#Its the number for the Happy Valley dream survey

[grapegoggle]

Do NAWT go to the ramen shop in Buraza Town.

[tundrainafrica]

So I see your a LeviHan shipper!! I enjoy the ship a lot too!! But are there any specific reason that their your favorite?? Maybe you could explain that a little through a list? But anyways I hope your week has been good so far, Sav. Have a good day/night!!!! - Signed by Your Secret Santa 🎄

Hello! Thank you for asking about my week (and my ship). 

I enjoy the ship a lot too!! But are there any specific reason that their your favorite? 

To answer that first question...

You’re in for a long rollercoaster ride of a rant because I don’t think I’m the type of person to ship anything to the point of writing domestic fluff fics unless the I felt really really drawn to the ship. 

Anyway, (slight) spoilers abound! Will keep manga spoilers subtle, mostly Levihan scenes.

Disclaimer: I do not want to start shipping wars. I specifically avoided the words like should or best because I recognize that shipping is generally based on preferences. I respect everyone’s preferences on what they want out of a ship or even a relationship and through this, I just hope to express my own preferences and maybe even gush with people who agree.

1. The ship did not move the plot. The plot moved the ship.

Attack on Titan is not a romance or a shojo, if it’s not fairly obvious from any chapter you would randomly read. As a reader, I would have expected it to fall short with pairings. Most shows which are not romance based tend to have a few pairings which just suddenly end up together towards the end of the manga because “What’s a happy ending without marriage and kids?” There is usually a trend of just pairing of the extras and sometimes, or maybe even more often than not, it just seems to come out of nowhere (ehem... Naruto.). Maybe the relationship worked off screen but I dunno. Like no shipping war here but the only pairing I had full support for was Shikatema. 

In stories classified as romances, there is enough of a spotlight on the sexual tension and mutual pining of specific characters for the romance to be considered reasonable. In my opinion, some authors tend to sacrifice really good world building for a good romance. Objectively twilight for example had some crazy good world building but it just kinda focused a little too much on emo Bella and emo Edward for the world building to actually be appreciated by the casual reader. Tbh though, this is not necessarily bad because people get into stuff for reasons, sometimes, I just wanna read a good fantasy, sometimes I just wanna read a good romance.

Romances though as a main driving point for narratives, require some convenient serendipity moments and sexual tension which can be written well but as a reader, I prefer to see more natural relationships born out of necessity (Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata is a good example of what I’m talking about in a romance novel.)

Attack on Titan through its narrative actually made Levihan seem VERY VERY possible. If I had to compare the presentation of this ship in canon to at least one relationship in other anime, I would compare it to Royai from FMA. 

Like, if Attack on Titan didn’t give us random subtle hints about romantic or just platonic relationships between the two or even about anyone, even if Levi and Hange did get together in the end, it would have been one of the pairings, I probably wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow at. 

But they could be just friends? Which brings me to my next point.

2. Their current situation makes it so it’s only natural that at the least, they considered it. 

Yes. Friends is a valid interpretation for anything. I mean, given our hook up culture, people can fuck as friends too. People probably have made out drunk as friends too. Like I have seen my fair share of this type of bullshit in high school and college and I would say, we do not need a kiss or a fucking session to recognize that something can be a good relationship or to recognize that they have probably thought about it. 

A relationship requires a commitment (conscious or unconscious) to caring for the other, keeping the other safe, recognizing their flaws and thinking about them regularly (Call me scott peck or marriage counselor but like I honestly think the world would be a better place once people recognize that quality romantic relationships are worked for).

Mind you, Levi and Hange lost everything.They literally lost everything from their old life, all their friends, all their loved ones and all they have is each other and they’re forced to take care of a bunch of kids.

There are people who have said before, no one gets very close with someone without ever considering a romantic relationship with them. Or even if they never considered it romantic, they could consider at least “living with them their whole life,” or “supporting them through thick and thin.” The things is, towards the end, they were constantly together and what drove them to that situation is that both of them are aware of what the other had lost. They understood each other more than anyone else and they recognized that they were the only ones left in their own circle and I personally think that is more than enough for a relationship to naturally bloom between them.

3. The relationship and the signs are subtle and it works.

I personally probably would not have enjoyed it if canon showed a romantic relationship of the two after Erwin died. It’s a valid interpretation to consider that it could have happened, based on my explanation for number 2 but Hange is commander, Levi is captain. They have a professional relationship and they have goals and obligations which take precedence over personal desires. They are in the middle of a war and the most which probably could have happened was a secret mutual pining between the two and I think Isayama has injected the most subtle hints which are the most that could have been appropriately put into canon without seeming too OOC. Hange and Levi are not selfish people. They have promises, dreams and obligations which they respect and have committed themselves to already. It has also been shown at earlier points of the manga that they do put their survey corps duties on top of everything so acting on a romantic attraction at that point in time would have definitely been inappropriate. 

I personally think, the scenes of Hange going out of her way to save Levi as commander, killing her other soldiers to save both their asses, suggesting in the forest that they live together instead of go back to the war and not leaving an injured Levi until she had no choice were more powerful than a lot of romantic scenes where people actually fuck and kiss. Kissing and fucking are easy. Leaving the duties and responsibilities they have worked for for five years to keep the person they love alive hits way harder. 

Call it platonic. Call it romantic. But no one like Hange would have deserted her post as commander for a few chapters to take care of a sick comrade and kill her subordinates to save their asses if there wasn’t anything between them. 

4. It gives a great example what healthy relationships can come from. 

I grew up reading sweet valley and chick lits cause I was a basic bitch and I kinda grew up with a somehow unrealistic idea of where relationships come from. Call me a late bloomer but I only actually figured out where the romance and the happiness of a relationship was when I got into one with my best friend for five years. 

It’s the sexual tension and the “will they wont they?” push and pull which can lead to satisfying sex or a happy ending in romance novels. I think in a way, media kinda overglorifies it which kinda gives a lot of young people the wrong idea about why they getting into a relationship is fun in the first place.  Because after the satisfying sex and the kids, what’s next for the relationship?

Years of utility bills, diapers, chores, schedules, parent teacher conferences and compromises until someone gives up or dies. And what kind of relationships can actually thrive through all these? 

