Pre-Owned

When it comes to creating value, or later protecting it, luxury car makers are turning to a unique approach – CPO – certified pre-owned car sales. They know that the brand(car) is solid. They know that getting new users is key, especially in a fragmented market. And, they know that people are fully comfortable with something that, while not new, is fully dependable.

There’s a convenient parallel when it comes to ideas. Proven ideas are sound, and often less risky to try as a first adopter, especially if you are risk averse or want to maintain credibility with your colleagues. Results are even better, where proven to have worked. We are most comfortable about adopting ideas that are field tested, socially acceptable, green, and a number of factors by which we might easily accept – CPIs – certified pre-owned ideas. The means to come to know, come to agree, and come to resolutions are long since proven. If they were uniformly applied we would have long since solved many of the world’s issues, and amicably. Perhaps ‘unfortunately’ there is still a market for a solution engine.

Fortunately, there is a viable and proven approach. What is proposed here is an extension of proven steps to analysis, consensus, and implementation. It is at least as good as the original ideas, since all have already been ‘around the block’. It may cover some new country but likely do so in style, familiar comfort, and hopefully at a little less risk. Somewhat toungue-in-cheek, I’ll add that the groups that would question ‘new ideas’ and those that have already ‘certified’ other methodologies, and even those ‘idea rights’ people who jealously guard all the above can rest assured that no former process improvement methodologies were “harmed in the making” of this proposed concept.

If all the former questions were answered, we wouldn’t still have questions. For those questions that have been answered, finding out who already has the answer is often a challenge. We may need to consider an ASK4™ catalog showing existing CPIs, an ASK4™ catalog showing where CPIs are still needed, an ASK4™ catalog of people who have an interest, people who have a need , people who have a suggested answer. We may need a list of experts who have already ‘driven’ and or been in the pit crew and can a-test to the actual performance of those CPIs, and how they can serve any or all of us (U-Netted Nations). We may need an ASK4™ approach that helps us co-manage our interaction (collaboration) when we meet at the the traffic circle intersections (conversations) along our global information highway (web).

We (speaking globally) may not have the luxury of trying our own new ‘BETA’ test drive – and perhaps we shouldn’t if valuable CPI answers already exist that can be more readily merged into the fast lane (consensus) , if we just yield (cooperate).

What’s about YOU? – care to comment?

- dare to COOPERATE?

NOTE: While this website is my personal initiative, the ASK4™ approach is a participant-managed collaboration platform and the U-Netted Nations™ is the result of our ‘Collaboration On Purpose’. My voice becomes one in a million – immediately.

Gas Shortage Over!!

…But Excess ‘Bureaucracy’ Continues

To even the casual observer, the issue appears to be:

- the need for more petroleum

- the need to replace foreign oil sources

- the need to develop our own oil resources

- and the related list goes on, and on, and on…

But after a moment of ‘root cause’ analysis, another key issue is visible:

- dependence on petroleum – as energy

THE PROBLEM:

We were not focused on the core issue…

but on the symptoms related to our current approach.

THE ANSWER:

We must question prior answers…

to identify the new questions, and options

WHY NOT ASK “WHY”…?

The reasons are many, but we often continue the practice of coddling our emotions (feelings), ignoring the ‘800 pound gorilla’ (facts), and chasing ’symptoms’ instead of the root cause. That approach will perpetuate much wasted effort leading to other wastes of time and resources (dare I say: endless bureaucracy, meaningless Senate investigations, failed initiatives, etc).

‘Political correctness’ requests that we politely overlook the reality and instead superimpose a misplaced ‘forgiveness’ or perpetual excuse, rather than “digging in” to the real problem. We need to start looking past the ‘joker’ in our logic and going for the ‘ace’, and (dare I say?) calling a “spade a spade”.

WHAT’s NEXT?

Focus on each and every issue, as John Wu explains, because they make up the ‘enterprise’ viewpoint – (‘eat the elephant bite at a time‘). In a recent post, Tim Bryce refers to it as ‘Stepwise Refinement‘ – the approach of taking the smallest logical portion and resolving that, and ultimately resolving all such issues at the successively smaller levels of systems, sub-systems, and procedures, etc. When complete, that collection of solved issues is reflected in a new system-wide approach – that functions correctly – at all levels.

It may seem at first like wasted motion, analysis paralysis, or other ‘feelings’ that urge us to rush more quickly to erroneous conclusions (wrong). But with the right approach, and perhaps even without the help of others, we might individually uncover the newest means to realize:

3200 MPG (Miles Per Gallon) – on WATER!!

With the help of others, in well structured conversations (‘Collaboration on Purpose‘), our laser focus (ASK4™) analysis and cooperative effort (U-Netted Nations), CAN matter immensely. We CAN sort out the real issues and collect the real answers to all global problems, in time.

Profitable NPO?

(shhhhhh!, you can’t say that!!)

Perhaps, but you better at least ‘break even’ and do so efficiently. The contributors expect that and even your volunteers won’t long support an ineffective effort.

Each non-profit community is under extreme scrutiny to clarify, execute, evaluate, and defend:

• its purpose and practices (improved productivity toward mission)
• its benevolent impact to the population it serves (perceived value)
• its measured success in meeting its charter (ROI or appropriate metric)

To do so requires a change-management approach that:

• Is transparent in terms of interruption to current operations
• Is a way of thinking and acting rather than a one-time “initiative”
• Involves and empowers all classes of participants
• Creates incremental in-stride improvements at all levels
• Provides appropriate ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’
• Enhances esprit de corps, improves morale and productivity

To confirm results, they should utilize a measurement approach that:

• Provides standardized and appropriate metrics for the value delivered by NPO
• Incorporates existing rating schemes where necessary or appropriate
• Provides a non-biased third-party measurement/reporting entity
• Empowers their public relations and fundraising efforts
• Establishes a formative evaluation process to minimize summative ‘blame’

That’s a big challenge for a single organization. It can be more easily solved by cooperation, and the social web has now made that entirely possible. It will take more than the casual structure of ‘threaded’ discussions – that go nowhere. It will take ‘Collaboration on Purpose’!

ASK4™ is much like a think-tank – that identifies priority needs, creates appropriate consensus, initiates and tracks cooperative actions, that produce sustainable results, and does so transparently (online) 24/7/365.

For NPOs, ASK4™, offers a measurable increase in Capacity – Effectiveness – Public Confidence – Funding and “Business Results from Charitable Purpose”

What ‘busy-ness’ is your NPO engaged in – and Who will support that?

What’s about YOU? – care to comment?

- dare to COOPERATE?

NOTE: While this website is my personal initiative, the ASK4™ approach is a participant-managed collaboration platform and the U-Netted Nations™ is the result of our ‘Collaboration On Purpose’. My voice becomes one in a million – immediately.

Today-Tomorrow

What we formerly did only in real life is now being replicated online, 24/7/365. We were barely adept at actual social behavior when virtual interaction displaced it. Once again, the pioneers have launched out, beyond the current ‘edge’ of the known universe, with all humanity soon to follow, online. The question is, how humane is this ‘world’, and can we cooperate?

TODAY, my own experience is that each individual will strive to at least do what is best for them-selves. And that is not selfishness. TOMORROW, given a viable approach, they will also consider others in that decision so long as their own needs are equitably met in tandem.

However, for that to realistically occur online, the ‘new’ approach (and that envisioned here) must be co-managed by its participants, have a minimal set of convergent features, and that system must:

1- Endear and then acknowledge all stakeholder viewpoints
2- Identify current impacts and desired alternates
3- Uncover root cause by objective consensus
4- Enable corrective action by priority and through cooperation

That may seem complex, but it can be accomplished – and it’s already TOMORROW, somewhere!

What’s about YOU? – care to comment?

- dare to COOPERATE?

NOTE: While this website is my personal initiative, the ASK4™ approach is a participant-managed collaboration platform and the U-Netted Nations™ is the result of our ‘Collaboration On Purpose’. My voice becomes one in a million – immediately.

What IF?

What if people in communities were ALL better served by agencies, businesses, and NPOs?

What if YOU got to say what you thought wasn’t working?

What if YOU got to ask for what you wanted instead?

What if WE got to objectively consider each other’s opinions and desires?

What if OUR approach led us to equitable consensus?

What if WE could contribute to and benefit from that shared decision?

What if WE could accomplish that – simply – with four ubiquitous and familiar QUESTIONS?

What if WE could return to this same process and ‘upgrade’ or improve our prior decisions?

What if we could unravel the value now hidden in disconnected ‘threaded’ discussions?

What if each GROUP, via their website, used this same collaboration approach?

What if that ‘widget’ made ALL their efforts (and websites) INTEROPERABLE?

What if their interoperability, created a one-world KNOWLEDGE-BASE?

What if (issues and their) answers were readily available, and easily accessible?

Would you be willing to “ASK for” it – with me?
To realize that: I Need + You Have = WE Win!

In his post “Why is Enterprise 2.0 a good idea?” on Social Media Today, Mark Masterson says:

I don’t know about you, but I’d sure like to hear the answers to questions like those as applied to, say, Friendfeed, or Twitter. For the architects of such systems, Burt’s theory provides them with the tools to determine how to best add and create value with their software. For enterprise architects like me, it provides a framework to help me make choices, evaluate alternatives, and develop a strategy that is not a shot in the dark, but a targeted attempt at increasing value within my organisation. What’s not to like?

He wasn’t referring to the questions above (- or was he?).

ASK4™, is a simple four-question process improvement engine

- provides individual influence to equitable control of the international relationship economy

What’s about YOU? – care to comment?

- dare to COOPERATE?

NOTE: While this website is my personal initiative, the ASK4™ approach is a participant-managed collaboration platform and the U-Netted Nations™ is the result of our ‘Collaboration On Purpose’. My voice becomes one in a million – immediately.

U-Netted or United

…

YES, YOU are already a member of the ‘Infosphere’.

That citizenship cannot be revoked.

What does that provide you?

• a voice (participation)
• a vote (influence)
• a benefit (share)

Unless you are in some group, it is un-likely that benefits accrue to you, especially without cost. That cost could be time (participating), effort (volunteering), or other contribution (cash, etc). The return is often limited (usefulness) or negligible (quality/quantity). or inequitable (return for effort).

The principle of compounding is a tremendous advantage when leveraging the available forces – or resources in this case.

You plus me plus yours plus mine plus theirs…

is a powerful group!

That groups does already exist, and you are already a member, and ‘they’ are not united. But they are U-Netted, and WE can thereby become inter-operable and inter-dependent to ensure each individual’s personal INDEPENDENCE, globally.

The only challenge is to offer a mutually-empowering ‘platFORUM’ in which to freely express OUR opinions, gain from others’ insights, reach mutually-beneficial consensus, and formulate sustainable solutions. Only a co-managed approach offers that, and the U-Netted Nations:

• is not the ultimate collusion, it is the ultimate collaboration
• it is not exclusive – it includes anyone who will ASK4™ it
• is not an organization – it is the result of representation
• is not about legislation – it is the result of negotiation
• is not authoritarian – it is the author of participation
• is not the beneficiary of effort – it is the dispenser

The U-Netted Nations™ begins with ASK4™ as its operating construct and then uses only that process to inquire, envision, create, implement, and improve its results. It is empowered only by the influence and intellect of its global participants – YOU and I.

Any issue that arises is (by pre-agreement) entered into the discourse of its practitioners to be processed by the ASK4™ approach. Since that approach is objective and equitable, the system can not be reverse-engineered without that re-engineering becoming the next issue to be processed by the group at large. It is this continuous transparency that assures its equitable forward progress, grows the catalog of sustainable options, and recognizes its worthy contributors.

Any person, team, group, or even country can participate. Information can be kept private or shared as appropriate – and any ‘reward’ likewise dispensed based on that level of ‘privacy’ or of public contribution. Management of the process, its content holdings, its results, and its shared benefits (or revenue) is all subject to the ASK4™ process and its mutual consensus.

The U-Netted Nations is not a trap to ensnare us

- it is a safety net for our security – and perhaps our survival.

Do U want to hold a corner of the ‘net’ – for your sake and others? – and support…

…”One internet, under control, of liberty and justice, BY all”

What’s about YOU? – care to comment?

- dare to COOPERATE?

NOTE: While this website is my personal initiative, the ASK4™ approach is a participant-managed collaboration platform and the U-Netted Nations™ is the result of our ‘Collaboration On Purpose’. My voice becomes one in a million – immediately.

Giving U a stake in the Universe…

I Want (or need) + You Have (or offer) = WE Win (by cooperation)

The U-NETTED NATIONS is a offered as a syndicated forum:

• to establish and maintain a cooperative approach
• that recognizes individual contributions from its diverse members
• and uncovers sustainable solutions to their local needs
• within the broader context of mutual benefits, globally.

Through the structured ASK4™ approach, participants can collectively assure that:

• Access is FORMALIZED so that all global citizens can equitably participate – without repressive constraints.
• The content is NORMALIZED to reflect a common basis of discussion – of understanding – and of benefit.
• Interaction is MEDIATED to ensure all viewpoints are considered in route to a mutually beneficial consensus.

The ASK4™ approach can merge the good intentions of numerous ‘threaded’ discussions into a tapestry of useful value, sustainable solutions, and measurable results. It is scalable to serve individuals, non-profits, commercial entities, and government institutions alike.

As such, participating individuals, groups, cultures, and countries can co-manage, participate in, and equitably benefit from from its usage – and the relationship economy that it supports.

And,

it works because

“U-ASK4-IT”…(<-CLICK HERE to Join)

Where the People fear the Government – you have tyranny;

Where the Government fears the People – you have rights.

(Thomas Jefferson)