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: