Generation We - the Millennials

Today 6% of the workforce is made up of Millennials (@1980-2000).

By 2018 - it will be 43% - the largest block.

Boomers will drop from 50% to 24%.

GenX will drop for 38% to 33%.

In the next five years 60% of current CEO will be retired.

If you didn't notice the ground shift on November 4th - you were asleep.

By 2016 Millennials will be the largest voting block. They won't stay home for this next election - in fact they are getting ready NOW. They have good reason too - and - they think they can make a difference.

Is your company or organization ready? If you haven't already begun to introduce these kids into your leadership circles - you may be too late to get their attention.

At the recent CoreNet Global Summit we learned that Boeing has begun to design new facilities for the Jr. High kids that will be filling them when these buildings come on line in the next ten years.

Watch the video. If you are worried about these "slackers" who show no respect and want weekends and an occasional Tuesday off - don't be.


Generation WE: The Movement Begins... from Generation We on Vimeo.

Xobni, Mindmap, Anagram and Ijot

This video shares some great productivity tools. I am an avid user of Mindmap and will now add Mindmap to my presentations.

Tips for presentations, creative thinking, searching for hidden information, how to add meta-tags to Outlook or Address to quickly find the person you want, how to monitor where you spend most of your time on your computer...

Great for Windows - not for Apple users.

CoreNet Global Summit - Orlando

Dean Strombom from Gensler, Mark Iammarino from Truner and myself will introduce Mindshift to CoreNet. 

I've included our PowerPoint. It is hosted at Slideshare. If you go to the site you will find the notes for each slide can download the presentation. 

Principle 1 - Trust-Based Teams
Principle 2 - Getting it Right Up Front
Principle 3 - Built-in Sustainability
Principle 4 - Continuous Improvement

Key 1 - Big BIM
Key 2 - Lean Project Delivery (or similar)
Key 3 - Shared Risk/Reward
Key 4 - Off-site Fabrication
Key 5 - Workplace Performance Improvement
 

Operation Mindshift Corenet 08

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: align toyota)

Gensler's Releases its 2008 Workplace Survey

Here is the release of Gensler's 2008 Workplace Survey. 

As a bonus I've also included BusinessWeek's Podcast on Innovation; featuring an interview with Diane Hoskins overview of the survey: "Can a Well Designed Space Pay Off?"

The report was previewed a few weeks ago at the following link: WPI Preview.  

Gensler begins to address the Holy Grail that well designed spaces do improve company performance. This is more than a report for "true believers." It is a tool to put in the hands of any corporate executive. 

So - spread the word. Dowload the PDF and listen to the audio. It is especially pertinant during this downturn when every executive is looking for a means to boost company performance. 

Diane makes it clear in the interview. Good design is not the same as expensive design. The report is myth busting when it comes to general impressions about opting for Good Design vs. Low Cost Design.

It is a mindshift worth exploring.

International Design Symposium and Tribes

I'm returning from presenting and attending the 2008 International Design Summit at Ringling Collenge in Sarasota. I presented with Joe Tankersly, a colleague from Disney Imagineering. Susan Szenasy, senior editor for Metropolis, conducted a panel discussion Monday on the BIM revolution. The link above will lead you to the video of that and other sessions.

Ringling is an impressive design college, perhaps the most technologically advanced. Many of Pixar's animators and production talent come out of the school. 

The theme was visual, social and mobile. Leaders from Google, Microsoft, Autodesk, XPlane, Adobe, Walter Bender with Sugarlabs, Businessweek, Dopplr, ATT, Nearfield, Reelfx, Dollar App, IDEO and elasticspace presented. A pretty incredible draw. The venue allowed a good bit of interaction with the different presenters.

Here is the presentation that Joe and I offered.

Design Revolution Sarasota 081020

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: culture broacast)

Recruiting the CRE-Revolution Tribe

I'm recruiting a tribe to change the face of the commercial real estate industry. Here are the requirements:

1. A desire to see fundamental change brought to the industry.
2. Help reviewing and editing the manuscript for the book to be published by Wiley publishing this August.
3. Securing an endorsement from your senior management for the book. That endorsement will be included in the book and with the marketing material.
4. Spreading the blog and any information related to the revolution to your peers and friendly clients. 
5. I would like you to attempt to put your comments on the chalkboard for our project management site. At the very least be able to access the site and download the chapters for review.  I will set up the site and give you a simple Login and Password.
6. Begin collecting a list of potential tribe members so we can continue to build a buzz of interest.
   

This is why I need your help.

1. My deadline for the manuscript is January 15. There are a lot of facts and details so I need help fact checking. Along with that I am including cost ranges and want to make sure anything we provide is defendable.
2. I need stories to illustrate some of the points. 
3. I need quick turn-around. If I send something out I need it reviewed and commented on within a week. If you don't have anything to offer I need an email that let's me know that this is not a chapter you can help with but will eagerly help on another.
4. I will send out a request for a fact, information or a reference from time-to-time.
   
5. I need you to spread the word to other early adopters who would enjoy following and becoming part of the wave.

Here is what you get:

1. Your contribution will be acknowledged in the book. If you provide a specific quote or a story your name will be cited on that page. If you provide support proofing the chapters you will be cited on our shout to the tribe pages.
2. If we receive a blurb from one of your senior management you will receive a free copy of the book.
3. I am checking with the publisher if they will let me provide a free copy of the book to all who contribute. 
4. You and your company will be able to pre-order copies of the book at 50% off. The retail price will be $39.95.
5. You will also receive an exclusive "out takes" document that includes quotes and sections we did not have room to include.