Those that have mastered the underrated parts of relationships. These include conflict resolutions, compromises and open communication. I think we have seen enough of those two, even before season 3 that have shown that they know each other very well and they have shown to at least have a relatively equal power dynamic which is a foundation for open communication and mutual trust in relationships even beyond the fucking and marriage stage 

5. They have a great foundation of character development for both parties.

As I mentioned above, they have a relatively equal power dynamic. I love Royai from FMA and I have compared Royai to this multiple times. I would say though I prefer Levihan over Royai because I felt that Royai had more unequal power dynamics? (Though I still think Royai is a top tier ship ). Also, they have shown to tell off the other when they don’t like what the other is doing. They are complete opposites but here is the magical thing. They talk everything out. They’re generally open people to each other and they know each other way too well as hinted in scenes before and opposites work as long as the others are willing to compromise. I think (especially in season 3 and season 4) that they have done enough for each other and have compromised enough for each other in the survey corps that these skills could easily be brought with them even after the war.

That open communication is just what makes them maintaining a relationship while being complete opposites very OC and realistic. Eventually, they did probably did make compromises, which most likely softened or moderated the crazy parts of their personalities which is just a really fun part of their relationship to explore. 

6. It could realistically last so maybe ...

7. A good foundation for happy children?

Maybe it’s how it is written because of the actual story and why would Yams write a romantic drama in a story about genocide and war. Tbh, I would attribute it more to Levi and Hange’s personalities though because Mikasa and Eren have their fair share of drama, mostly one sided though coz Mikasa. This relationship has no drama, no misunderstandings which just further supports my point that they have a relationship that thrives on open communication and mutual trust. Drama is fun like when we’re the ones on the sidelines eating the popcorn but I have third wheeled enough people in my life to realize that I will not support a relationship where both parties are just not ready to be mature about it, in real life and in fiction. 

My favorite couples, in real life and in fiction, are definitely those who keep conflict among themselves and maybe among trusted people. I think one sign of a healthy relationship is one where problems don’t become public through social media or through like 20 people. One important yet underrated part of relationships is the atmosphere of comfort and freedom which encourages both parties to be able to directly approach one another before tensions and uncertainties get out of hand.  

And a life free of dramas at least in the early stages of life just kinda shows at least that both parties are ready to bring a new life to the world? Because like immature parents with shitty conflict resolution skills really fuck kids up man and I passionately believe the world would really be a better place if babies were born out of trust, mutual understanding and open communication instead of sex but yeah, make sex fun to keep our race alive.

So anyway, I guess, I just finished explaining why I love this ship so much while also disclosing my preferences for relationships. 

As mentioned above...

Disclaimer: I do not want to start shipping wars. I specifically avoided the words like should or best because I recognize that shipping is generally based on preferences. I respect everyone’s preferences on what they want out of a ship or even a relationship and through this, I just hope to express my own preferences and maybe even gush with people who agree.

Other pairings which I support for those curious: Shikatema, Royai, Victuuri, Percabeth etc.

Also... To answer your second question... 

My week has been great, some pretty solid life developments but US elections wise, not so great... (WHY IS THE ELECTION RACE SO CLOSE?)

[awholeotherlevel]

Valley of Shadows-Chapter 1

By Camille Scott

Harriet stretched a slender arm sideways, grasping the bar underneath her foot.  She touched forehead to knee, before whisking the leg from its perch.  Harriet retreated, leaving Bach alone with his music.  Such were the times she was at peace; on the verge of exhaustion, the ballerina ran fresh bathwater and added a touch of jasmine to the swirling water.

In the bedroom, Harriet peeled off her leotard.  She returned to the bathroom and quickly immersed herself in the foaming liquid. Bach floated into the room.  Harriet smiled and began scrubbing her skin with the soapy towel.  Now that the ballet tour was over, she would go and see about mom.  Her brother sent the text last night.

Some mothers phoned, hers contracted mysterious illnesses.  Visits from each of her children were the doses necessitated by her “illnesses.”  Harriet and her siblings loathed such visits and went reluctantly.  Guilt forced them there, maintaining its unwavering grasp on the reins of their conscience.  The adult children had been summoned to pay homage to their earthly master; the one mortal who could break their spirits.

An oppressive sense of obligation would take Harriet, Rachel, and Richard into custody until they had done their duty.  Then having served their time, they would be released on parole into the world beyond their mother’s front gate.  Poor Joshua never did escape.  He still lived with her.

Harriet sighed over the uneasy, guilt laden days and sleepless nights that lay ahead.  Then she dismissed the burdensome thoughts and summoned up more pleasant ones.  Harriet thought about the previous nights’ performance.  Her mind’s eye traveled across the happy faces in the Parisian audience. A faint smile spread across her face.

She completed her task and climbed out of the tub, wrapping herself in a bath towel before releasing the water.  Bach had already finished and lay dormant until his presence was again requested.  Harriet gazed at her reflection, attributing grace to the sharp almost gaunt face, overlooking the cloudy eyes and dark circles that had begun to show despite her deep complexion.

“Now that the show is over, I can eat a decent meal.  Not now though, I’ve got a plane to catch tonight and I haven’t even thought about packing!”

*                                                      *                                                   *

Across the ocean in a New York apartment, lay Harriet’s brother Richard listening to the sounds of traffic and pedestrians below his open window.  Darkness was absolute.  HIs body tensed and relaxed, fighting for control of his consciousness.  All at once, the battle ended.  Richard’s body was overcome with fatigue and he fell into a fitful sleep:

“Richard? Richard! Where are you boy?”

“Mom, is that you?”

“Who do you think it is boy?  Get in this house.  You haven’t done a single chore!”

In the dream, Richard started towards the house staring in disbelief.  With each step, the house seemed to shift and expand, to age.  He reached the front porch and suddenly found himself before a dilapidated building.  Anxiety numbed his faculties, holding him riveted to that spot.  Richard knew that he had seen the building before, but where?  Where?

“Richard, if I have to come get you, then you’ll be sorry!”

“B-but mom, this isn’t our house.”

“Stop talking foolish and get in here boy!”

He lingered for a moment, stunned by a powerful foreboding brought on by the strange familiarity of the building and the situation before him.”

“Get in here now!”

Her angry voice propelled him forward, through a decaying door, into the darkness beyond it.

“Well, it’s about time! What in the hell were you doing? Always running off somewhere...”

Richard followed the sound of his mother’s voice, until it stopped abruptly.  The darkness suddenly contracted; pushing in on all sides like thousands of tiny hands.  Richard gasped stale air.  All at once, the sensation ceased.  He felt a presence behind him and spun around to face a woman’s shadowy figure.  Richard recognized her and the entire situation came back to him.

“Is that?  Oh no, she’s going to..nooooo!”

Richard with a jolt. The sound of the gunshot echoed in his mind.  As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he realized that it had just been another nightmare.  Yet one hand unconsciously moved to his heaving chest.  Yes, it had only been a dream.  Richard sat up, further reassured by the shabby room.  Swinging his legs off of the rickety bed, he rose and crossed to the television.  In switching it on, Richard dislodged a stack of envelopes.

On a whim, he knelt and began studying the accumulation of mail.  Richard now made it a point to sift through the stack every few weeks, after unnoticed utility bills left him without gas and electricity for several days in the dead of winter.  Magazine subscription offers, contests and organizational literature ran together until something made him stop.  He glared at the all too familiar envelope and discarded it unopened.

“What does mom want now?”

     *             ��                                      *                                                       *

In Chicago at that same moment, Rachel cast one last glance over her shoulder, reassuring herself that no one had followed her.  She quickly slipped through her front door and bolted it.  Something on the floor caught one of her high heels and flung her against the carpet.

“Ouch! Let me find some light, before I break my neck!”

Blind man’s bluff ended with her switching on an end table lamp.  The weak bulb gashed a dim hole in the middle of the room, forcing darkness against the walls.  Rachel did not need light to know that Billie Holiday was waiting on the vintage record player turntable.  She strolled over and gingerly switched on friend, soul sister and emotional mediator.  Remembering her package, she stooped to retrieve it with her purse and met the sinister gaze of a rag doll.

“I could have mauled myself on that stupid thing! How many times have I told that little imp to keep her...”

Pain tore at Rachel’s insides, as rage and sorrow welled up in a violent tug-of-war. 

“That no good bastard! It’s just like that coward to snatch my baby and run off with his tail between his legs!”

Anger gave way and sorrow forced Rachel to her knees.  She knelt in silence, watching tears shower the carpet at her knees.  As the pain subsided, Rachel became aware that Billie was still with her.  She moaned, “I’m getting too old for this.  Yes, it’s time to go and see momma gain.  She’ll fix everything.”

Rachel picked herself up and carried her packages to the bedroom.  She unwrapped the dress, taking a moment to caress the silky fabric.  Yes, time would stop when Rachel slipped into this little number.  Just imagining all of the jealous faces lifted her spirits.  After a train ticket and a present for her mother, this dress had taken her last dollar, but she couldn't go home looking like something the cat dragged in could she?  

Besides, the hicks in her hometown looked up to her; lived to see what they could never have or be.  Come Sunday morning, she wanted...no, she had to give her mother’s congregation something to remember until the next visit.  Oh yeah, she’d knock those old hags flat!  Rachel opened her closet door, gazing lovingly at her many hats, shoes, furs, suits, dresses and slacks like Nefertiti surveying her royal treasures.  She started to pack, tossing her costly selections into an equally exorbitant suitcase.

A mirror caught Rachel’s eye and she stopped to admire her beauty.  A visit back home was just what she needed.  She would go home and let those losers feast their eyes on her.  Let them put her back up on a pedestal where she belonged.  Her smile faded as each step towards the mirror highlighted the weariness, bringing into focus the bags that hung from her tired eyes. 

Once again, reality butchered her high spirits and Rachel mourned the passing.  How could he?  That bastard! She hadn’t even wanted to marry him.  Her mother had chosen this one, arguing that he could take care of her and provide a comfortable life. For a while, it really seemed as though it would work.  He adored her and gave her everything she asked for.

Rachel stumbled out of the room, possessed by a need to stifle pain before it consumed her.  How was she going to explain her predicament to her mother? How could she go slinking back home with her hand out again? She dreaded it, but she had nowhere else to go.  She had no job and no prospects.  Without her husband to pay the bills, she would lose the house.  Rachel sank onto the couch and tore open her purse.  Unsteady hands filled the needle and emptied it back into a speckled arm.  Rachel closed her eyes and lay back.

Soon, Billie’s voice rose and swirled around the room, twirling about Rachel’s limp body.  Rachel opened deluded eyes to a vivid hallucination.  She gazed at sleek couples crouched behind their nightclub tables, silently devouring each note captured by their hungry ears.  She looked up and there was Lady Day herself, bejeweled, austere, framed by the magic that poured from her shimmering lips.  The spell faded as the record ended.  Rachel watched the audience dissipate, curling towards the ceiling like so much cigarette smoke.  Ms. Holiday gave a royal curtsey and exited through the living room wall.

Rachel closed her heavy lids, listening to the phonograph arm bump along empty record grooves.  Then grooves became tracks and rhythm was motion.  She was a passenger on a locomotive.  Once more, Rachel opened her watery eyes and was amazed at what she saw.  She was in a train, seated by a window, surrounded by daisies that sprung up out of the seat cushions.  A conductor strolled down the aisle, smiling genially at her.

“Ticket please.”

She looked up at him and smiled.

“Daddy?”

“Yes baby, I came back for you.  I just need your ticket.”

“But daddy, I don't have a ticket.”

“Then you have to go back home.”

“No, take me with you daddy!”

       *                                                       *                                                *

It was already hot down in Arkansas where Joshua stood staring absentmindedly at his full coffee mug.  His tired eyes sought answers which surely lie within and dissipated with the steam that rose from the scalding brew as phantoms fleeing purgatory.  Joshua surrendered with a weary sigh, after taking a vindictive sip.

“Needs more sugar.”

He reached across the counter and began transferring huge sums to his coffee, stopping just short of syrup.  This having failed to inspire, Joshua wandered back over to the kitchen table and sat in front of his laptop, glowering at the screen.  He was having a serious case of writer’s block.

“Aw hell,” he muttered.

Joshua switched off his laptop and reached consolingly for his pack of cigarettes.  A coughing jag tormented his lean body, interrupting his lack of concentration.

“These things are gonna kill me.”

As if death were as inconsequential as the stubbing of one’s toe, Joshua shrugged.  He picked up a pencil and doodled on a crumpled napkin. His mother wouldn’t be home from the hospital for a few days and he hardly knew what to do with himself.  A knock at the door temporarily resolved the dilemma.  He went and glanced through the screen.  A smile bloomed on Joshua’s face.

