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.