To sign up I simply need you to respond by email and say; "I'm in."  

Once you sign up you will receive the book proposal and the the introduction with instructions for what I am looking for.

Chapter one should follow this weekend.

This is history making. There has never been a collaborative effort like this within our industry that will be published by a major publisher. It moves us all a little closer to tackling industry challenges using "crowdsourcing."

Welcome to the CRE-Tribe!

The End of the World As We Know It

This week's blog is long overdue. The world is moving too fast to digest  so I've found some other well digested material to offer. I've created a new term in honor of our financial meltdown. Instead of Other People's Money (OPM) I'll harness Other People's Content (OPC).

McGraw Hill just published its State of the Industry update. You can link to the content housed at www.minshiftwiki.com.

At the bottom of the blog you will find a PowerPoint with a very good overview of our financial crisis.

The conclusions for each report are similar. 2008 marks the end of an old era. Those who accurately see the new fundamentals and act will rise as new leaders. Those who hesitate, muddle or try to blend a mix of old and new will recede into marginal status. This is the time that weeds out leaders from caretakers. 

In the next blog I will provide details about a tribe I will form to help Mindshift write its book. If you know you want in before you have the details just reply to my email (rex@rexmiller.net). I'll call you with details.

Creditcrisis 30slides Final

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: capitalism mortgage)

Gensler's upcoming 2008 Workplace Survey

Measuring the link between well designed space and productivity is the Holy Grail of architecture, design and the manufacturers who create office environments. We have heard stories, we know it has to be true - but few have ever seen it first hand.

In truth we have all seen the positive and negative impact of good and bad design, but never translated into a spreadsheet proforma or balance sheet.

But we are getting closer. Gensler will soon release their 2008 Workplace Survey for the United States. They are better defining work modes and present correlations between high performing companies and their internal assessments of their space.

Neuroscience offers a window to where this is heading. There exists a direct connection between the rapidly growing breakthroughs and usefulness of Neuropsychology and MRI technology.

With more accurate MRI technology science is moving from an understanding of basic brain function, to predictability and now to altering brain functions (enhancing performance). Advanced neuro-stimulators now recreate brain patterns to relieve Parkinson victims from the terrible shakes and tremors they experience. The next hills on the horizon are Alzheimer’s, depression and then your guess is as good as mine.

Here is the connection. For years we have understood that there is a connection between organizational performance and the space it inhabits. Reports like Gensler’s aid in understanding the basic components of an organizations “brain” functions. They have developed tools to better predict how one organization will perform compared to another based on how well the space supports the people who inhabit it.

The next step and breakthrough will lead to predictive design tied to a company’s proforma and traceable onto the balance sheet.

I’ll offer one more example. Apple makes some pretty awesome machines with the MacBook, iPod and iPhone. You can see, however, the migration placing more value on the software for functional distinction. Our industry has focused on the “machine,” the thing, the space but with tools and research from firms like Gensler we are discovering that the intelligence that improves the productivity of the people will become the new distinction.

This is my opinion, I think our shift toward the intelligence of space will result in simpler, more intuitive, open ended and adaptable design.

Other's rely on productivity gains the old fashioned way:

If the message matters - test it with an outsider

Have you had a solution for a company but struggled to connect with your prospect?

Or, a need for help but unable to convey it in a way to get the support you were looking for?

Have you found yourself needing to find different words to say the same thing?

Sometimes you need someone else (a stranger to your world) to read or hear your message. I'll often ask my wife to listen to a presentation or read an important document or a few friends that don't mind my calling on their help. If they like it (not just understand it) then I know it will connect with others.

I can also tell by the tone of their responses if I have to go back to the drawing board.

A friend shared about a marketing effort that was going nowhere. This was several years ago. A company was financing people purchasing gold and they profited from the appreciation. The original pitch went like this:

We will finance 75% of your purchase of gold. (This went nowhere even though it was a good deal)

The second pitch went like this:

Buy a $6 gold coin for $2. (The increase in sales was dramatic)

Our words and phrases can make a difference. Some have the gift or skill to effortlessly turn a phrase. For the rest of us - thank goodness for loving spouses and tolerant friends.

You will enjoy this clip from the Canne Film Festival. Kyle, thank you for sending it.

PS: My wife likes this one.

What does common sense have to do with it?

I had lunch today with a top strategic airport planner. We compared notes about the similar dysfunctions within the airport industry in planning and implementing and the commercial real estate world. We were both struck by the cost of these dysfunctions and how stuck each industry seems to be in repeating the same behavior over and over again.

Mindshift has proposed what seems to be a common sense alternative. Deliver a turnkey solution with an integrated team based on trust.  Two blogs ago we shared the story of a developer who built a LEED Platinum building and did it at a lower cost than comparable conventional buildings. They used an integrated team - makes sense.

I know airports and construction are complicated and layered with obstacles and land mines. However, I keep looking at people whose success is based on taking complicated challenges and finding key fundamental principles to focus on.

Here are a few examples of solutions and people tackling huge problems by finding a common sense lever.

Cool Roofs and Cool Pavement

If roofs and pavement in the 100 largest urban cities were changed to a white reflective surface it would offset 44 metric gigatons of greenhouse gases. It would offset 10 years of industrial use and equal more than a year's output from every country on the planet. These are called "cool roofs" and "cool pavement."  The article is from yesterday's LA Times.