“Hey man, what are you doing up this early on a Saturday morning? I thought you’d be under somebody’s porch sleeping off last night.”

“Nah man, when you’re in love, you don’t need sleep!”

“I know what that means.  Your old lady must want you to do something,” said Joshua laughingly.

“Well, now that you mention it, I do need to borrow your lawn mower.”

“I knew it! She sure keeps you jumping.”

“Can I come in, or are you gonna leave me standing out here?”

“Well, If you’re waiting for an engraved invitation, then you’re gonna grow old standing out there on the porch!”

Thomas lumbered past Richard grinning and sprawled on the living room couch.

“What you got to eat in this joint?”

“Nothing for you!”

“Aw come on man, I’m starving.  What did you have for breakfast?”

“Coffee, cold collard greens and a hot dog.”

Thomas’ masculine face twisted in distaste.

“Now why would anyone willingly eat garbage for breakfast?  You don’t have an ulcer, you’ve got heartburn Einstein!”

Joshua laughed appreciatively, more at Thomas than the joke.  What was it about this lazy, mischievous, beautifully ugly dude that pleased him so?  Thomas was the only person on earth who could make Joshua laugh at himself and the world.  But then, it had always been that way.  Whenever Joshua started taking things too seriously, felt the tide of his emotions carrying him away, Thomas was there to drag him back to reality sometimes kicking and screaming but always laughing.

“I thought you came to borrow my lawn mower.”

“I did, but I’m still hungry.  What you got sweet to eat? Any of your mom’s pie left?”

Thomas followed Joshua into the kitchen, peering over his shoulder when he opened the refrigerator.

“Listen, how’s your mom Josh?”

“Fine, she’ll be home in a few days.”

“What was wrong with her?”

“They’re not sure.  They want to run a few more tests and keep her under observation for a while.”

“Oh...hey, isn’t that a slice of pie over behind the peas?”

“It sure is.  Here you go.”

Joshua retrieved the dish and handed it to his friend.

“Grab that milk Josh.  I can’t eat pie without milk.  Hey, tell your mom I hope she’s back on her feet soon.”

Joshua leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Thomas finish off the pie quickly with big bites.  He gulped down the rest of the milk and put his dishes in the sink.

“Nine o’clock already! I’ve gotta get going.  Is the mower still out in the garage?”

Joshua nodded and watched Thomas move to the back door.

“So, why does her highness want you to mow her lawn?  Where are her brothers?”

“Otherwise occupied and she’s having a dinner party tonight.”

“It’s at night?  Nobody’s gonna notice her lawn in the dark!”

“Yeah, but you know how she is; gotta have everything just so.”

Joshua shook his head over the invisible leash which seemed to grow shorter everyday.  It was times like this which made him thankful that he wasn’t in a “serious” relationship.  Joshua sat on the back porch and waited for Thomas to emerge from the detached garage at the other end of the yard.  

Come to think of it, he had never been in a steady relationship.  Joshua was always much too shy to approach girls in high school and college.  Even now, he only went on dates as favors to pals whose girlfriends had homely friends.  Besides, the few times he started dating, his mother ran the women off with fire and brimstone lectures about sinful flesh.  No one was ever morally wholesome enough for her son.  Joshua was lost in thought and did not see Thomas emerge from the garage.  His friend’s voice startled him.

“Well, I’m gonna take off.  I’ll bring back your mower tomorrow.”

“Huh? Oh alright man, I’ll catch you later.”

Thomas waved and pushed the mower to his car.  Joshua watched his friend’s lopsided grin disappear around the side of the house.  The sun fell from his mental horizon and an all too familiar pang returned to nudge at his stomach.  Joshua knew it would be weeks before he saw or heard from Thomas again.  Since meeting Nicole two years ago, she had wormed her way into more and more of his life; consuming his time like a tapeworm.  It wouldn’t be long before that woman figured out how to sever all his old ties.

Nicole was a highfalutin’ wannabe who worked hard at forgetting where she had come from.  She also didn’t seem to recall scheming her way into the good life, by charming and manipulating the terminal patients she provided care to as a nurse.  Somehow, she got many of them to sign over their assets to her.  Of course, she and her crowd told a different story.  Joshua rubbed his eyes, retrieved a cigarette from behind his left ear and lit it with the lighter he always kept in his pocket.  He sighed, thinking about an imminent deadline for his latest article.  Time to get busy.

[tachtutor]

Has anyone heard of the Happy valley dream survey? Its creepy because after i heard about it a weird dream had occurred after i went to bed : mystery

Has anyone heard of the Happy valley dream survey? Its creepy because after i heard about it a weird dream had occurred after i went to bed : mystery

[ad_1]

happy valley dream survey

Has anyone heard of the “happy valley dream survey?” “Strange flyers have appeared over the years asking people to call a mysterious phone number and describe their dreams. Everything about it seems extremely sketchy and No one knows who made the flyers or what their true purpose is.” For more information i will link a video about this strange occurrence here htt…

[maritzaerwin]

Is Virtual Teambuilding Effective?

Skilled workers going remote are now at 50% and counting. I wonder why. Groceries are considered safe when they give off a mild antibacterial fragrance. Facemasks are an accessory without which fashion is no longer haute couture.

Countless Zoom chats later, your average line manager frantically searches for a realistic set of virtual team building activities in the hopes of keeping his or her team responsive at the upcoming conference call. Remote is the hipp new norm. A recent survey by Deloitte seems to suggest so.

The shift from downtown real estate to a mix of virtual TelCo infrastructure is already here. Facebook and Twitter made news announcing permanent work from home plans, but if you ask me, the real headlines belong to giants like Nationwide Insurance. Based out of Ohio with close to 100 years in business, their brand image isn’t synonymous with disruption or any other fancy silicon valley jargon.   

Server bandwidth vs. a monthly lease reduction isn’t the only advantage either. While board members and executives pioneer decisions across real estate or infrastructure, line managers are the ones left picking up the tab on the hidden costs of the new remote wave.

Tasked with building virtual teams from scratch they are often forced to do so with no prior experience. All the while watching their quarterly targets grow ever more ambitious and keeping performance KPIs in check.

Despite understandable ambivalence after putting together, in many cases their very first, remote team in just under nine weeks of time, 44% of middle management personnel label their direct reports to be more productive; to the utter delight of the board and the executive team, it seems.

