced and any excess juices poured off. The crumbly remains are then left to cool and congeal with the remaining fat. The Würst's high fat content means that it is easily preserved or frozen. This together with the use of offal in the sausage has meant that the Stippgrütze has often been seen as a poor man's winter food.

The Stippgrütze is generally served as hot slices straight from a frying pan. Sometimes the mixture is stirred, often resulting in a sausage purée, or Wurstebrei.

This Würst's high fat content also makes it an ideal snack before drinking. So don't forget to knock back one of Westphalia's finest, a Dortmunder Export, whilst sampling this unheralded Würst.

Getting the Change right - Leadership and Innovation

Change is constant. Change is ephemeral. Change is permanent. Change is never-ending.

Regardless of the sector in which you operate. No matter how big your company. Notwithstanding how large or complex your organizational structure. Change can be subtle, it can be violent. Change can be beautiful and embraced, it can be ugly and feared.

Globalization, social media, exponential technological development, morphing markets, emerging new markets, offshoring, and low-cost competitors. These are just a small selection of enablers and accelerators of change.

Many leaders consider their organizations, even themselves, as failing to implement change effectively. Transformational change is one of the biggest challenges facing most businesses whose products, markets and customers are themselves rapidly changing and demanding new and different goods and services.

But some leaders excel at delivering and benefiting from meaningful change. These leaders learn to manage change effectively, so that they get ahead of, and even become the driver of change. One thing they have in common is a view that change is a catalyst of Innovation.

Long gone are day-to-day operations that fall into a static or predictable patterns that are interrupted infrequently by only short spells of minor adjustments. Many employees lament these good old days of predictability and fear larger and ongoing change, but these days the opposite should be the case: periods without change often mean an organization is about to be overtaken by another business that has already recognized and adapted to the changing marketplace.

So, where is your organization heading to in the next few years? Hopefully, you're already trying to balance the mix of a need for quick wins with longer term culture changes and business outcomes. You should be trying to lead your competition in growth and revenue, rather than reacting to their initiatives, developing yourself the next generation of highly new innovative products and services. Or will you simply be manning the tiller and keeping the ship afloat?

Corporations of the future must become well-equipped to adapt and respond to an ever-increasing pace, variety and ubiquity of change. And as leaders, you must embrace change, become expert at understanding and involving change in your business, and constantly encourage innovation across your organizational culture, in the products you deliver and the services you offer.

Bilge pumps - Why we all need an Archimedes Screw

Ever wondered about the origin of the phrase pump the bilge? Do you know what a bilge pump actually is? And why is pumping the bilge important in the modern business environment?

Well, to understand what a bilge pump is, we should first define bilge.

The term bilge dates back to 1523 and refers to the lowest compartment in a ship where the two sides meet at the bottom. The word bilge is these days generally used to refer to the water that collects in this bottommost compartment. This water collects in the bilge as it drains off the sides of the deck of the ship, or if there are rough seas and/or rain. To only way to get rid of the water, is to pump it out. Hence the origin of the bilge pump.

Bilge water is often dirty and dingy since it is not limited to water, but rather, any sort of fluid(s) that happen to collect at the bottom of the ship. The Bilge water can be extracted by bucket or other hand pumps, but nowadays many boats and ships are equipped with automated, electrical bilge pumps.

The earliest known bilge pump is the Archimedes Screw, a pump purportedly designed by Archimedes in the 3rd century B.C. for the Syracusia, a luxury boat commissioned by King Hieron II. The Syracusia is said to have been the largest boat of classical antiquity that could carry 600 souls. As such a large ship would undoubtedly take on water, Archimedes developed his Screw to pump the bilge water. His machine was a device with a revolving screw-shaped blade inside a cylinder that was turned by hand to remove the water.

The fundamentals of Archimedes' design are still used today, though generally not on boats, but in sewage treatment plants and mining industries for transferring liquids and granulated soils from low-lying areas to higher positions.

However, many boat owners have a somewhat casual attitude to bilge pumps and don’t have them installed, or don't have enough of them installed, because they don’t see the need. This is a mistake that can have dire consequences. Small sail boats are often the worst culprits when it comes to not having a bilge pump installed, as many owners don't see it as an important part of boat safety. Part of being a responsible boater is to know what kind of equipment you should have on board. Even smaller boats should always have at least two bilge pumps (at least one for backup).

It's a sad fact that in today's business environment, many leaders and managers also neglect to invest in a bilge pump and avoid pumping the bilge.

The downbeat economy, challenging revenue targets and the need for transformational change in many businesses all require leaders and managers to focus on forward-looking initiatives and new product development.

But remember that sailing a ship isn't always about raising the boom, setting the right bearing and manning the tiller. It's also about swabbing the decks, mending the sails and pumping the bilge. Neglect at your peril the basics such as customer service, employee health and safety, and internal regulation.

It's in these times of choppy waters and high seas that we should make sure we have got our bilge pump safety net.

Würst of the week - Currywurst

This week's Würst is the Currywurst.

This Würst is one of Germany's less gourmet Wurst offerings but has been selected due to its popularity as a fast-food staple and national food obsession in Germany.

Often sold from fast food trucks and Imbissbuden, this Wurst is generally made from pork, and served cut into slices (easier to eat with a plastic fork) with a generous helping of curry ketchup (normally consisting of standard ketchup or tomato paste with a liberal sprinkling of curry powder).

Also known as the Phosphatstange, this Wurst is most popular in the larger metropolitan areas of Germany, particularly in Berlin, Hamburg and across the Ruhr. Traditionally, every candidate for Berlin mayor is photographed at some point consuming a Currywurst from a fast-food stand.

This Wurst is so popular it has its own museum, the Deutsches Currywurst Museum in Berlin.