The Pickensplan

Today the United States imports 70% of its oil. We use 25% of the world supply. We pay other countries $700 billion a year. World production peaked in 2005 at 85 million barrels a day. Rising economies like China and India have and will continue to compete for these limited resources. Boone Pickens proposes a common sense plan (Pickensplan) that provides a bridge of safety until more innovative energy sources are developed. Each of these sources is cleaner than oil.

• Wind
• Natural Gas

We will be able to reduce our demand for foreign oil by about 15 million barrels a day. The investment required is approximately the same amount that we send to other countries for their oil.

Consider the positive ripple of benefits to the economy, to the security of the nation, untangling many of our dangerous alliances and moving toward clean energy.

Thomas Friedman's new book; Hot, Flat and Crowded, makes a similar sobering argument.

Warren Buffet is the guru of financial common sense. He advises to stay out of debt, invest in what you know, get your money to work for you and be patient.  If you make it this far and have the time watch this video.  It gets to the heart of Mindshift's mission. It answers this question, "if you (whether owner or supplier) want a successful project - how would you chose your team?"

The lowest price? 

The slickest presentation?

The most comprehensive proposal?

The nicest prototype (mockup)?

When we major on the majors I think our decisions get easier and make common sense. When our focus is on secondary issues; low cost, best presentation... we typically sacrifice the majors and then life really gets complicated.

The Story of Psycho-Milt

How do groups get things done? Or more importantly how will groups in the near future get things done?

Clay Shirky answers this question in the most profound way - be sure to watch the video below. Here are some of my notes and thoughts after listening to it 4 times today. He articulates what I've been fumbling to say in my book and whenever I speak.

For 500 years when people wanted to get something done they formed institutions; businesses, churches, schools, governments, associations, clubs... You get it.

Communication costs have fallen to such a degree - that we are beginning to see coordination built into the infrastructure; Flickr, Amazon, Netflix, Ebay, Meetup... Okay?

Pause - think about this.

Institutions are driven to optimize the 80/20 principle. In fact if they can get 90 percent of the benefit from 10% of their efforts - all the better.

Psycho-milt changes everything (watch the video). If the barriers (costs) of harvesting benefit from the low producing 80% are removed - what would that mean?

Some companies like Proctor and Gamble are taking this approach to their R&D - open source collaborative platforms.

Mindshift was formed as one a collaborative platform. We're still old school in our thinking (we're boomers) and do better face-to-face than we do virtually - but we are inching our way to illumination.

This video by Clay Shirky might just take you all the way to illumination. Thank you professor Shirky!

I'm tempted to shave my head.

Green Mythbusting

One of our founding members commented that using "turnkey" teams and integrated project delivery is where Sustainability and Green were three or four years ago.

The 4 minute mile for LEED Certification, so to speak, has been to deliver Platinum level at a comparable cost to conventional construction.

Our team returned a few weeks ago from our summer summit and met with a developer who did just that. In fact, they delivered a LEED Platinum building close to 200,000 square feet at cost 3% less than comparable conventional Class A space. The operating costs are also 45% less than neighboring buildings. Oh yes - they have a fully leased building that is 21% higher than other buildings in that market.

They did so using a tightly aligned team and taking a turnkey approach. If you would like to find out more about the project send me an email.

Mindshift has adopted a "Do-Tank" strategy. We validating the mindshift model with live projects before we present with a clear roadmap to our colleagues and peers.

We want our industry to be able to sit in front of corporate decision makers with a new value proposition. This IBM ad captures the shift we would like to see.

The Cluetrain for YouTube

In 2004 I wrote the following introduction to Part 1 of the Millennium Matrix.

"Our communication tools have changed over time: from the spoken word, to the written word, to the broadcast-image word, to the digital multimedia word. With each change has come a new and different way of seeing the world. Here's what happens:

• When our communication tools change, our perception changes.
• Changed perception creates a changed understanding.
• Changed understanding changes our psychological makeup.
• Changed psyches change our interaction with the world.
• Changes in our interaction with the world change our relationships to one another.
• Changes in our relationships lead to changes in the institutions that facilitate those relationships.
• Our psychological makeup changes, and we reshape our world in our own image.

I thought all I needed to do is make a simple and profound observation about our changing world and everyone who read it would go - OMG - that is cool. I need to change everything!!

Well - only two problems. The message has only reached at the most 10,000 (if I'm really generous with all of my speaking, articles and book sales). Problem #2 - when you read that above paragraph did you pause, reflect and said - holy cow - this changes everything? I didn't think so. This blog gives you (and me) a second chance at that revelation. There is only 1 challenge - you need to watch a 60 minute video. I promise, if you do - you will be hit by the Cluetrain.

Michael Wesch is a professor of anthropology at Kansas State. I met him in 2004 at a conference at Fordham. I presented ideas from my book and he presented the impact of media on a tribe in New Guinea. Not much in common on the surface. However, I kept in touch because I was fascinated by his insight and understanding of the power of media to change worlds. A few years later I run across a YouTube video created by his class that explained how dramatically our education is changing. Then came the video on Web 2.0.

Both were so profound that they became phenomena on YouTube with millions of views.

Here is the third video that I highly recommend. Even though it is an hour - it will be one of the most informative hours you will invest if you believe that its important for you to "get it" when it comes to the YouTubization of the our culture.

This video is for executives - especially those who have the word marketing in their job description. This is not a video that you will immediately generate new ideas for campaigns (and please don't be as naive as GM - if you watch you will see what I mean). For those who do get it (the Cluetrain) - there are powerful implications for transforming how your company communicates with itself, its stakeholders, clients and the world. True to McLuhan's prophetic utterances it can release a level of innovation and connection that seems so hard to tap these days.

YouTube's sweet spot are the 18-34 year olds in terms of generating content.

Wesch's video explains how YouTube has exposed a new cultural tension.

• We express individualism but desire community.
• We express independence but desire relationship.
• We express commercialization or branding but desire authenticity.

We see connection in the current context as constraining - but this new medium allows connection without constraint.

There is a new dynamic - a new vibe - that we need to pay attention too.

mindshift has created an emotional connecting point for its members, changing our industry and improving our world. It has also created a platform for practicing participatory innovation. We call that being a "do-tank."

I'll be curious to see how many actually view the video. In many ways I'm jealous. I wrote a book and have spoken to several thousand with essentially the same message over the course of four years. These videos reach millions (in weeks) and provide a deeper level of understanding than 250 pages of writing. I'm old school.

Chopin and the Recession Impulse Theory

The video for this blog is a delightful insight into classical music but far more. The message I heard, and I think you will too, is a real mindshift.

If you listen closely I think you'll find a key to navigating the recession with grace and vision. Its not what you think. I'm not suggesting that you change your listening habits and become a classical music buff. I'm certainly not making the shift from Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

The message behind the message is being able to hold down your impulses to play through your recession melody using a single buttocks. You'll need to watch to understand.

I'll see you on the other side of the video.



Now you know what a single buttocks performance is all about. The challenge with a recession is that we tend to play it note by note. We're missing the big picture. We miss the melody and therefore the drama of the song (and story). We labor but we are so focused on the execution of each decision that there is no link or unifying narrative to make any of it fruitful or meaningful.

Recession rookies behave like this. Managers who are afraid behave like this. Sometimes we all behave like this.

This recession is a song. It has common themes and if you listen it will telegraph where it is going. Just like this Chopin piece - the tension builds, it subsides, it looks like it is moving toward a conclusion only to go back into several stanzas of indecision.

I was with someone today and comparing notes about past recessions. He said, "I know where this is headed. Several weaker companies will get weeded out. I'll have to get back to some basics, watch my spending and raise my game and in a year or so I'll be in a stronger position."

What song would you pick to describe how this recession feels? The songs we pick and associate to specific seasons and times really doe make a difference in how we perceive those seasons and times.

Don't let the media pick the song you play in your head about this recession. Pick your own. Don't focus too much on each day or week but try to see the bigger picture. Combine your one buttock approach with a vision for where you would like to be when this particular melody is over.

Happy mindshifting!

Surviving the Economy This Year

This is a weird recession. I've lived through four and this one doesn't follow any of the previous patterns. Some companies, regions and industries are having their best year ever. Others are diving into a classic survival mode; cutting costs, pulling back, lay-offs and hoping to wait it out.

The one lesson I have learned is that you have got to have a mindshift in order to come out ahead of your competition. When sales slow or signs of recession appear - MOST companies and individuals go into a classic survival mode. Not only do many of these tactics weaken a company long-term (like letting go of experienced talent) they also create a tone in the company that deadens the necessary creativity needed to innovate your way through and out of the valley.

Navigating these waters is more of an art than a science. I'll share a few of the approaches that have worked for me over the next few blogs. During each of these periods I thrived - not at first - but sooner than my competition and when I climbed back out of the valley I was so far ahead of my competition that I was able to work half-days in one scenario, receive an nice promotion and transfer in a second and launch a new career in the third.

The first dive took place in the late 70s and early 80s. (High oil prices, high interest rates - my first mortgage was 12.5% and that was a bargain, stagflation).

The second dive took place in Texas during the mid-1980s. (S&L crisis; Oil Embargo & Devaluation of the Peso)

The third dive took place in DC during the early 90s. (Black October, Oil Spike and Gulf War 1)

The fourth dive took place in Texas during the early 2000s (tech bubble - this was the ugliest one)

Here are some of the things I learned and used. I'll go into more detail over the next few blogs:

1. A strong network
   
2. Don't wait for an official notice
   
3. Automation
4. New markets
5. Creative compensation
6. Dashboards
7. Mastermind team
8. Planting new seeds
9. Holding on to good members (creatively)
10. Clearing out the closet
11. Drip marketing
12. Prioritizing clients
13. Sifting through the forgotten
14. A lesson from dad
    
15. Owners can sell too
16. Cash is king
    
17. MacKay 66
18. Remembering
19. Perspective
20. Virtual Teams (SWARM)
    

If you are not seated by 8AM - don't bother showing up!

I was in DC this week and had lunch with a good friend. He works for one of the larger regional firms. Business is down. Fuel costs eat at their profits to the tune of a couple of million dollars more than last year, and rising. Smaller competitors are cutting their prices just to keep revenues flowing.

I like the tact his VP of Sales took. He called a meeting. He sent out word, be here at 8 AM on Friday - no excuses. If you have an appointment reschedule it. If you are not seated by 8 AM then don't bother showing up at all. When my friend told me the story I could feel my own blood pumping harder.

True to form the doors were closed and locked at 8 AM. The VP of Sales got up and said - business is tough and then provided a clear set of priorities for everyone to focus on. He said if you are producing - no problem. If you are not - then you need to figure out how and let us know how we can help. That took less than 10 minutes. The remaining 50 minutes was spent letting people share ideas, ask for help and reflect on what each person can do better. True to his promise the VP dismissed them at one minute to 9AM.

The bottomline is that it got back to fundamentals.

