Politics | BlogZynergy

Caribbean [CARICOM] Leaders Need More Design Thinking In Government

Hello folks. Hope you are doing well so far in this COVID-19 period.

As I follow what is happening in and around the world, I want to stick in this blog to Design Thinking in Government. Especially that Caribbean Leaders need more Design Thinking in Government to succeed more.

I am design and created by mother nature. Everything is designed. Design is not only just what it will looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. Everywhere you can use design thinking. Yes even my car insurance company uses design.

Design Thinking is nothing more then a user-centered (people centered) approach to problem solving.

Actually in my own opinion Design Thinking is less about thinking, but more about doing. You just start from what people, users, customers, consumers etc. need or want to do.

In this case EMPATHY is the key. It is not about you. You need the ability to understand and share the feelings of others a very good way.

Design Thinking stimulates you to look at situations differently and come up with new effective solutions that go beyond and improve existing alternatives.

Integrative thinking is key. You need the ability to look at the different aspects of a problem.

Stop discussing start working. Make ideas tangible. Prototyping is thinking with your hands. Test your hypnotises. I do hope you can follow me so far.

In daily life, we experience how leaders are struggling to succeed. The road to success does not follow a straight line. The more you are able to loop through (understand, create, learn), the higher the chance you have for good results.

When things aren’t running your way, this is the frustrating whirlwind ride we all go on. Disagreements between people and parties keep us from making any stable form of progress. They happen very often, and we are so uncompromising that Government Shutdown might as well be considered a trend.

I my humble opinion politicians live in a bubble, where they shut themselves in a cave for a period of time only to emerge gloriously with ludicrously lengthy bills, preaching their so called glory as if they reached their solution by grace and wisdom of God. Furthermore they simply pass what they think they should pass; sometimes they pass what has an earmark with their name on it. And if or when things fail, they repeal the entirety of it, and try again.

In order for Government especially in the Caribbean region to better serve their people, their process should be user-centered9 people centered). Yes clear by the people, for the people.

Leaders need to thoroughly research the problems themselves. Who are the people most affected by the problem. What is the problem, really! How does it impact the people and how can we try to solve it, and never taking biased view from the perspective of special interest groups or corporate entities that seek financial or regulatory gain. Once we identify a problem and hypothesis, we test, Test and iterate.

The easiest way for us to start is to iterate upon that which already exists. The best solutions come with research and iteration. And the iterations must be watched with a sharp, keen eye, as to identify problems the instant they become visible, so as to buffer any major impact they may create down to road.

For myself, I work within the realm of user- centered design and its benefits are very familiar to me. Design Thinking is a scientific, human-centered, and empathetic process that yields the best designed solutions. It gets us together in to a platform of understanding the people and their problems; with firm understanding and empathy, along with daily continuous innovation, we can create the best solutions.

With this blog I hope that more people can and will agree that regardless of political party of stance, a government educated and practicing design thinking methodologies will help us all to establish/create a more perfect running country, community, union etc.

Design Thinking is not always the answer to every single problem. Keep that in mind.

For some questions you will need rational thinking, spreadsheets, presentations and even more women and men in suits to come to a valid answer. If you as a leader want to become more effective train yourself in Design Thinking.

I am leaving you with the following words : Empathise, Observe, Engage, Watch and Listen….

Are you bored in this COVID-19 PERIOD? Use it to your advantage

One is too busy to get bored, while the other slowly but surely no longer knows what to do with himself. Do you recognize yourself in the latter? Then this is the time to look at the deeper layer that lies beneath your boredom. If you get bored you can easily use that to your advantage, you just have to know how.

Researchers around the world are trying to figure out exactly what causes boredom, what we can do about it and whether there is a link between boredom and depression. Lead researcher and psychology professor James Danckert describes boredom as follows: “We define boredom as an uncomfortable desire to be busy with something, but fail to fulfill that desire.” So this definition may well explain why you might get bored during this corona crisis, since your routine is upset and your sense of freedom is limited. You are not alone in it, me too and more people around the globe.

Emotions

Before we can get deeper into boredom, ask yourself if you are really bored. You can also confuse boredom with emotions such as fear or fatigue. Try to identify what you feel to find out.

Change it

In essence, boredom tries to tell you that you don’t spend your time the way you actually want it to. It is an important signal that you want to change the situation. Whenever you get bored, remember that you probably need and can change something about the situation. What counts is the action you take after this awareness, which can keep you busy and make you a more creative and successful person.

BOREDOM – AN EXCELLENT TIME FOR INTROSPECTION.