Break free from your moorings - Leading Change

As a leader, how often do you ask yourself the question: do I steer, or simply man the tiller?

Are you making a difference to your organization, empowering your employees and effecting change, navigating your way through choppy waters towards a sun rising over a broad horizon? Or are you simply sailing the ship, keeping it upright and moving forward, avoiding the rocks and any risk of running aground?

When taking over leadership responsibility of a company or organization, the latter course is likely to be your immediate priority.

But before you nail your colours to the mast, what if your new ship desperately needs you to pump the bilge? Do you throw all hands to the pumps and try to weather the storm, or do you change tack on a bearing for change?

Before making any rash decisions you need to take soundings and get the feel of the tiller, but if the organization is suffering in the doldrums, then undertaking some immediate sail-trimming and realigning your ballast is likely in the long-run to be one of the most effective ways of keeping the ship afloat and it's course true.

Breaking free of your moorings and effecting change sends a positive message to your co-workers, energizing them to stop swinging the lead and empowering them to raise the boom.

Potato girls get hitched

One night, the Potato family sat down to dinner – Mother Potato and her three daughters. Midway through the meal, the eldest daughter spoke up. “Mother Potato?” she said. “I have an announcement to make.”

“And what might that be?” said Mother, seeing the obvious excitement in her eldest daughter’s eyes.

“Well,” replied the daughter, with a proud but sheepish grin, “I’m getting married!”

The other daughters squealed with surprise as Mother Potato exclaimed, “Married! That’s wonderful! And who are you marrying, Eldest daughter?”

“I’m marrying a Russet!”

“A Russet!” replied Mother Potato with pride. “Oh, a Russet is a fine tater, a fine tater indeed!”

As the family shared in the eldest daughter’s joy, the middle daughter spoke up. “Mother? I, too, have an announcement.”

“And what might that be?” encouraged Mother Potato.

Not knowing quite how to begin, the middle daughter paused, then said with conviction, “I, too, am getting married!”

“You, too!” Mother Potato said with joy. “That’s wonderful! Twice the good news in one evening! And who are you marrying, Middle Daughter?”

“I’m marrying an Idaho!” beamed the middle daughter.

“An Idaho!” said Mother Potato with joy. “Oh, an Idaho is a fine tater, a fine tater indeed!”

Once again, the room came alive with laughter and excited plan for the future, when the youngest Potato daughter interrupted. “Mother? Mother Potato? Um, I, too, have an announcement to make.”

“Yes?” said Mother Potato with great anticipation.

“Well,” began the youngest Potato daughter with the same sheepish grin as her eldest sister before her, “I hope this doesn’t come as a shock to you, but I am getting married, as well!”

“Really?” said Mother Potato with sincere excitement. “All of my lovely daughters married! What wonderful news! And who, pray tell, are you marrying, Youngest Daughter?”

“I’m marrying Joe Buck!”

“Joe Buck?!” Mother Potato scowled suddenly. “But he’s just a common tater!”

12 Most Engaging Leadership Palindromes

Leadership today can be an all-consuming activity, so it's nice sometimes to kick-back and have a bit of fun. Do you ever spend just a few minutes engaging and exercising the mind with alternative intellectual activities during your busy schedule?

Just a few moments of fun thinking can put a smile back on your face, relax you, and reenergize and remotivate you for that all-important presentation or boardroom meeting. So how about a few palindromes? See how many you can spot in the following leadership commentary...

We few who occupy the top spot as leaders of today's corporations and organizations are peppered with so many dynamos that it is natural to ask inevitably: are we not drawn onward to new era?

Back in the day getting things done was a much simpler exercise, such as the example of von Humboldt: a man, a plan, a canal: Panama. These days however, leadership is a more collegiate affair and none of us want to exclaim: I am a fool - aloof am I.

We also need to dip into the reward drawer for ourselves as well as our employees, provided they follow your commands to "pull up if I pull up", observe the mantra that they must sell at tallest sum, and are allowed to fail on occasion, remembering that no demerits tire me Don.

Rewards come in many forms. But don't be tempted to pull out a cigar. Toss it in a can. It is so tragic. A better result for morale is to take your valued employee out for dinner. For me, you can't beat a nice Wurst, and if it's German sausage you're eating, wash it down with a nice Helles, for Lager, sir, is Regal.

How did you get on?

In no particular order, here are my 12 Most Engaging Leadership Palindromes included in the above passage:

• We few
• Top spot
• Reward drawer
• So many dynamos!
• Must sell at tallest sum
• Are we not drawn onward to new era?
• A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!
• Pull up if I pull up
• I am a fool. Aloof am a I
• Cigar? Toss it in a can. It is so tragic.
• No demerits tire me Don
• Lager sir, is Regal

Würst of the week - Thüringer Rostbratwurst

This week's Würst is the Thüringer Rostbratwurst.

This Würst is a unique type of roasted Bratwurst from the German state of Thuringia, a region known as the green heart of Germany, due to the dense forests covering the state's mountainous terrain (Harz mountains to the north, and the Thuringian Forest to the south).

The oldest known reference to the Thüringer Rostbratwurst, found in the state archives, is from the transcript of a bill from the Arnstadt Convent in 1404. This Würst also has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status under EU law.

The Thüringer is made from only finely minced pork, beef, or sometimes veal, and in addition to salt and pepper, can be seasoned with caraway, marjoram, and garlic. A stipulation of its PGI status, is that at least 51% of the ingredients must come from the state of Thuringia. These ingredients are blended together and filled into a pig or sheep intestine.

Thüringers are distinguished from other Bratwurst and the many other types of German Wurst by their distinctive spice mix, but significantly also their low fat content (25% as compared to up to 60% in other Wurst).