1. Set time and relationship priorities.
2. Develop and work your network.
3. Have a plan, set goals, measure results, make corrections...
   
4. Ask for help.
5. Don't waste time or money - be smart.
   
6. Find ways to save.
7. Thank your customers in a personal way.
8. Operate or of the company's strength and your personal strength.

My friend said it was the best sales meeting he has been to in his long career. He was motivated and doubling back on the fundamentals. The VP of Sales knew what he needed to do. Not its up to the rest of us to do what we need to do.

Enjoy this video by Brian Tracy. It will reinforce the lesson.

I will be hiking for the next two weeks with my oldest son - so no blogs for a while.

As a bonus blog here is a link with 8 steps for achieving exponential growth.

Send a note home to mom praising your Millennial!

You may think, I'm kidding. Try it.

I've been knee deep studying millennials, or as I prefer - digital natives, for 15 years. What you are about to view in this Part 2 video are some of the strategies companies pursue to connect.

Why is it such a big deal? Why should any company feel it should "lower" itself to coddle these kids?

Here is a demographic that scares the bejebbers out of executives. As boomers begin to move to retirement (many well healed enough to leave early) there are 20 million fewer bodies to take their place. That's right - 20 million or 25% fewer. The oldest boomers turn 62 this year - eligible for early retirement.

What you will see in this video displays a lot of the idiocy companies are buying into because they haven't done their homework and what to do something. They are reaching out to motivational "experts" to the tune of $50 billion a year, my price just went up.

The secret is still wrapped in the relational strategy I referred to in the last blog. Trust me, its a whole lot cheaper, lasting and more rewarding to follow the relational route. If you want to get a crash course on the difference between the Print generation (builders), the Broadcast generation (boomers) and this Digital generation (millennials) - here is an article I wrote for Futurist Magazine called The Digital Dynamic.

If you want to check the universe of motivation tools and gimmicks check out: The Motivation Show. It is in Chicago in September.

Here is video #2

Have you given your millennial a trophy for showing up today?

This incredible generation is the most intelligent, tech savvy, confident generation to walk the planet. They want to succeed, they think they already are successful (special) - however, most are clueless about the world of work, the old school mentality that they will confront or how to make a positive contribution.

On the flip side companies are clueless to the talent rich reservoir millennial's represent, how to build an on-ramp for them into corporate life or how to motivate and develop them.

One - key - this generation is hungry for mentoring and personal attention. 50% come from divorced families, 75% come from 2 income families, 30% of these kids were born out of wed-lock. This relational component will be the super-glue for corporate HR strategies going forward. With one caution - millennial's do not trust adults.

Without a long-term strategy, patience and the willingness to see the first batch or two roll their eyes at this "obvious attempt to buy their loyalty" they will bolt. Once they see the strategy is embedded or is adopted as a core value then they will turn around as well.

This six minute video provides a great overview of your next corporate challenge!

Visual Thinking is a Future Skill for Today

I use Mind Mapping extensively. When I first began to put ideas together about mindshift I developed an extensive Mind Map expanding over several pages. It helped me pull together ideas from a wide range of categories and phases onto one platform. The Mindmap software allowed me to use my thoughts in the moment and did not force me to drill down topic by topic. The graphical interface also provided a big picture snapshot at any time to maintain continuity with the overall goals.

Here is a video that better tells the story of how an architectural firm in England beat out over 300 other firms to win a $60million project.

Smart Buildings Can Payback Up Front

This article from Realcomm highlights the success of the Colonial Brookwood Center.

It’s one thing to hear that intelligent building (IB) technology will reduce operating expenses, save energy, and command a higher rent premium. It’s entirely different when you can look at a case study of a property that has done exactly that. Today’s Innovation Spotlight features Colonial Brookwood Center, which has earned a whopping 36% rent premium over market rates due to their intelligent building technologies!

Here is a link to the rest of the article.


This video highlights the largest green public building, the California Academy of Science, scheduled to go online this year, the Adobe HQ makes the case for affordable sustainability with 121% ROI and San Francisco's affordable housing project .

What should a school look like?

Here is a paragraph from an article by Frank Kelly asking some provocative questions.

What do our school buildings say about what we think is really important? What do schools being built in 2008 around Frederick W. Taylor’s and William Wirt’s ideas from 1908 say to kids about their futures? What do schools that mimic the architecture of other centuries say to the children within them working on digital devices? Are our school buildings saying what we want to convey to teachers and students?

Click here for the whole article: "Instruction Drives Construction ... Or Should"

Thank you Dan Beeren's for sending this article. He also has a great blog.

How much "richness" do our cirriculum's offer? For that matter - how much richness do our corporate training programs provide? If I have to sit through another 8 hour training session with a work book, fill in some blanks and a boring PowerPoint that provides the same text as my workbook I will get up and walk out. Make me work - don't just try to fill my brain and time - please!

Preparing to Lead Digital Immigrants

The video clip is a window into then next cohort joining the workforce. I've watched it several times. I've had to ask, "Are we prepared for the different minds and motivations emerging?"

I've also had to ask am I satisfied with my kids getting the best 15th century education available.

Maryanne Wolf is a Neuro Scientist and describes how interactive digital communication rewires the brains of this next generation.

They are not linear and sequential. They are bi-lateral multi-modal thinkers. I wrote about this in The Millennium Matrix - although research like this was not mainstream at the time.

What does this mean for education? What does it mean for corporations? What does it mean to this next generation?

You can click on the image of the book to find out more details. But make sure you watch the video clip.