And we don’t like that very much, because who knows what deep-seated problems will emerge as soon as we take the time to get bored.

We don’t like boredom for three reasons:

First of all, boredom gives us a sense of concern – “something is missing”. We are so used to being amused by a constant stream of external stimuli that when they are missing we experience the feeling that something is not right.

In addition, boredom triggers our ‘fear response’ . We find it scary to be alone with our thoughts, fearing that they would be confrontational. To keep out the mirror that keeps boredom out, you stay busy – whether it is really productive or fun .

Finally, boredom forces you to step out of your comfort zone , which feels unnatural. As soon as you realize that you may have to do a number of things differently , in order to feel lively – for example, even after starting to read/write that book – it is safer to maybe watch some good series after all.

To shake off these feelings above, you should therefore quickly turn to external stimuli such as Netflix, your smartphone or another distractor to avoid feeling this boredom

So a luxury problem, boredom. We have so many options to choose what we want to spend our attention and time on that we get overwhelmed when we don’t use it – we get bored .

That’s why you take every opportunity to stay busy. You do not notice the boredom (and dissatisfaction) and therefore do not have to be alone with any confrontational thoughts.

So in order to reap the benefits of boredom – an opportunity for introspection – you should not look for more stimuli and novelty, but as little as possible.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR BOREDOM

So you are not going to build a vegetable garden. What is it? Absolutely nothing except a good put to reorganize your thoughts in order.

Meditate regularly – make room for confrontational thoughts.

Meditation would have been the last thing on your mind if you wanted to tackle boredom.

Now that you know that boredom is a mental state , it may make sense that meditation helps you see boredom differently. It helps you to understand that boredom is not a threatening thing, and it helps you place those negative and confrontational thoughts.

Meditating gives you the opportunity to look at the underlying causes why you avoid rest and are always busy.

And that doesn’t have to be lengthy sessions – 5 minutes a day is enough to use the unrest that boredom creates as a moment of introspection.

Get creative with your thoughts – let them run wild.

Instead of looking for external stimulus, use your boredom to feed your brain with creativity. After all, as soon as you are bored, your thoughts get the chance to roam freely – allow it.

So stop entertaining yourself with your smartphone and see where your thoughts are stranded. Write them down, articulate them using ‘free writing’ or capture them in color – in a mind map for example!

Get creative with your thoughts – let them run wild.

Instead of looking for external stimulus, use your boredom to feed your brain with creativity. After all, as soon as you are bored, your thoughts get the chance to roam freely – allow it.

Who knows what brilliant ideas you come up with during the CORONA LOCKDOWN!

Let me know in the comments how you solve your boredom things.

Best Case Scenario Climate 2050

Two founders of the Paris Climate Agreement and chief UN negotiators, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, released the book The Future We Choose on 25 February 2020. In it they outline, among other things, a scenario of a future world that they believe we should create. The translation of the book appeared on February 27: We determine the future. Team Blogzynergy shares some passages from this ‘best case scenario’ for the climate in 2050.

The world we have to create

It is 2050. We have managed to halve emissions every decade since 2020. We are on our way to a world that will be no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer in 2100.

In most places in the world the air is humid and fresh, even in cities. It looks like you are walking in a forest and you probably do that too. The air is cleaner than it has been since the industrial revolution. For that you have to thank the trees. They are everywhere.

Afforestation was not the only solution, but the trees gave us the time we needed to overcome carbon emissions. Donations from companies and individuals provided funding for the largest tree planting campaign ever. When we started, it was purely practical, a tactic to combat climate change by moving the carbon: the trees removed the carbon dioxide from the air, separated oxygen and returned the carbon where it belongs: into the ground. Of course this helps to reduce climate change, but there were more benefits. At every sensory level, the feeling of living on what has again become a green planet has changed completely, especially in cities. Cities have never been so good to live in. With more trees and much fewer cars, it has proved possible to make entire streets suitable for urban agriculture and playgrounds for children. Every empty spot and every dark, dead-end alley has been given a new purpose and is now planted with a shady grove. A vegetable or flower garden has been installed on every roof. Blind walls that were once filled with graffiti are now covered with green climbing plants.

For the developed countries, the general change that required a shift to renewable energy was sometimes an uncomfortable transition, as old infrastructure often had to be adjusted and old things had to be done in new ways. But for the developing countries it marked the beginning of a new era. The majority of the infrastructure needed for economic growth and poverty reduction was built according to the new standards: low carbon emissions and a high capacity for recovery. In remote areas, the billion people who did not have electricity at the start of the 21st century now get energy from the solar collectors on their own roof or from jointly managed wind turbines. This new access opened the door for so much more. Large population groups have made a leap towards improved sanitation, education and health care. People who only had trouble getting clean water can now provide the entire family with it. Children can also learn in the evening. Hospitals can now also work efficiently in remote areas.