“Companies shifted almost their entire office workforce to remote work as the virus spread in the US, and 73% percent of executives say it was a success.”

Have we, unknowingly so, stumbled upon something extraordinary? According to NPR’s recent interview with Kate Lister, who is the president of a workplace consulting firm that measures and champions remote work —yes, we have.

“The biggest holdback against remote work for the past 20 years has been middle managers who didn’t trust their employees to do it…and the biggest difference between managers who support it and those who don’t is those who have done it.”

Can My Team Walk Out on Me?

The flip side of the coin on these positive numbers is efficiency. 29% remain ambivalent about being on a remote team. They are less sure about being productive. For Lister, reporting structure and organizational procedures are a critical part of remote employee productivity.

“One of the top reasons for high employee turnover in remote workers is the lack of understanding in managers on how to properly set up a remote team…especially when they do so for the first time”.

In other words, it’s one thing to surrender a lease on your office space and download Zoom — but building out effective processes that both deliver results and keep your team from churning, is not so simple to do without prior experience.

Doing anything for the first time is bound to come with a learning curve. According to an estimate from SpotMe, a company whose business of building event apps has been transformed by the pandemic: “66% of event and meeting planners have never hosted a virtual webinar”. If you ever hosted one, think of how productive it was on the first attempt and how many of the attendees were ecstatic at the prospect of a second round.

And if you are not thinking about employee churn rate, reasoning that the current economic climate should act as a deterrent from changing jobs, think again. I am not only referring to traditionally introverted IT units who are well paid and in many cases have an existing culture of remote work.

I mean divisions like marketing, sales, or customer service who are always in demand and have now spent an unprecedented amount of time working from home. Can you really be sure that in between conference calls they aren’t looking for what else is out there?

And if joining a potential competitor just isn’t something you have envisioned for most members of your organization, what about the spirit of entrepreneurship? How many countless hours of life coaching ads should your average marketing manager or customer service representative watch before they decide to start some sort of a side gig on YouTube?

France 24, for example, recently ran a segment on the state of affairs for french startups & entrepreneurs that register them. The government channel reported the number of new business registrations to be at their historic high when compared, seasonality wise, to any other fiscal year on record. Blomberg backs up the state media channel by data from Insee.

(Source)

A spokesperson from Cloutboost, a marketing agency that consults its clients on how to find gaming Youtubers, backs up the conclusion that these numbers are driving at. “We have seen a 25% increase of new talent joining our network throughout the lockdown period.

The growth hasn’t stopped since and we are confident that these numbers will continue to increase in the coming months.” This makes sense because those sales, marketing, and customer service reps thinking of going off to start their own business are more than likely college grads, often armed with a Masters’s degree and enough disposable income to invest into their next, perhaps small, yet still entrepreneurial venture.

And if their savings aren’t enough, various stimulus packages and furlough schemes are there to help.

The Brave New World

Whatever your position on churn, employee turnover can be a risky metric to neglect. Companies with headcounts of 150+ full-time employees rely on HR to mitigate this risk. Large multinationals traditionally rely on HRBP’s (Human Resources Business Partner) to be the stewards of employee experience 

Dave Ulrick attributes the mitigation of this risk to what has colloquially become known as a culture workplace process. If this sounds abstract, don’t worry, it is.

Seemingly quoted by every authority on the topic of HR, Dave’s work boils down to what we’ve all known to be true yet lacked the vocabulary to say out loud. Human Relations and departments designated to deal with them have been rapidly evolving for quite some time. Responsibilities of HR in the early ’90s differ from those today. 

Classic HR functions are out the window. Perks, bonus structures, off-site retreats, and quarterly happiness surveys have long been the new norm. I recently consulted for a startup that invested in an unknown French HR management software.

Their HR department – a brave army of one executive assistant tasked with recruitment, client billing, and facilities management – needed support when the team expanded beyond 15 full-time employees. The first message displayed in everyone’s inbox once the software went online – rate your happiness on a scale 1 – 5.

My point is that a day spent without a reminder of the important role that people culture plays in an organization’s efficiency, is a day spent under a rock. And I’ll be the first in line to admit that my worst day in 2020 beats anyone’s best day in an era when recruitment specialists advised against wearing short sleeve shirts to an interview or urged applicants to disclose their height, weight, and whether or not they own a home. 

The fact that HR is preoccupied with making sure that the office cafeteria is stacked with ingredients for soybean frappuccino lattes is nothing less than a dream come true.

To the best of my knowledge, the fact that a company is not considered progressive unless someone on their LinkedIn is titled Happiness Manager does resonate with the young, millennial, creative workforce they aim to attract. It certainly resonates with me.

Whether or not this trend is financially sustainable to maintain for small startups in a market for cheap HR management software is a separate topic entirely. But the likes of Google or Facebook don’t get a choice as superb office spaces and friendly HR staff have become nothing short of the industry standard.

Lines separating facilities and recruitment should be blurry. Because the fog tends to make future tendencies all the more pronounced. Through personal interviews of over 400 HRBP’s Gartner predicts 4 main trends that the role of an HRBP will entail between now and 2025. Trend #2: HRBPs become stewards of the employee experience

“HR functions will shift from expanding support for what employees need at work to expanding support for what employees experience at work. This shift will require HRBPs to identify the experiences employees value most and help eliminate the work that’s least valuable to employees.”

June 2019, Gartner

What should then HR do in the age of public quarantine and social distancing? Keeping a team happy and motivated when public venues are open is hard enough. Keeping them happy and motivated through a living room crawling with kids or a distant coworking facility is even harder. Add to that the stress of indoor confinement and you got yourself something I would call an HRBP dilemma.

Is Teambuilding Effective?

Well, this will have to depend on which camp you are in. Beating the drum of proverbial ivy leaguers, team building is an essential component of success. Especially in trying times of confinement and social distancing. Corporate culture is the DNA that codes how your employees will perform.

“At Mars, we learned that to get people to work together, we had to let them figure out how that would actually improve results.”

HBR, Sep 2018

In marketing, we have a funny metric called Return On Ad $ Spend (ROAS). The amount of revenue earned by a business for each dollar it spends on advertising. Market, industry, or channel type aren’t really relevant. What is relevant is the bottom line. Especially when it comes to human resources in the digital age.

But this should not come as a surprise. MIT’s Human Dynamics Lab proved the notion of ROAS in HR as far back as 2012 with Professor Sandy Pantland and his collarbone sensor experiments with Bank of America.

In collaboration with Sociometric Solutions, Pantland’s lab put the strength of team building to the test by analyzing behavioral patterns of call center employees across 30+ multinational corporations. Measured through an indicator referred to as “account handling time” (ACH), Pantland was able to empirically prove the effects of team building on an organization’s bottom line.

Even then the hypothesis that increasing employee break time will increase annual turnover sounded seductive. Who would think that enabling customer service reps to mingle by the water cooler will have an indirect impact on an organization’s cash flow?

Well, Pantland’s hypothesis was correct and the implementation of his techniques boosted ACH by 8%. And when MIT checked in a year later, their pilot got implemented across 25,000 call center units worldwide. Forecasting to yield $15M in RAOS by year-end.

There will always be someone to argue that revenue is a poor metric for gaging emotions. After all, what else is a happiness manager supposed to manage if not employee emotions? I can relate to this argument and direct its proponents to Pantland’s earlier 2007 collaboration.

Together with the Center for Collective Intelligence, they take on a German bank. One would think: what could be more disciplined? The marketing department is divided up into multiple groups across separate rooms and floors. Germans aim to measure how this layout affects work satisfaction. Armed with prototypes of location-based sensors Pantland and his team go to work.

Sensors hang on the collarbone, tracking which way a participant faces when talking. Over 2,000 hours of data on everything short of the actual conversation are recorded over a 30 day period.  Voice patterns, speed of speech delivery, agitation, flirtation, anxiety – you name it. Needless to say, results underscore the social nature of human beings. On average, respondents who report more frequent interactions are happier.

Interaction in the Era of Virtual Teams

So if interaction with one another is the foundation that forms a happy team, and at its core happiness equals RAOS, then the HRBP dilemma is solved. Make sure the team is engaged; the more the merrier, and ideally several times a day. And therein lies the answer to making them perform. 

Although before tackling how it may be prudent to, at least briefly, take a crack as to the why. After all, we are only in our 5th month of confinement. Meaning that your average line manager may not have yet learned all that he or she should – at least as far as remote work is concerned.

According to Melanie Pinola at Zapier – unplugging is the culprit. The top 3 challenges of a remote employee in 2020 relate to overworking. And again this isn’t quite in with the new but rather out with the old – the same old data going as far back as 2019 before the world had gone remote.

22% out of 2,471 respondents report not being able to distance themselves from their work. Poor work-life balance, depression, and ultimately decreased productivity are factors to blame. In an age of multinationals whose most valuable assets are employees – not listening to this is just bad math. Employee productivity will take a nosedive without proper motivation. And if that nosedive isn’t properly addressed turnover spikes may inevitably follow.

Virtual Teambuilding Costs (How Much?)

13 years since the German bank, team building has been proclaimed to be a measurable component of the bottom line. Recent polls point to people having real issues connecting while being remote. It’s safe to assume that by not practicing remote team building – you may be looking at a hit on your balance sheet.

How much exactly this hit may cost depends on obvious factors: the size of the workforce that is remote, the time zones between which it’s dispersed, the role that it plays in your organization, and a range of other things that go beyond the scope of a single article on this topic.

The good news is that the manual on how to avoid incurring these potential costs is ubiquitous. From IBM all the way to a mom and pop operation, if you’ve got wifi – you are in.

All that you, your HRBP, or your line managers have to be willing to do is put in the time. A few hours of dedicated planning will always lift team spirits. Choose among hundreds of fun and engaging activities enabling your team to bond over zoom. Games, quizzes, bucket list challenges – you name it. Whatever you choose, invest yourself in making this special for your teammates.

The entire sectors of our economy are shutting down. How bad can a few incremental gains through a fun video session with your teammates really be?

The post Is Virtual Teambuilding Effective? appeared first on CareerMetis.com.

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[foursproutwealth-blog]

Human Evolution Favors Safe Thinking. As an Entrepreneur, You Need to Be Unsafe.

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/human-evolution-favors-safe-thinking-as-an-entrepreneur-you-need-to-be-unsafe/

Human Evolution Favors Safe Thinking. As an Entrepreneur, You Need to Be Unsafe.

Learn to step out of your comfort zone and your business will thrive.

April 23, 2018 8 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Excerpted from Unsafe Thinking: How to be Nimble and Bold When You Need It Most by Jonah Sachs. Copyright 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

For more than five years, researchers have been able to demonstrate that women-led tech businesses, though rare in the industry, tend to outperform their male-led competitors. Yet Silicon Valley investors, paid millions for their Midas touch, still give male-led startups about 34 times the venture funds. Most have seen the evidence. Few have done anything about it.

Related: 7 Proven Ways to Reprogram Your Thoughts

Despite watching CVS vastly increase its market share after cutting its $2-billion tobacco business, every other major pharmacy chain continues to insist there’s no way it can stop selling cigarettes.

Having briefly learned a very hard lesson about the perils of over-zealous lending, big banks are once again spinning out subprime mortgages at a furious pace.

Old habits, it seems, die very hard.

It’s easy to see these as moral failures, but they are more likely simply very human ones. In the face of threats that come from rapid change, we’re programmed by evolution to seek what seems like safety — fall back on what’s worked in the past, choose the most obvious paths forward, hunker down and dig in — even when it’s obvious that such behaviors are incredibly dangerous. This is not just a problem for big businesses. Medical surveys show that when doctors recommend critical lifestyle changes, up to 70 percent of us choose to stick to our comfortable, unhealthy ways. Gallup reports that more than two-thirds of Americans are disengaged at work. They have settled for the safety of a job that doesn’t excite them — and they’re sometimes miserable in — rather than risk pursuing a passion.

Related: The Importance of Dreaming Big and Envisioning Success

We are, it seems, a species of safety-seekers. And then there are people like Jason Klein the young branding executive who, when hired to rename the Hartford minor league baseball team, chose the bizarre, seemingly ridiculous, and ultimately ingenious name, Yard Goats.

The Hedgehogs had been a close runner up.

At first, reaction to the Yard Goats was swift and merciless. “Worst thing I ever heard of,” snarled an 87-year-old man who had been a dedicated fan of the team, formerly known as the Rock Cats. He vowed never to watch another game. Twitter lit up with derision. “Yard Goats?” the fans demanded. “That’s the best you could do ?”