8 Secrets to Success - Richard St. John at TED

Richard St. John spent 7 years and 500 interview to answer the question:

What leads to success?

1. Passion - (the true amateur - amore)


2. Work - hard work (but having fun workafrolics)


3. Good - get really good at something


4. Focus - drill deep - find the source


5. Push - the boundaries, push your limits


6. Serve - where do you add value?


7. Ideas - innovation, bring your brain to the game


8. Persistence - (CRAP: criticism, rejection assholes and pressure)
   

Breaking the Net Zero Energy Barrier

Here is a case study from the Realcomm website. While many are focused on LEED certification that isn't enough to reach the green house gas reductions necessary for the 2030 Challenge. Some say that LEED Platinum will only produce a 30% reduction. The "31 Tannery Project" breaks the 4-minute mile in the zero emmissions race. Its an important project that will attract others to try. Mindshift continues to look for those who push our barriers that allow us to think beyond current limitations. Here are excerpts from the entire article and a link in case you want to look from other articles from Realcom.

The “31 Tannery Project”

There is no disputing that energy is one of the most important issues of our time. Everywhere, people are talking about energy – its skyrocketing costs that impact our economy; the political implications of our dependence on foreign energy sources; growing pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change; the need to provide more energy to meet increasing demand.

In our quest for energy solutions, one thing is certain: if we are going to make an impact on energy use we have to address our buildings, which use 76% of all electricity generated. There is a common public misconception that cars and trucks are the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. The fact is that buildings account for nearly half (48%) of all greenhouse gas emissions, which is far more than transportation (27%) and industry (25%).

Imagine the potential for global energy change if it were possible to have commercial buildings that are not only energy efficient, but are actually producing more energy annually than they consume. The “31 Tannery Project” is receiving international attention for accomplishing just that. 31 Tannery is a 42,000 square foot office and shop building located in Branchburg, New Jersey. It is the first Net Zero Electric Commercial Building in the United States to produce more electricity, on an annual basis, than it consumes. All the excess energy that is generated goes back into the utility grid for others to use.

This project has “raised the bar” on energy standards. 31 Tannery received an Energy Star® certification with a previously unheard of perfect rating of 100. Energy Star®, a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ranks buildings against other buildings in the country on a 1 to 100 performance scale. A perfect 100 score means that 31 Tannery is the valedictorian, at the top of its class. The State of New Jersey Executive Order No. 54 calls for an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. 31 Tannery has already achieved an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, decades ahead of New Jersey’s deadline. In recognition, Governor Jon Corzine and the NJ Board of Public Utilities President, Jeanne Fox, visited the facility to present a NJ Clean Energy Award.

Three key areas were addressed to achieve Net Zero Electric results: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and real-time energy monitoring – or, to use a simple analogy, “Diet, Exercise, and a Personal Trainer”.

“Diet” - Energy Efficiency: The 31 Tannery Project incorporates a radiant heating system that consists of approximately 9 miles of PEX tubing embedded in the concrete slabs. The concrete slabs act as a thermal mass for the system to provide comfortable efficient heating. There are 146 loops with 80 zones to control the heat. Water temperature in the system only needs to be heated between 80°F and 100°F. Heated water is provided to the radiant loop by a 14,000 BTU/h gas-fired, low nitrogen oxide, and full modulation condensing boiler operating at 96% efficiency. High-efficiency Energy Star® rooftop units with premium efficiency motors, enthalpy economizers, and embedded network control units provide ventilation and air conditioning. Digital controls and monitoring modulate the systems. The 31 Tannery Project won the Radiant Flooring Association’s Commercial Project of the Year Award for its innovative efficient heating application.

“Exercise” - Renewable Energy: The building has a utility grid tied 223kW dc photovoltaic system that consists of 1,276 solar panels on the roof that feed two 100kW ac 277/480V three-phase inverters to produce renewable electrical energy from the sun. A solar thermal system with rooftop panels, a heat exchanger, and storage tanks eliminate the need for fossil fuels to provide potable hot water also with renewable energy from the sun.

“Personal Trainer” – Real-Time Monitoring: A key ingredient behind the success of the 31 Tannery Project is the real-time energy and building systems monitoring, visualization, and diagnostic system by Noveda Technologies. This system monitors the building’s utility supplied energy, the solar photovoltaic and solar thermal renewable energy systems, and the buildings HVAC systems. The system allows 31 Tannery to maintain comfort, enlist and motivate occupant participation, exceed energy savings goals, and accelerate ROI. Because the system is Web-based, it can be viewed anywhere, at any time. Visitors to the facility are fascinated by viewing dynamic, real-time visualizations in a kiosk display in the lobby. The system also provides educational value and is an excellent way to demonstrate corporate responsibility.

Independent studies from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and several Universities have shown that just monitoring can reduce energy use 5% to 15%. The results from the 31 Tannery Project reinforce these findings.

Just as the microscope and the telescope opened new worlds of discovery and scientific advancement, the real-time energy monitoring system allows us to visualize energy and opens new horizons in energy efficiency. This new technology is very appealing in the real estate community because it can monitor one building or hundreds of buildings, from any location, in real time.

The 31 Tannery project has set a new benchmark and opened new horizons in solving energy issues by being the first to break the Net Zero Electric barrier with commercial buildings. It was accomplished in a commercially viable manner with low-maintenance, easy-to-manage systems and a projected payback of 5 to 7 years. The project’s success captured the attention of the business community and was awarded the New Jersey Business and Industry Associations’ Award for Environmental Project of the Year. One of the big benefits of the real time monitoring and visualization is the occupant behavioral change. Noveda Technologies was also recently awarded a 2008 "Digie Award" by Realcomm for Best Use of Technology.