Generally sold raw, Thüringers are generally roasted over charcoal or on a grill rubbed with bacon. The fire shouldn't be so hot that the skin breaks, though some charring is desired. It is a tradition in Thuringia that the grills be cooled with beer rather than water.

Usually, a Thuringian sausage is presented in a cut, open roll and brushed with mustard. And this being a Wurst from Thuringia, don't forget to wash it down with Köstritzer Schwarzbier!

Potato Royale - a PR master class

French royal Marie Antoinette famously promoted the potato during the 18th century, by wearing potato blossoms in her hair. But why?

The royals were introduced to the potato by French nutritionist, agronomist and chemist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who had a penchant for potatoes and a real skill for Public Relations.

Parmentier had served as a army pharmacist during the Seven Years War, and was taken prisoner by the Prussians. During his captivity he was fed only potatoes, at that time a foodstuff only fed to pigs, not humans. Indeed, at that time a 1748 French law was in place explicitly forbidding potato cultivation, chiefly on the grounds that it was believed to cause leprosy.

On his return home Parmentier made it his mission to popularize the tuber, hitherto so dismissed by his countrymen. His first breakthrough came in 1772 when he won a prize from the Académie Besançon for his proposal of potatoes as a source of nourishment for patients suffering from dysentery. As a result of his efforts the Paris Faculty of Medicine then declared potatoes to be edible.

A year later, in 1773, Parmentier published his thesis, Inquiry into nourishing vegetables that at times of necessity could be substituted for ordinary food. His growing notoriety gained Parmentier an invitation to the court of King Louis XVI on the occasion of the king's birthday.

Parmentier showed his mastery of public relations by bringing to court a bouquet of potato flowers as a birthday gift. The King graciously accepted the gift, deftly placing one of the flowers in his lapel.

But it was the king's wife, Queen Marie Antoinette, who most sponsored Parmentier's cause by later wearing the potato blossoms in her hair. Potato flowers quickly became a fashion among the aristocracy, just as potatoes were now permitted to, and did, become a staple for the poor.

Potato Economics - a lesson in alternative currency

A Seattle University professor was forcibly ejected today from a Pike Place Market deli after he attempted to pay for a sandwich with a sack of potatoes.

The professor, Frenchman Francois Cloche-Fin, a native of the Isle Noirmoutier, is an instructor of economics, management and leadership at the Albers School of Business. He was not immediately available for comment.

“We get our fair share of freaks in this neighborhood, no doubt,’ Deli owner Pieter van der Hoogstrand said, “but I had never seen something like this before.”

At approximately 11:45 am Wednesday, Cloche-Fin entered the deli and ordered a Polish Sausage ciabatta with Emmental cheese. When he approached the cash register, he allegedly brought out a potato sack and pulled out two La Bonnotte de Noirmoutier potatoes, placing them neatly on the counter in front of him.

“I said, ‘what the hell is this?’ van der Hoogstrand recalled, “and he said that the sandwich cost $7.50 and so he wanted to pay with 2 potatoes. At first I couldn’t believe it, but the line kept growing so I told him to either give me cash or a card or get out.”

When van der Hoogstrand refused to accept his potatoes, Cloche-Fin allegedly grew agitated. “He kept shouting, ‘How dare you reject my potatoes? This is discrimination! My money is just as good as everyone else’s!’ ”

At that moment, two Pike Place Market Deli employees emerged from the kitchen and removed Cloche-Fin from the premises. As he was leaving, Cloche-Fin reportedly screamed, “You owe me a half-potato in change!”

Speaking to reporters some hours later, all van der Hoogstrand could do was shake his head and laugh. “I guess where he’s from, potatoes are a form of currency. But where does he think he is? We don’t even accept Diners Club here.”

The La Bonnotte potato variety, grown only in Cloche-Fin's native Isle Noirmoutier, is of course one of the most expensive foods in the world. Due to the manual nature of the growing and harvesting of this potato variety, one kilo can fetch us much as $700.

It's quite possible that Mr van der Hoogstrand and the Pike Place Market Deli missed out on a very good deal...

Remember your Munter Hitch - the Leadership safety net

The Munter hitch creates friction by having the rope rub on itself and on the object it has been wrapped around. There is no static friction on any part of the rope as it is a continuously moving knot. A key facet of the Munter is its reversibility; it can be pulled from either side of the rope and it still works just as effectively.

During such times of flux, employees, boards of directors and shareholders alike, all want to know: where's my safety net?

Does our leader know how to tie a Munter Hitch?

Is our leader able to belay us safely and gently, to a position where we can reassess our priorities, regroup our resources, and reascend the peak?

The key for leaders needing to implement the equivalent of the Munter Hitch in the workplace is the establishment of strong employee capabilities. Having an effective, enthusiastic and empowered workforce will enable organizations to glissade gracefully, identify opportunities for change and create competitive advantage in a slowing economy. An elite talent pool should have the determination, enthusiasm and ability to drive the business into increased revenue growth and market share.

The following key leaderships principles are central to creating such a Munter Hitch workforce during a downbeat economy.

Engagement

An organization with an evolved culture of communication is well positioned to overcome skepticism and lack of self-confidence. It is crucial that leaders keep their managers engaged and positively-reinforced, especially at a time when many may have a tendency to "disconnect" due to business uncertainty, high workloads and stress.

Meaning

Storyboard the organization's strategy and vision to make it more accessible to employees. Many will find a concrete example crucial in creating a mental picture of the organization's goals. This in turn engenders buy-in, commitment and ‘ownership’ within the workplace.

Adaptability

In uncertain times it is critical to manage change effectively and remain flexible in your attitude and approach. Challenge long-held business assumptions and practices. Taking a fresh perspective will enable you to focus on the daily execution of strategic priorities and help to maximize employee efforts and decision making in the midst of overwhelming demands.

