Back in May a symposium took place which I followed with great interest. The idea was to follow-up the Decade of The Brain, which was truly successful, with a “Decade Of The Mind”. I love the idea - and ideas, thoughts, and imagination is what it’s all about. We do seem to be really getting a grip on the chemical complexitites of Na++ exchange in neurons, and the role of the basal ganglia in learning and emotions, and so on. However, the problem of cognition, how a thought is formed is still nowhere near fully understood.

The symposium has produced real interest and has been widely publicized. To investigate more there are videos available now from George Mason University which are an excellent account of the proceedings.

This is theme I know I’ll be coming back to again and again: the mind is the culture, the brain the organization: it could be an interesting decade.

One of daughters, unbeknown to me decided to drag a stool over to my my desk, climb up, and get a fingernail under the j key on my G4 mac. Key pops off. As I could find no instructions and lots of questions, and I have fixed the problem, below is a complete solution…

To mend: you will see four parts: two plastic rings, the key cover (With the letter, number, or symbol on it), and the keyboard with a toothy gap in it. The tricky part is all in the two plastic rings. They form a spring for the key. The bigger lies on the bottom, and the smaller part goes through the bigger to form an X.

The bottom (the larger) has two thinner but more pronounced nodules these will go eventually towards the screen. The smaller has two smaller nodules on the end of the frame, these lie on top of the larger nodule. The part of the smaller plastic ring with no nodules lies underneath the bigger plastic ring.

The two nodules halfway along the body of the smaller plastic ring are now inserted into the corresponding holes in the bigger plastic ring. You should be able to raise the two plastic rings into a fixed and firm X and also lay them totally flat, provided the smaller ring is half on top of the larger ring, and half underneath.

Put the actual flat letter key to one side. If you try to mount the key on the plastic X and then mount it all into the keyboard you will never succeed. Believe me I know…

To mount. Look into the keyboard. You will see a square. Nearer the space bar side you will see small metal bar, and, at the top (nearer the screen) you will see two holes . You must fix the small plastic ring to the space bar side first. (That’ll account for the 15 minutes of life I lost working that out). So, firstly, slot the smaller ring over the small raised metal bar nearer the keyboard. This is tricky, but achievable with patience. Then carefully insert the larger ring’s nodules into those holes at the top of the key box (nearer the screen). This is achievable with even greater patience. Once this is done, see that is can both lay flat and be raised into a fixed and firm X. Then look on the underneath of the key itself. You will see on the underside above the letter two small grooves the top of the smaller plastic ring goes here. The best tip is to lay the key on top of the flat plastic rings and simply push, jiggle, and push until it clicks. This should also be mirrored at the front of the keyboard, and voilà, one mended key. (If it goes wrong and breaks, sorry, it worked for me.)

Only took me 45 minutes to work out how it all fitted together - it seemed a lot longer - and I had visions of spending $80 or more on a new keyboard… now it works vis à vis… jjjjjjj

One of the more interesting developments of the this decade has been the rise of the business magazine; no longer just the WSJ, or the FT, now Forbes, HBR, and the Economist are reporting more and more readers, but are also threatened by a host of new magazines. One of the hottest without a doubt given it’s stable and their pedigree is Portfolio, published by Condé Nast. If I’m enthusiastic it’s because good style and great content are something close to my heart.

They have just launched a new section on the site in conjunction with the Harvard Business Review a new section on their webpage entitled Insight Center, which has a pretty intelegant twist to it: clear, fast, insight to modern management and work. Though it still is retrospective and advocates much command and control in its thinking, it is an excellent way to digest ideas in bite size chunks.

Here below is a piece by Larry Bossidy on “What Your Leader Expects of You”

Relationships between bosses and their subordinates figure strongly in any team’s success. When those bonds are working as they should, they drive performance and growth over the long haul. Yet while the leadership literature specifies actions bosses should take, it says little about the actions leaders should expect from their followers.

How to promote effective leader-follower relationships in your team? Former AlliedSignal CEO Bossidy advises forging a boss-subordinate compact that defines a mutual set of crystal-clear expectations.

For example, as a direct report, you’re expected to offer your creative ideas. Your boss wants to hear them, because even seemingly crazy ideas can spark spectacular successes. As the boss, you’re expected to tell your people where the business is going, why, and how they’ll benefit if they accomplish key goals. This clarity helps people see how their jobs contribute to the enterprise overall.

When each side fulfills its part of the boss-subordinate compact, your team and company benefit.

The boss-subordinate compact spells out additional expectations for both parties:

As a Subordinate…

• Get involved. If you’re a manager, step in the moment someone falls behind with his commitments, when an interpersonal conflict crops up, and when a crisis erupts. And deliver bad news to your boss yourself.
• Collaborate. Overcome differences between you and others so you work together effectively—even if you don’t like each other.
• Lead initiatives. Don’t be reluctant to associate yourself with unproven ideas, especially those that cross functional or unit boundaries. Raise your hand, and you’ll climb the ladder faster than those who don’t.
• Develop your own people. Take as active an interest in your employees’ development as you do in your own—if not more. Go out of your way to criticize and praise your people when they need it. And get directly involved in performance reviews, supplying people with specific, candid, and useful feedback.
• Stay current. Regularly read and watch the news. What happens in the world affects what happens with your team, your marketplace, and your competition. Also know what’s going on with your customers—how they’re changing, how their competition is changing, and how technology and world events are affecting their strategies. Your customer relationships are key assets: bring them to the table.
• Drive your own growth. Seek perpetual education and development—not necessarily by going to school but by finding exposure to new people and ideas. Seek feedback from your boss, and accept demanding assignments.
• Be a player for all seasons. Demonstrate positive behaviors even during hard times. You’ll sustain your ability to motivate and inspire your own people no matter what’s going on around you.

As a Leader…

• Define specific goals for your people. Specify the achievements you expect from your employees as a team and as individuals, as well as what they are going to be measured on over a given period. You’ll help them decide where to invest their energy and time.
• Be available. If you expect your people to stay up to date and keep you informed about what’s going on, be accessible when they need to see you. And don’t come down on them if they bring you bad news.
• Compensate employees fairly. Ensure that people understand how the compensation system works, and that they’re rewarded for specific contributions to goals you’ve laid out.

Business Intelegant applauds all attempts to help people understand what work is, and hopes for more clarity and good idea sowing.