The Ferreira Group takes their learning and leadership into the community.

Pre-Fab on a Large Scale

Shaping Tomorrow is a web resource for futurists. Here is a recent abstract written by:

Author
Sheila Moorcroft, Research Director, Shaping Tomorrow

Abstract
Could the announcement that a large part of the 2012 London Olympic Stadium may be deconstructed and sent off to Chicago for the 2016 Olympics trigger renewed interest in offsite, pre-fabricated construction techniques? Possibly yes; but a lot of regulation will need to change.

What is Changing?
Housing markets are in turmoil and house-builders' share prices under pressure. However, there are still long term pressures for change, and the crisis may focus minds on the need for new approaches in order to meet rising expectations and demand.

Housing shortages and unaffordable houses in many areas are forcing a rethink on how we enable lower paid workers to live where they need and want to. Rising energy costs are driving demand for greater efficiency in running costs - more insulation and eco-friendly design. Growing numbers of floods and other environmental disasters need quick solutions to meet housing needs. Mass customisation and personalised design in more and more markets, from sports shoes to cars, mean that we have rising expectations of getting what we want.

Construction techniques that enable easy assembly but also 'relatively easy dis-assembly and reuse' could be the answer.

However, prefabricated housing has a bad image in some countries - especially the UK and the USA, although new entrants and demonstration projects may be beginning to change the game. Elsewhere, it is a different story: pre-fabricated houses from makers such as Toyota and Panasonic are upmarket homes in Japan; in Sweden nearly 70% of new builds are pre-fabricated.

Why is this important?
With share prices low, construction companies may be ripe for takeover by companies willing to take a longer term view. It may also be the right time to innovate ready for the upswing, when it comes. The result may be major new entrants.

Whole life costing and environmental pressures are forcing new approaches to evaluating projects and production techniques in many sectors; and in the case of the Olympic Stadium, legacy issues too. Flexible use, re-use and redefinition of use of office or other space may become a key component of design and planning - from the outset.

But, for radical change - even for those pre-fabricated homes already on the market to be able to sell effectively - regulations, especially in the USA and the UK, and concerns about insurance and other non-technical barriers need to be removed.

Zerohouse image provided by Specht Harpman

Developing Agile Organizations

Making the mindshift to agile organizations and skills is no easy transformation. Don Mroz with the consulting firm Competing Values sent this image and brief review that I thought you would find useful. Management strategy is catching up with the shifting effect of the digital dynamic.

"Over the past few decades strategy has become a plan that positions a company in its external landscape. That's not enough.

Strategy should also guide the development of the company - its identity and purpose - over time." - HBR article by Cynthia Montgomery

De-sign-a-saurus

According to Everett Roger's diffusion theory a new idea or innovation goes through several phases of adoption:

1. Innovators - the risk takers who seldom see the fruit of their labor.
2. Early Adopters - those who connect the dots, develop the prototypes and find enough success to tell others. They become the Opinion Leaders.
3. Early Majority - those who want to see the business case, the ROI or have strong ties with Early Adopters they trust. This group creates the standards that lead to broad adoption.
4. Late Majority - the Skeptics who find safety in numbers but typically wait too long to derive any competitive advantage.
5. Laggards - yup - that's exactly what they are. This group doesn't care if the next innovation cures cancer or brings about world peace. They will stick to those good ole "tired and true" ways.
   

mindshift is a consortium of early adopter companies developing a prototype for a trust-based integrated approach to design and construction. We are connecting the dots from other innovators in an effort to find a new Social Technology that will provide a far more effective and lower cost model.

The Long Tail of Manufacturing

The Long Tail is one of my top read recommendations. The basic point is that in the digital world the low cost of production, the low cost of distribution and search create an unlimited number of viable niche markets. The key examples are Amazon.com and Netflix.

The question: "Is there a Long Tail in the real world - or just the virtual world?"

The article Manufacture and Sell Anything - In Minutes in Wired Magazine demonstrates that the Long Tail is expanding - even to the real world of manufacturing.

Here is an introduction to the article by Ian Mount.

Jeffrey Wegesin is a furniture maker. His most popular creation is a curvaceous side table, and even though he has sold only two copies of it, he has already turned a profit. He did it without so much as setting foot in a wood shop. And he is not alone. Wegesin is one of 5,000 merchants who have established accounts with Ponoko, a year-old on-demand manufacturing service in New Zealand.

Link here for the rest of the article.

Why Good People Do Bad Things on Projects

Here are a few more quotes from the book Broken Buildings Busted Budgets.

Quotes courtesy of Mike Wolff from ProjectSolutions Group in Virginia. The graphic is courtesy of Carlo Macaione from Gensler. Title courtesy of Randy Thompson from Cushman Wakefield.

"Traditionally, architects acted on behalf of owners to mitigate predatory contractor behavior, but increasingly they have shown themselves unsuited to the task. “Buildings have become much more complex,” inducing architects to push technical responsibility and liability onto other parties. “Designers,” he notes, “have become less interested in how the building actually goes together, which causes a disparity between design and construction cost.” The American Institute of Architects revising its standard form agreements to reduce the architect’s scope of services during the construction phase from “full time” on-site availability where it “oversaw” the construction “periodic” site availability where it simply “observed” the construction."