Best foot forward 

Leaders must lead. They must provide purpose, direction and compelling values so that employees may envision a positive future. Direction must come from the top, but reach all the way down to front line staff who will ultimately pass on your positive vision to your customers.

But a strong vision is not enough.  it must be functional and memorable so that every employee will embrace it, living and breathing the vision through every task and action on a day to day basis.

Würst of the week - Susej

This week's Würst takes a different turn.

Courtesy of The Wurst, NYC.

Transformational Change - the foundation of business evolution

A good friend of mine, let's call him Steve, frequently asks me the question: what is transformational change?

It's a good question. There's change and there's transformation, and these two terms are invariably synonymous. So what's the benefit of the duplicitous adjective? Why not changing change, or transformational transformation? Or indeed a changing transformation? And why is transformational change such a key activity and concept for the modern business?

Let's consider the definition of the terms change and transformation:

change - n.

1. The act, process, or result of altering or modifying: a change in facial expression.

2. The replacing of one thing for another; substitution: a change of atmosphere; a change of ownership.

3. A transformation or transition from one state, condition, or phase to another: the change of seasons.

transformation - n.

1. a. The act or an instance of transforming. b. The state of being transformed.

2. A marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better.

So what's the difference?, asks Steve

Well, consider this definition of the evolved term:

transformational change

A change that is not merely an extension or improvement over the past, but a state change. 

This state change can be personal and organizational. The change is no ordinary change, it is far more bold and compelling - not simply a more or better version of busines-as-usual. When used in a business environment, this concept is an audacious vision of a new organizational structure and methodology.

Before being actioned, transformational change calls for a new level of fearlessness, of innovation and collaboration, and excites the people of the organization, unleashing their passion and creativity. After being actioned, co-workers will say that they have more than a large improvement, rather they have a different organization, a state-change, a transformation.

Achieving this state change requires altering and expanding the limiting mindset in which the individual employees and the organization operates. It is a mindset that includes the attitudes, perspectives, rationales and logic of individuals and the business, and alters how each perceives their problems and opportunities. Transformational change radically amplifies the bandwidth of solutions that individuals and organizations consider to deal with their strategy and vision.

Ultimately, then, transformational change is an important concept and activity in the development and growth of the modern business. Call it jargon if you will, as it is an idea not generally applied to the non-business world.

So, a useful summary or definition of the term might be:

transformational change

A shift in the business culture of an organization resulting from a change in the underlying strategy and processes that the organization has used in the past. A transformational change is designed to be organization-wide and is enacted over a period of time.

In a nutshell, there you have it, Steve.

[(ET + LR + IA = BC –> ROI ) | (DVKB > R) | (C = (P+L)xF)]

WTF books have come out with some chestnuts in recent months, but the latest offering from Terry T. Derby titled Formulae for Change, Leadership and Leadership Change amplifies to a tee the whole genre of change metrics.

A compilation of compelling anecdotes and radical simplifications of concrete truths, this synopsis of the mechanisms of change, leadership and changing leadership girates the reader through the full spectrum of organizational scenarios that aim to incubate leadership gametes.

Derby focuses on a range of simple formulae offered by a variety of commentators and experts that help us focus on the weights and measures required to effect the desired results.

These include the Trinity Training Formula - How to maximize ROI from Day Camp, which outlines where to focus efforts in situations where an organization attempts to engender behavioural change through mind management:

   ET + LR + IA = BC –>  ROI

Which means Effective Training (ET) and Leadership Reinforcement (LR) and Individual Application, result in Changed Behavior (BC), which implies some possibly unmeasurable factor of Return on Investment (ROI).

Or there's the Downtown Pastor's negative input formula for positive change:

C = (P+L)xF

Meaning Change (C) comes from Pain (P) + Loss (L) multiplied by a bucket load of Frustration (F).

Or there's the Borat Armalyetee balance formula for implementing effective transitional change:

DVKB > R

Which translates to the idea that Demand (D) x Vision (V) x Knowledge of next steps (K) x Belief (B) must always be greater than Resistance (R) in order that forward momentum be first instigated, then maintained.

In summary, this book is a must-have to all those desperate to be led in how to lead, or those wishing to change their current change management regimes. Available in all reputable book selling locations.

Targeting from the viral hub - harnessing disintermediated networks to optimize ROI

It was last month at the Fantasietechnik-Imagineering conference in Munich that I first encountered The Viral Hub, a South African based outfit offering a range of software solutions and services to enable optimization of ROI by marketeers, web developers and researchers alike.

Their Hub solutions use bleeding-edge cloud architectures and sticky infrastructures, to leverage both back-end and front-end services to deploy a genuine motherboard of syndicated bandwidth. This enables end users to grow their capacity to facilitate the revisualization of cross-organization networks, and allow their websites to act as the fulcrum in the monetization of bricks-and-clicks paradigms.

With low-cost packages such as Poll Hub, a disintermediated network of web polls acting as your "website visitor mind reader", and Typo Hub, branded as "SEO on steroids", a tool to auto-generate misspellings of all your keywords to boost your page rankings, The Viral Hub promise to drive eyeballs to your website, aggregate and engage your audience and power up your ROI through quality-focused visitor click-throughs.

At just $37 a package, it seems too good to be true.

Taming the Leadership peak

"Mountain climbing is a risky activity and not to be taken lightly no matter how easy or benign your chosen peak might seem. Remember: Looks can be deceiving. The mountains are filled with danger and drama. Lightning can stab out of a clear sky. Thunderstorms quickly form and drench you with rain and sleet. Rockfall and avalanches sweep down mountain faces. Difficulties can slow you, forcing you to bivouac in the open. You or your climbing partner can have an accident, causing all kinds of complications. If you’re a novice and inexperienced in the ways of the mountains, then it’s wise to go with more experienced companions or a guide. You can learn from them what it takes to be safe in the mountains so you can return another day for a new adventure." - Friedrich Nietzsche

The above description of mountaineering was written at a time when mountains still evoked in many people the feeling of the Sublime, an aesthetic experience that struck a heady mix of fear, wonder, excitement and terror in those that experienced or even just considered such scenes. These were the places of monsters, demons, or simply bandits that would rob you blind. And if they didn't get you, you'd be just as likely to slip off some precipice, tumbling down the scree to a blunt fate on some rocky outcrop below.

But this was also a time when such previously unvisited regions were being trekked, charted and even inhabited. People were developing the skills - psychological, physical and technical - to overcome their fears and the challenges that such dangerous terrain presented. And a new profession of mountain guides was born to accommodate those new to such adventures.

Whilst on Nietzsche's mountain things are beautifully, if brutally, simple - it is life or death, success or failure - modern corporate culture and organizational bureaucracy make for different rules of engagement to those of mountaineering.

Success or failure of a business or organization, especially that of individual internal projects, initiatives or changes, can be measured in a multitude of ways, but Nietzsche's description holds true for today's Leadership Challenge in the following three ways.

Firstly, Leaders should prepare to take risks. But being aware of just what those risks are is essential in foreseeing difficulties or problems that either need to be overcome or require the taking of a different path.

Secondly, Leaders need to consult their peers. Just as a mountain guide is useful even to an experienced climber when visiting new ranges, so our Leaders should also listen to the wealth of advice, thinking and experience that the Leadership community has to offer.

Finally, don't fear failure. Inherent in taking risks is the risk of failure, but it's critical that Leaders recognize failure early. It's better to scrap an idea as soon as it becomes clear that it will fail, rather than blindly soldier on in order not to lose face.

Weltenburger Anno 1050 at the Seattle International Beer Festival

With today's forecast set for showers, it looks like I caught the best of the weather yesterday at the Seattle Center, enjoying the company of my good friends Mara and Alexis at the Seattle International Beer festival.

This charitable event is held to raise funds for Pet Cross, an organization improving "the lives of many furry critters in the Puget Sound area". Beer for a noble cause! (I hate dogs.)

We pitched up in time to enjoy a dog (hot, not furry) listening to the last jazzy bars of Hot Club Sandwich, after which it was time to see how much and what we could imbibe with our 10 free beer tickets.

With over 130 beers on offer, it's tough to know what to go for, but we did our best filling up our 4oz cups, progressing from some Pale Ales, through the Pilsners and Red Beers on to some Sweet Stouts and a couple of Weizen. We were a little merry after a few hours, but really enjoying the friendly atmosphere and the afternoon sun, accompanied by first the mellow blues of Clarence Gallagher, then later some good ole Rockabilly from the Roy Kay Trio. Getting us in the mood for the 4th!

After all's said and done though, for me, the pick of the beers was the Weltenburger Anno 1050.

This beer is not only brewed by the oldest Abbey Brewery in the world, the Weltenburger Kloster, near Regensburg in Germany, but the Anno 1050 itself, as you can no doubt infer from its name is one of the oldest beers you can buy.

It's a sophisticated golden-yellow lager, with a full-bodied balance of fine hops and bitter-sweet flavour.

I guess those monks knew a thing or two back then...

Würst of the week - Bayerische Weisswurst

This week's Würst is the Bayerische Weisswurst!

Literally meaning "white sausage", the Weisswurst is a traditional Bavarian sausage typically made from finely minced veal, fresh pork bacon and seasoned with parsley, lemon, onions, ginger and cardamon.

Due to its perishable nature, the Weisswurst is traditionally eaten as a morning snack, generally accompanied by a Brezl (pretzel to you and me) and some Weisswurstsenf (a sweet mustard).

The Weisswurst is a favourite for those visiting Munich's Oktoberfest. So, no matter what time of day, don't forget to serve it with some Weissbier!

Stoats, Skunks and Squirrels - leadership styles for etymologists

Leadership style is critical in defining how effective you are at influencing your colleagues and thus how well you effect change and development within an organization. All leaders have a mix-and-match of various traits, but there are 3 principal leadership styles outlined below that all of us will recognize in ourselves and others who influence us.

The Stoat

The Stoat is probably the original type of management style ever employed. Just as the Stoat in real life is a solitary, but lean and effective hunter, the Stoat makes his/her own simple and direct decisions. Employees and team members are directed to follow. The Stoat commands obediency and is a good leadership style for tougher industries and working environments.

This isn’t to say that the Stoat would fail to lead in environments with less physical risk, such as creative industries. However, the more that employees are left to do imaginative or creative tasks largely on their own, the less likely the Stoat would be to really bring out the best in people.

Skunks

Skunks are the complete opposite to Stoats, and so you might expect to find these types of leaders in completely different industries. As stated, Stoats aren't as effective in creative industries, but Skunks aren't just common in creative industries, they're also a dime a dozen in service industries and the professional sector.

I’m talking about lawyers, doctors, accountants, surveyors, architects and teachers. They have spent upwards of 3 years in a training contract and have emerged into either a well paid or respected job. Just as Skunks in real life like to be left alone and are easily unpleasant when disturbed or harassed, Skunk leaders expect a certain degree of ‘laissez faire’ in the way they work. They expect to be entrusted with plenty of responsibility and be left to discharge their professional duties with minimal supervision and oversight.