The anger and rejection that greet Klein’s creations never feel good exactly, but by now he knows this type of response signals that he’s struck a nerve. The people of El Paso, Texas had been angered when he named their team the Chihuahuas. The people of Lehigh, Penn., and Richmond, Va., had received the Iron Pigs and the Flying Squirrels with the same ire. Under pressure from fans, Klein’s clients had often considered abandoning the brands he created for them and ending their relationship with his firm. But, within a year, in all these cities and dozens more where his firm’s touch had been felt, sales of team merchandise had shot off the charts, setting minor-league sales records. People bought hats adorned with a slab of bacon, not just in Lehigh but across the country. They ate nachos out of dog bowls at the Chihuahua’s games and then proudly displayed the empties on their mantels at home. These franchises generated buzz, and profits, that teams with respectable names, like the San Jose Giants, simply couldn’t keep up with.

Related: How to Reprogram Yourself for Greater Success

“If you’re feeling nervous, that’s a good spot to be in,” Klein told me. “Stuff people expect gets forgotten quickly. On their mental computers they drag it right to the ‘I’ve seen it before folder.’ And then it’s game over.”

Of course, there’s a method to Klein’s seeming-madness. For many minor-league franchises, game over was becoming a real possibility. With the proliferation of competing entertainment options available in smaller towns and a decline in baseball interest, owners had been looking instinctively to the still-thriving major leagues to figure out how to compete. But, Klein and his firm Brandiose turned that obvious approach on its head. Minor-league teams, he reasoned, provide local family entertainment. The minors, he evangelized, can either be second-rate sport or first-rate spectacle. This assertion may offend die-hard fans, but Klein’s work has had enormous influence in the industry.

Klein could have made the citizens of Hartford and his client momentarily happy with a safer team name like the Huckleberries, the choice of Hartford Courant readers, in honor of Mark Twain’s history in the city. He would have gotten the high fives and the approval we’re all after. And his firm would almost certainly be struggling in a sea of sameness now. Instead, he has found a way to overcome his natural bias to seek safety and approval. In doing so he’s sparked a revolution of growth in what was becoming a stagnant industry.

Related: Those on Track to Achieve Success Share This Mindset

Klein is an unsafe thinker. He’s chose not to freeze in the face of the rapid changes tearing minor-league baseball apart. Rather, he saw the turmoil as an opportunity. He approached the problem with a spirit of courage and playfulness that he knew industry experts wouldn’t accept and would thus put his reputation at risk. And in doing so, he discovered a kind of genius in the bizarre and counterintuitive form of Iron Pigs, Flying Squirrels and Yard Goats.

So, why do a small number of individuals and organizations consistently thrive in conditions of rapid change while so many more attain a certain level of success only to get stuck in a rut? Why do so few of us take a flexible, nimble approach to unfamiliar challenges while the rest of us hold on to outdated or incremental solutions?

This tendency to retreat to the familiar when challenging times call on us to change is not the only unhelpful mental habit we have to contend with. It’s just one of dozens of quirks of the human psyche, implanted through evolution, that make us favor safe thinking. We’re also pushed in that direction by a bias toward projecting authority and surety instead of admitting we need to ask more questions, an involuntary drift toward conformity when working in groups, and a knack for internalizing conventional wisdom until it appears to be our own gut instinct.

While science tells us we face an uphill battle in changing ourselves and our institutions, it also offers plenty of reasons for hope. Our understanding of the nature of creativity has undergone a revolution in the past few decades. Where once creative ability was assumed to be a fixed trait that we can’t influence, more recent research tells us we have far more control when it comes to being far more creative.

Related: Are Entrepreneurs Born — or Made? Research Says ‘Born.’ But There’s a Catch.

Over the past three years, I’ve found dozens of individuals who have intentionally worked to expand their thinking patterns and broken with old habits and old ways. I spent time with economists who have upended conventional wisdom and even conventional morality by simply giving away money, no questions asked, to the world’s poorest, $1,000 at a time. I’ve seen how an executive vastly increased her company’s valuation by throwing away a $2-billion line of business she knew was undermining her company’s brand. I learned the secrets of a two-time championship NBA coach who’s taken the pressure out of the game for his players so they can be freed to take risks and I learned about where to find the courage to bounce back and reinvent yourself from the former CEO of the internet’s most famous flop who has since rebuilt her reputation and a thriving business.

I found that the breakthroughs of these unsafe thinkers often come not from a single trick or practice but from using all the mental tools available to them. Rationality and creativity, intuition and analysis, intrinsic and extrinsic drive, expert and beginner’s mindsets, these are all essential aspects of human thinking. The most adaptive of us rely on those tools that come most naturally and intentionally work to hone those they are less naturally inclined to use.

This whole-brain way of operating is not automatic or instantly achieved. But, it is urgently needed in an era when automatic and simple solutions, appealing as they may be, are unsuited to the challenges we face. We are confronting social, technological and ecological problems unimaginable to our ancestors. We also have, for the first time, opportunities to finally eradicate poverty and most diseases while designing far more just communities. It will take unsafe thinkers who move beyond a reliance on standard approaches, to help us overcome these challenges and seize these opportunities.

[foursprout-blog]

Human Evolution Favors Safe Thinking. As an Entrepreneur, You Need to Be Unsafe.

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/human-evolution-favors-safe-thinking-as-an-entrepreneur-you-need-to-be-unsafe/

Human Evolution Favors Safe Thinking. As an Entrepreneur, You Need to Be Unsafe.

Learn to step out of your comfort zone and your business will thrive.

April 23, 2018 8 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Excerpted from Unsafe Thinking: How to be Nimble and Bold When You Need It Most by Jonah Sachs. Copyright 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

For more than five years, researchers have been able to demonstrate that women-led tech businesses, though rare in the industry, tend to outperform their male-led competitors. Yet Silicon Valley investors, paid millions for their Midas touch, still give male-led startups about 34 times the venture funds. Most have seen the evidence. Few have done anything about it.

Related: 7 Proven Ways to Reprogram Your Thoughts

Despite watching CVS vastly increase its market share after cutting its $2-billion tobacco business, every other major pharmacy chain continues to insist there’s no way it can stop selling cigarettes.

Having briefly learned a very hard lesson about the perils of over-zealous lending, big banks are once again spinning out subprime mortgages at a furious pace.

Old habits, it seems, die very hard.