"Others suggest that alternate construction delivery such as fast-track or design-build methods can mitigate problems. The trade-off for owners in design-build is that while they benefit from holding a single source responsible for the design and construction of the project, they give up control of much of the process. Without a doubt, an owner who engages a design-build team must hire an independent owner’s representative to ensure that its design intent and quality expectations are properly executed."

"Few contemporary architects have firsthand knowledge of actual construction method and techniques. One of the biggest problems contractors voice is the poor and incomplete preparation of architectural drawings. While they reflect the design aesthetic desired by the architect, they do so without clearly depicting a corresponding understanding of how the particular design element is to be physically built in the field."

"The construction industry needs one or more intermediaries, firms that will reduce the amount of asymmetric information between owners and contractors and enforce fixed-price contracts. Once those institutions are in place, construction firms can begin to compete on the basis of price, quality, and time."

What are you sinking about?

Here is a remix from three friends, Kerry MacKay and Bill & Jim Couchenour. The message; communicate clearly, intentionally from the context of your audience.

How do you go about “identifying holes in your marketing strategy“.

1st - don’t think like a member of your company. You know all of the buzz words, acronyms and short-cuts. Think like those who have never seen your business, understand or care about your brand or who have no clue as to why you or anyone would be excited about what you do or provide.

2nd - be clear about what you want others to know (both inside your organization and outside). Make it easy to navigate through "the system;" on your website, when they call in, through your processes... In other words “NEXT STEPS”. Know these before you start delivering your message.

3rd - evaluate EVERY piece of communication - oral, print, broadcast, and digital media. Brand it, message it, and unify it across your organization with a non industry insider in mind. If you have to interpret it for someone it isn’t very good. They need to be able to understand it without your assistance.

4th - make sure your team knows the plan and its intent - everyone must be on the same page and it needs to be transferable. Every department filters the same plan differently. Provide a forum for a multi-angled understanding to unify your message through the countless touch points your members have clients, vendors and the community.

5th - clarify your message by gathering as much input as possible with clients, vendors and colleagues.

6th - remember, we live in a Web 2.0 world where all communication and programs are now subject to user FEEDBACK. Feedback means an authentic message is influenced by feedback and open to adjustment and refinement - and more feedback.

7th - show up open minded - don’t go into this with predetermined agendas. Agendas don’t grow…they control. We don’t do control we serve our clients, colleagues and community.

(Courtesy of Kerry MacKay)

I first saw this video in a leadership presentation by Bill Couchenour with Cogun Construction.

The Brain Software

I met with a business colleague yesterday and discussed strategies for a distribution network. I used The Personal Brain to map out our ideas. I've received several inquiries from the last blog asking about this software. The video below provides a nice introduction. I like this tool! Let me know if you try it out.

The K-Web - James Burke - Historical mindshifting

If you have not heard, watched or read anything by James Burke - you really need to. His brain works in an amazing way to tie disconnected connections of history into a unique context of understanding. His stories spur innovative thinking - or at least I feel like it when I finish one.

This video shares some of the vision and progress for the Knowledge Web

Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets Review (1)

Here are some quotes from the book Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets courtesy of Mike Wolff with ProjectSolutions Group.


There would seem to be some natural-enough intermediary candidates in construction. Such judgments used to be the bailiwick of architects, but somewhere along the line, architects lost their grip on the grimy reality of construction. There was a time when they were referred to as the “master builder”. They shrank from their historic role as the owner’s ombudsman . . .

Rarely did the great majority of architects commit significant resources to the construction administration phase of their projects. In their absence during the construction process, building owners have gotten well and truly lost.

Competitive bidding is therefore no panacea because it fails to determine the final cost or quality of the job. In order to jumpstart construction productivity, we need two interrelated devices: 1) an intermediary with some teeth, and 2) a true fixed cost (a.ka. “hard money” or lump sum) contract, where a contractor commits to build in accordance with the design intent for a precise sum.

Traditional U.S. construction contracts in fact disguised mutable-cost contracts because contractors find it so easy to raise the price during the construction process. “Competitive bidding . . . often leads to the owner getting nailed during construction for numerous extra charges by a builder intent on making up for the too low price he had to submit to win the job in the first place”.

Construction's Dysfunctional World

Barry B. LePatner is author of Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets (2007). A member of the New York City, New York State, and American Bar Associations, he holds a B.A. degree from Brooklyn College and a J.D. degree from Brooklyn Law School. His critique of the construction industry chronicles its dysfunctions as only a veteran attorney can.

Here is an excerpt from an interview in Building Design & Construction

"A meta-survey by the University of Pennsylvania showed that 49.2% of all labor costs on construction projects are wasted due to inefficiencies: laborers waiting for deliveries, going up and down hoists, waiting for other trades to move out of the way.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 1964 to 2003, for all nonfarm industries, productivity per worker went up 125%. For the construction industry, the output went down over 20% per worker over that period. If we just achieved a 10% increase in efficiency, we could add $120 billion a year to the economy."

Link here for the rest of the interview.

Counting Carbon like Calories

Good intentions or wishful thinking?

How can we measure our industry's dramatic shift to all things green? LEED has put the ball into play but most recognize that we will need a major overhaul to have any chance of reaching Zero Carbon goals by 2030.

Michael Specter, (recently interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air, helps to clarify the conversation around Zero Carbon strategies. He also injects needed realism into the complexity companies face attempting to provide their customers with real and relevant information on Carbon use.

Google plans to reach zero carbon this year through reductions, leveraging technology, better design, off-sets, setting standards and developing valid metrics.