Squirrels

The Squirrel's style is probably the most popular leadership style in the 21st century management arena. It’s a style that remains popular due to the positive reaction employees have towards it. Squirrels in real life have a tendency to visit many nut trees and store nuts in many places for future use. If you're a Squirrel type of leader, you tend to consult your employees and teams over decisions that will effect them. Even if you take decisions that others disagree with, you'll have no problem returning to others' opinions at a later date and changing tack. 

However, be warned. The Squirrel isn’t perfect in every occasion. Your tendency to consult and store information can mean that decisions take much longer to take. When one only has to consult oneself, a decision can be made almost instantaneously. In high pressure situations the Squirrel is less adept at leading.

So, what type of leader are you?

If you fit the style of any other type of Mustelidae, Caniformia or Eutheria, then please let me know!

The Practical Imagineer - Turning Dreams Into Thought

Despite a reputation for having both sheets aft, in Practical Imagineer, Leonard Stoat offers us yet another tome full to the gunwhales with useful tips and tricks for disciples of brand marketing and value creation.

Practical Imagineer is a hard and fast guide to reverse engineering your dreams into rational thought and making them available for practical application. Once you fathom out the lessons in this book, there will be no stopping you anchoring your ability to transform imagination into value creation.

Stoat splits the book into 7 "seas". Each sea represents a step in walking the plank backwards, from a dreamworld awash with counterfactual alternatives to reality, to the waters of more concrete cognitive processes.

Having reached the conclusion of this copper-bottomed tome, I'm convinced that Stoat deserves his rightful place in the Pantheon of Imagineers who have truly raised the boom.

The Practical Imagineer - Turning Dreams into Thought by Leonard Stoat. Available where books are sold.

The Sirens' Golden Gaze

Ever heard the Siren's call?

Star spangled shades shade your eyes
But could never hide your golden gaze.
Red summer skies bright your smile
And could never hide your golden gaze.

Have you ever answered it?

When it comes to Twitter, I'm amazed by the number of attractive young women who seem to like the cut of my jib and choose to Follow me. Until I realize that all of them are singing the same shanty, luring me like Odysseus to the island of Anthemusa, into an amusing cul-de-sac awash with alluring images, identical tweets and click-through links to heavily-monetized aggregation websites.

So, especially if you have a Follow Back policy, how often do you vet your Twitter Followers? How easy is it? And why should you vet at all? The answer to those questions depend upon a variety of factors.

It depends first and foremost upon why you're using Twitter. If it's a social medium to keep in contact with acquaintances, then you're unlikely to have a huge following, so vetting and blocking users should be plain sailing.

If instead your Twitter account is a medium for advertizing yourself, your products or services, whether that be material goods or ideas, you might like to take a different tack. Who follows you can have a serious impact on your Klout as well as the usability of Follower data for trending marketing metrics.

Whatever way you use Twitter, the more you're followed, the harder it is to keep track personally of who it is that's following you and to clear the decks of those Sirens, pirates and other bucaneers.

Various sites, such as SocialOomph and TrueTwit, offer automated vetting services to help you weather the storm of spam followers. These can include the requirement for followers to validate themselves. But this validation step can also put off a lot of potential followers, some of whom may see this firewall as either self-aggrandizement or an intervention by the World State. It's counter-culture to what Twitter stands for.

Ultimately, the choice is yours on how to pump the bilge.

The Green Pea Analogy

If you selected a hundred (10²) average-sized peas, you would find that they occupy roughly a volume of 20 cm³. A million (10⁶) peas are just enough to fill an ordinary household refrigerator and a billion (10⁹) peas will fill a three bedroom house from cellar to attic. A trillion (10¹²) peas will fill a thousand houses, the number you might find in a medium-sized town. A quadrillion (10¹⁵) peas will fill all the buildings in one of our larger cities such as Seattle.

Obviously you will run out of buildings very soon. Let us try a larger measure, for instance the state of Washington. Suppose that there is a blizzard over Washington, but instead of snowing snow, it snows peas. Washington State is covered with a blanket of peas about one metre deep all the way from Bellingham to Walla Walla. This blanket of peas drifts over the roads and banks up against the sides of the houses, and covers all the fields and forests. Think of flying across the state with the blanket of peas extending out as far as you can see. This gives you and idea of our next number. There will be in this blanket about a quintillion (10¹⁸) peas.

Imagine that this blizzard of peas falls over the entire land- North America, Africa, South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. All of the continents are covered with peas one metre deep. This global blanket will contain sextillion (10²¹) peas.

Then imagine that the oceans are frozen over and the blanket of peas covers the entire land and sea area of Earth. Go out among the neighbouring stars and collect 250 planets the size of Earth and cover each of these with a blanket of peas one metre deep.

Then you have a mole of peas.

Furthermore, go out into the farthest reaches of the Milky Way, and collect 250,000 planets, each the size of Earth. Cover each one with a blanket of peas one metre deep.

You now have cotillion (10²⁷) – a number corresponding to the number of atoms in your body.

Global conferencing - the new shift work

OK, the sun is up, just about, but Starbucks on Westlake & 9th won't be open for another hour and I've already finished my first global conference call of the day.

Or is that the second? It was only four hours ago that I finished yesterday's last call, with people talking in what still is the future. Whatever. I'm craving a mocahlattecino and some biscotti to get me going.

Hey, and both calls - first with London, UK and Budapest, HU, then with Chennai, India and Atlanta, GA - revolved around Mobility Development. The global village it may be, but it's not the walking distance that's got smaller, it's the talking distance. Presuming, of course, that you can shout loud enough over the static, feedback, awkward pauses and multi-layered developer speak. I hardly feel mobile, just a slothful wreck slumped in a swivel chair.

Once upon a time you needed Union representation to do this kind of shift work. Now we're all being sucked in to activating our wireless devices every time you get pinged, poked, or peddled with spam.