It’s easy to see these as moral failures, but they are more likely simply very human ones. In the face of threats that come from rapid change, we’re programmed by evolution to seek what seems like safety — fall back on what’s worked in the past, choose the most obvious paths forward, hunker down and dig in — even when it’s obvious that such behaviors are incredibly dangerous. This is not just a problem for big businesses. Medical surveys show that when doctors recommend critical lifestyle changes, up to 70 percent of us choose to stick to our comfortable, unhealthy ways. Gallup reports that more than two-thirds of Americans are disengaged at work. They have settled for the safety of a job that doesn’t excite them — and they’re sometimes miserable in — rather than risk pursuing a passion.

Related: The Importance of Dreaming Big and Envisioning Success

We are, it seems, a species of safety-seekers. And then there are people like Jason Klein the young branding executive who, when hired to rename the Hartford minor league baseball team, chose the bizarre, seemingly ridiculous, and ultimately ingenious name, Yard Goats.

The Hedgehogs had been a close runner up.

At first, reaction to the Yard Goats was swift and merciless. “Worst thing I ever heard of,” snarled an 87-year-old man who had been a dedicated fan of the team, formerly known as the Rock Cats. He vowed never to watch another game. Twitter lit up with derision. “Yard Goats?” the fans demanded. “That’s the best you could do ?”

The anger and rejection that greet Klein’s creations never feel good exactly, but by now he knows this type of response signals that he’s struck a nerve. The people of El Paso, Texas had been angered when he named their team the Chihuahuas. The people of Lehigh, Penn., and Richmond, Va., had received the Iron Pigs and the Flying Squirrels with the same ire. Under pressure from fans, Klein’s clients had often considered abandoning the brands he created for them and ending their relationship with his firm. But, within a year, in all these cities and dozens more where his firm’s touch had been felt, sales of team merchandise had shot off the charts, setting minor-league sales records. People bought hats adorned with a slab of bacon, not just in Lehigh but across the country. They ate nachos out of dog bowls at the Chihuahua’s games and then proudly displayed the empties on their mantels at home. These franchises generated buzz, and profits, that teams with respectable names, like the San Jose Giants, simply couldn’t keep up with.

Related: How to Reprogram Yourself for Greater Success

“If you’re feeling nervous, that’s a good spot to be in,” Klein told me. “Stuff people expect gets forgotten quickly. On their mental computers they drag it right to the ‘I’ve seen it before folder.’ And then it’s game over.”

Of course, there’s a method to Klein’s seeming-madness. For many minor-league franchises, game over was becoming a real possibility. With the proliferation of competing entertainment options available in smaller towns and a decline in baseball interest, owners had been looking instinctively to the still-thriving major leagues to figure out how to compete. But, Klein and his firm Brandiose turned that obvious approach on its head. Minor-league teams, he reasoned, provide local family entertainment. The minors, he evangelized, can either be second-rate sport or first-rate spectacle. This assertion may offend die-hard fans, but Klein’s work has had enormous influence in the industry.

Klein could have made the citizens of Hartford and his client momentarily happy with a safer team name like the Huckleberries, the choice of Hartford Courant readers, in honor of Mark Twain’s history in the city. He would have gotten the high fives and the approval we’re all after. And his firm would almost certainly be struggling in a sea of sameness now. Instead, he has found a way to overcome his natural bias to seek safety and approval. In doing so he’s sparked a revolution of growth in what was becoming a stagnant industry.

Related: Those on Track to Achieve Success Share This Mindset

Klein is an unsafe thinker. He’s chose not to freeze in the face of the rapid changes tearing minor-league baseball apart. Rather, he saw the turmoil as an opportunity. He approached the problem with a spirit of courage and playfulness that he knew industry experts wouldn’t accept and would thus put his reputation at risk. And in doing so, he discovered a kind of genius in the bizarre and counterintuitive form of Iron Pigs, Flying Squirrels and Yard Goats.

So, why do a small number of individuals and organizations consistently thrive in conditions of rapid change while so many more attain a certain level of success only to get stuck in a rut? Why do so few of us take a flexible, nimble approach to unfamiliar challenges while the rest of us hold on to outdated or incremental solutions?

This tendency to retreat to the familiar when challenging times call on us to change is not the only unhelpful mental habit we have to contend with. It’s just one of dozens of quirks of the human psyche, implanted through evolution, that make us favor safe thinking. We’re also pushed in that direction by a bias toward projecting authority and surety instead of admitting we need to ask more questions, an involuntary drift toward conformity when working in groups, and a knack for internalizing conventional wisdom until it appears to be our own gut instinct.

While science tells us we face an uphill battle in changing ourselves and our institutions, it also offers plenty of reasons for hope. Our understanding of the nature of creativity has undergone a revolution in the past few decades. Where once creative ability was assumed to be a fixed trait that we can’t influence, more recent research tells us we have far more control when it comes to being far more creative.

Related: Are Entrepreneurs Born — or Made? Research Says ‘Born.’ But There’s a Catch.

Over the past three years, I’ve found dozens of individuals who have intentionally worked to expand their thinking patterns and broken with old habits and old ways. I spent time with economists who have upended conventional wisdom and even conventional morality by simply giving away money, no questions asked, to the world’s poorest, $1,000 at a time. I’ve seen how an executive vastly increased her company’s valuation by throwing away a $2-billion line of business she knew was undermining her company’s brand. I learned the secrets of a two-time championship NBA coach who’s taken the pressure out of the game for his players so they can be freed to take risks and I learned about where to find the courage to bounce back and reinvent yourself from the former CEO of the internet’s most famous flop who has since rebuilt her reputation and a thriving business.

I found that the breakthroughs of these unsafe thinkers often come not from a single trick or practice but from using all the mental tools available to them. Rationality and creativity, intuition and analysis, intrinsic and extrinsic drive, expert and beginner’s mindsets, these are all essential aspects of human thinking. The most adaptive of us rely on those tools that come most naturally and intentionally work to hone those they are less naturally inclined to use.

This whole-brain way of operating is not automatic or instantly achieved. But, it is urgently needed in an era when automatic and simple solutions, appealing as they may be, are unsuited to the challenges we face. We are confronting social, technological and ecological problems unimaginable to our ancestors. We also have, for the first time, opportunities to finally eradicate poverty and most diseases while designing far more just communities. It will take unsafe thinkers who move beyond a reliance on standard approaches, to help us overcome these challenges and seize these opportunities.