Construction works all over the world make more of what they need than just electricity. All buildings collect rainwater and manage their own water use. With sustainable electricity sources, local desalination became possible, which means that clean drinking water can now be produced wherever needed in the world. We also use this water for hydroponics (growing plants on water to which nutrients have been added), flushing the toilet and for the shower. We have successfully rebuilt, organized and structured our lives to live more locally. Although energy prices have fallen enormously, we still opt for life and work close to home rather than commuting. Thanks to the better connections, many people now also work at home,

We make communities stronger. As a child you may have seen the neighbors only fleetingly. But to make things cheaper, cleaner and more sustainable, every part of your life is now more locally designed. Things that you did alone are now being carried out jointly – growing vegetables, collecting rainwater, composting. Resources and responsibilities are now shared. At first you resisted this solidarity – you were used to doing things yourself and within the privacy of your own home. But soon the camaraderie and the unexpected new support network started to feel good, something to hold high. For most people, the new way of life has proven to be a better recipe for happiness.

International air traffic has changed completely. Biofuels have replaced kerosene. Communication technology is now so advanced that we can participate in meetings anywhere in the world without having to travel. Civil air traffic still exists, but is used much less and is extremely expensive. Thanks to the fact that a lot of work is becoming more and more decentralized and can be carried out almost anywhere, people save for their ‘big vacation’: international journeys of weeks or months instead of trips of a few days. If you live in Europe and want to visit the United States, you can even plan to stay a few months or longer and view the entire continent using local public transportation with zero emissions.

Although we have successfully reduced carbon dioxide emissions, we are still confronted with the effects of record levels in the atmosphere of the past. The poorly degrading greenhouse gases can go nowhere else than to our already highly polluted atmosphere and they cause increasing extreme weather conditions – albeit less than if we had continued to burn fossil fuels. Glaciers and polar ice are still melting and the sea level keeps rising. Severe droughts and desertification are taking place in areas such as the western United States, the Mediterranean and parts of China. The constant extreme weather and the decline of resources continue to reinforce existing differences in income, health, food security and water availability. But now governments have acknowledged the factors of climate change as the amplifiers of the threat they are. Thanks to that awareness, we are now able to predict problems and to fight them before they end up with humanitarian disasters. So while many people are still in danger every day, the situation is not as dramatic or chaotic as it could have been. The economies in developing countries are strong and surprising global coalitions have formed with a new sense of confidence. If a population needs help right now, there is political will and money available to give that help. Thanks to that awareness, we are now able to predict problems and to fight them before they end up with humanitarian disasters. So while many people are still in danger every day, the situation is not as dramatic or chaotic as it could have been. The economies in developing countries are strong and surprising global coalitions have formed with a new sense of confidence. If a population needs help right now, there is political will and money available to give that help. Thanks to that awareness, we are now able to predict problems and to fight them before they end up with humanitarian disasters. So while many people are still in danger every day, the situation is not as dramatic or chaotic as it could have been. The economies in developing countries are strong and surprising global coalitions have formed with a new sense of confidence. If a population needs help right now, there is political will and money available to give that help.

The refugee situation that has lasted for decades is still a source of disagreement and conflict. But fifteen years ago we stopped calling it a crisis. Countries agreed on guidelines for controlling the influx of refugees – on how to assimilate populations without problems, on how to distribute aid and money, and on how tasks should be distributed within a certain region. The agreements are adhered to most of the time, but occasionally problems arise when a country tends to fascism after a few elections.

The spirit of the times has also changed enormously. How we think about the world is now very different. And unexpectedly how we think about the other person.

When the alarm bells started to ring in 2020, mainly thanks to the youth, we realized that we had gone too far with our consumption, competition and greedy self-interest. Our dedication to those values and our pursuit of profit and status had led us to deal with our environment like a steamroller. As a species, we continued uncontrollably, resulting in the near-demise of our world. We can no longer close our eyes to what is happening on a tangible, geophysical level, if you despise recovery, cooperation and a sense of community: imminent destruction.

To withdraw ourselves from this self-destruction would have been impossible if we had not shifted our mindset and priorities, if we had not realized that doing what is good for humanity goes hand in hand with doing what is good for the earth. The most fundamental change was that we, collectively, as governments, citizens and companies, started to adopt a new adage: “Is it good for humanity?”