Maybe I should just plug in my tablet for a quick charge and go listen to the dawn chorus in Denny Park.

Scaling the vortal - a guide to monetizing vertical metrics

Today's e-service paradigms allow for synergistic utilization of vertical metrics through rapidfire delivery architectures. But for many, the algorithms for embracing such intuitive catalysts, rather than being as north-south as traditional magnetic sources, are instead as unfathomable as a Yemeni yak hurder's attempts to sell you a camel.

But there are now many synergistic initiatives, often harnessing e-fficienies gained by disintermediating granular markets, that are breaking down those incongruent barriers. Modern e-businesses are learning to streamline such collaborative convergences and empower impactful, multi-diverse communities with the ability to monetize their offerings via metrical disevolution.

It's now commonplace to see organizations recapitalize professional high standards through action items brought about by aggregation of 24/365 ideas, and exploit direct channels.

In addition, complete syndication-enabled information can be pushed through many extensible enterprise products. This further, and often dramatically, productizes interdependent vortals with the bleeding-edge synergy that results in the eyeballs, click-throughs and mortar-boarding so desired by the enfranchized.

Clear your Vision to turbo-charge growth

If you don't know where you're going, you may not like where you end up!

Your organization's vision statement is the first thing to create when writing your business plan. In a downbeat economy, you might think that it's the last thing you need, but having a succinct and easily-communicable vision is imperative to securing your business future.

Your vision, whether it be for a one-, five- or ten-year plan, describes your goals and should be an inspiration for all your colleagues every day they come into work. It's the framework for all your organization's strategic planning and that secret weapon that drives their business ever forward and upward.

So, make your Vision Clear!

And make sure your Pro forma vision remains positive and avoids marginally negative intonations, such as the following example: 

This vision statement clarifies the main goal that our organization wishes to achieve, making appropriate use of “clear quotes” to ensure that it’s obvious to anyone that we have no real substance, direction nor capital assets whatsoever. If that doesn't state our aim, I don't know what does.

 Laker Airlines 1976

Würst of the week - Braunschweiger Mettwurst

This week's Würst is the Braunschweiger Mettwurst!

This eponymous sausage is often always regarded as a Liverwurst, but in this form, the Braunschweiger Mettwurst (raw meat sausage) doesn't contain liver at all.

Instead, this smoked Würst will generally contain a mixture of pork trimmings and lard, with various herbs and spices for seasoning.

It has a soft spreadable consistency, similar to most Liverwursts, and normally has a pork or beef casing.

Go on, try a bit on a bread roll for breakfast!

Waxy or floury - what's your potato preference?

With well over 4000 known varieties of potato, there's a lot to choose from, even if only a fraction of those are generally commercially available.

But our friends at Potato Facts want to know what Texture of potato you prefer: waxy or floury?

Take their poll and let us know!



If you don't know the difference, then here's some simple advice:

Key Waxy potatoes: Charlotte, Maris Peer

Key Floury potatoes: King Edward, Maris Piper, Desirée

10 mantras for Turning FEAR into Leadership

Have you got the FEAR or have you got the Mo?

Thanks to Primate Ian Brown, turn FEAR into Leadership and positive action with 10 simple mantras.

1.   Free expression as revelation.
2.   Freeing excellence affects reality.
3.   Finding eternity arouses realization.
4.   For everybody a ruler.
5.   Final execution and resurrection.
6.   For each a road.
7.   Fantastic expectations amazing revelations.
8.   Freeing excellence arouses reaction.
9.   Following eyeballs aggregates ROI.
10. Forget everything and remember.

You've got the Mo!

Why huh? - They do stuff

I recently stumbled across huh?, a new and very agile design, consultancy and market solutions agency whose methods either leave you breathless, or speechless. You take your pick...

huh? is an enclave of new-age e-movers. They use catchy names for their job titles, like Vision Guidance Leader instead of Consultant. Cool names make them sound smarter and more clever. And that they are.

The CEO is rarely in his office, and all female team members are expected to go to dinner with him, or at least pretend like they'd want to sleep with him. After years of hard labour and Just For Men, it's the least reward we should expect for him.


huh? designers ride Razor scooters around the office, while wearing mail-bag style backpacks to hold their iPods. Once in a while they pause on the sofas and discover new ways of getting Flash on their iPads.

They have lots of shiny espresso machines, and all their new-age eMovers (that's the cool way to say "consultants," remember?) drive to work in VW Beetles, New Minis or minty-choccy-chip coloured Fiat Cinequecentos.


Appearance is everything, because huh? will get more of your money by looking cool than by doing quality work. And who cares, right, provided your customers are stampeding at your door with dollars dripping from their palms, just so they can get a piece of the shiny stuff.

If you call their office, the phone will be answered by a very disinterested intern, giving you the impression that they're too important to talk to you. And if you're reading this, then it's because they are.


Want more huh?

Sandboxing your brand value

For many companies, their most mission-critical asset is their brand. It defines their reputation and helps them stand out in an over-crowded marketplace, particularly one bloated by social networks, e-commerce and the competition of real-time supply-chain architectures.

Brand risk is therefore a potent danger that all of us face. But by its nature, sandboxing your brand, unless you live by the ocean or a large quarry, is a goal that many find one of the most elusive. Many talk the talk of strategizing reputation, but how easy is it to walk the walk?

Key is how to measure the impact of infrastructure or product changes on your brand in the marketplace, especially at moments when your business fails to deliver, launches buggy software, or serves Würst without the sauerkraut.

Many of us hire or contract experts from PR to inflate our brands at every corner, whether we're riding high or in a time of crisis. However, brand and reputation will remain forever so nebulous that it's just as easy to ignore such self-promotion. But at what cost?

Ultimately, in today's world of bleeding-edge communication networks, responsiveness and honesty are key. When relaying problems or delays to your customers or suppliers, speed and accuracy matter, and identifying the key impacted stakeholders is paramount.

Easier said than done. Such a strategy requires strong and effective leadership, to manage the conflicting expectations of customers and the business itself. But it also requires those leaders to know what's going on in the engine room. A strong brand requires an equally strong foundation of open communication within the organization that owns it.

Seldom do investors quiz the board at the AGM about reputation and brand, until, that is, something goes disastrously wrong.

Build the right internal culture and commit to open and honest communication with your customers, and goodwill, the cornerstone of sandboxing your brand, will surely follow.

Protuberance? Fingering the sweetness of Shakespeare's potato

Potato fact #1 - There are two references to the potato in the works of Shakespeare. The first in the Merry Wives of Windsor (Act 5, Scene V); the second in Troilus and Cressida (Act 5, Scene II).

This suits as #potatofact #1, as the potato is believed to have been imported into Europe around a century before these two Shakespeare plays were published (1602 and 1609, respectively), but the plant's introduction and spread toward Northern Europe in the intervening period was both relatively unremarked and unremarkable.

But was it really the common potato, the spud, the tater, that we now know, adore and consume by the kilo, to which Shakespeare was referring?

And by "common potato" I refer to practically all of the supra 1000 potato varieties (99% in fact)  that share common germplasm with a variety that at some time in the species' early history of domestication grew in the Chiloé Archipelago in South-central Chilé.

In both references, Shakespeare's characters allude to the potato's aphrodisiac, even phallic, properties. In Merry Wives, Falstaff tries it on with Mistress Ford:

  My doe with the black scut! Let the sky rain
  potatoes; let it thunder to the tune of Green
  Sleeves, hail kissing-comfits and snow eringoes; let
  there come a tempest of provocation, I will shelter me here.

Whilst Thersites, the scurrilous Greek, is ostentatiously lewd:

  How the devil Luxury, with his fat rump and
  potato-finger, tickles these together! Fry, lechery, fry!

In a letter to the Editor of the London Times, of August 28, 1882, an anonymous writer asserted that at the time of the plays' publication the word potato had a double meaning, referring both to the solanum (our common potato) and to a convolvulus (the ipomoea batatas, or "sweet potato"). Whilst John Gerard's Herball or Generalle Historie of Plantes (1597) refers to the potato as the "batatas", this is more likely a reference only to the imported potato, as opposed to Britain's homegrown variety (the sweet potato being too tender for the British climate).

Thus the protuberances on display in Shakespeare's works, whilst less tuberant in nature, are likely to be all the sweeter for it.

To chino or mochalattecino - Business casual or a casual business?

With the summer solstice, and the official start of summer, most of us will be taking any opportunity to don our Aviators, let our hair down and slip on some flip-flops, bangs or thongs to catch some regenerative rays of solar radiation.

Even if, like me, it's just for a few minutes, eating a sandwich and supping a mochalattecino from the Starbucks on Westlake & 9th, sat on a bench in Denny Park.

But what happens in that stuffy office?

How many of us see our staff adopting a more relaxed dress style as the weather hots up, as a result of a corporate policy for less formal attire in the summer months? How many of us senior executives ourselves start wearing the internationally-accepted standards of business casual?

All too common are the chino pants, brown brogues, plaid shirt and tweed sports jacket (leather elbow pads optional). Not forgetting, of course, for us real snappy dressers the all-important panama hat, de rigeur for those offsite summer parties and visits to the box to watch the game.

But many of us all too often see those standards of dress in our co-workers start to slip. And when - Fred Cuellar forbid - even us leaders start donning deck shoes (with no socks!) instead of proper lace-ups, are we concerned that, rather than wearing business casual, we might actually be starting to run a casual business?

In the modern era of wireless networking none of this should matter. Some of us prefer to wear a business suit, whilst many adopt more comfortable attire. Each corporation, each market has its own conventions that work just fine for most of the year.

So why make temporary changes of policy? Even for single events or conferences. This just causes confusion and embarrassment, especially to employees new to the business or international secondees just off the plane.

How the potato staple fastens the boom

"The great mass of the French nation is formed by the simple addition of homologous magnitudes, much as potatoes in a sack form a sack of potatoes." Karl Marx

Just as he ridiculed the French bourgeoisie of his time, Marx himself evidently had little affinity for the humble potato, but one of his contemporaries had different ideas. Friedrich Engels identified how the potato underpinned the British industrial revolution of the 19th century, even going so far as to declare it the equal of iron for its "historically revolutionary role".

As a cheap source of calories and nutrients, and easy for urbanized workers to grow in the backyard plots of their terraced and tenement housing, potatoes became popular in England's northern coal regions during the early 19th century. Just as coal fired the furnace, the potato fuelled a population boom that provided the labour necessary for rapid industrial growth.

Is it a coincidence then, as China continues a sublime upward curve, and India's population explodes in parallel with unbridled economic development, that China and India now harvest nearly one third of the world's annual potato crop?

Metrically less labour-intensive and more nutritional per acre, and often more easily cultivated than rice, the exponential switch from the traditional crop to the bulbous tuber has unleashed a baby boom tsunami and a tidal wave of manpower.

This rapid community aggregation combined with a bedrock of diverse economic, cultural and artistic infrastructures, has productized these two countries. India and China have incubated a rich seam of models and best-of-breed deliverables synergized with all aspects of the supply-chain, from manufacturing goods to hi-tech e-solutions and consultancy services.

You have to ask: would all this be, were it not for some strong Désirée, an occasional Fingerling and a bit of Pink Eye?