Thursday, July 26, 2012

What can Draghi really do in Europe?

Ok, so today Draghi says the ECB will do whatever necessary to save the Eurozone.
Really?  Just one tiny problem.  Yes, the Dow rose over 200 points.  But if you will forgive my non-original phrase, it is "irrational exuberance'!  Why?  Because the fundamental problem is behavioral, and the financial problems are a symptom of that, not the cause. And Draghi cannot change behavior.  Until the citizens choose governments of fiscal responsibility and take some on themselves...it will still be, as it has for over 2 years...(sorry...but sadly still true)...kicking a now even larger can down the road.

As an Economist and Behavioral Scientist/Leadership Expert of 30 years, I see clearly that if a critical mass of countries like Greece don't want to work, don't want to pay taxes, and yet still expect their governments to nanny them cradle to grave...the simple question is:  Where is the money coming from?
Their expectations and demands...the people...are simply unsustainable.  The bankers can do what they like but if people don't want to work and pay taxes, the underlying behaqvioral problem of dependency will continually cripple Europe.

It is laudable to try to save the Eurozone in some ways...but the model of Germany working so other countries don't have to, as one commentator said this week...is so unfair it is a brutal manipulation of hardworking Germany, economically and psychologically.  Kudos to Merkel for standing her ground, but the situation is still fragile. 

Any time you have the weaker punishing the stronger, this will fail...not sustainable economically or psychologically.  The therapist Fritz Perls said the underdog always wins (by manipulation)...let us hope he is wrong in this case, but for now, tragically, he is right so far.  The profligate nations have no right to
bleed dry the hardworking successful nations. 

Of course, all of this also applies to the U.S....a struggle for survival....more on this later. I fervently hope that voters see all of this in the fall here. But at least a much higher percentage of us pay taxes and our retirement age is higher than in Greece!

Peace and prosperity to you all!
Dr. Linne

"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, & protect
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com
Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System
Founder/CEO 480-767-1717 Institute for Transformation Leaders& Consultants Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive?
Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient ® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient® Questionnaire Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage Coming soon!! Power Course on Intuition for Business Leaders! "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2012. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Banks, Power and Chicanery-Rate Scandal

 HI Everyone,

Hope all of you in the U.S. had a good Independence Day...now Interdependence Day as the world grows smaller.
 
Once again we see leaders using power in authoritarian non-transparent ways--manipulating the LIBOR rate on which so many transactions are based.  Barclays, long respected British bank, has admitted it and several other banks are involved including U.S. Banks.  How implicated is the Fed?  Time will tell as the investigations proceed.

The misuse of power by "leaders" is at the root of all of these scandals, and reflects the surfacing of Old Power behavior no longer acceptable.  Barclays, for Heaven's sake!  Look for more such scandals to be unearthed.  The Power Shift from Old to New Power, which I discuss at length in my book From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? is at the crux of global change.  Countries in which negative controlling unethical authoritarian power is allowed to persist will see weaker economies and reputations due to misuse of power.  

Yes, this has been around forever.  Yes, it has been a "privilege" of "leaders".  But the world has changed.
Information is everywhere and democratized, raising the expectations of transparency and ethical behavior from those with power.  Many leaders still behave as if they could control all in secret, but those days are over.  Time to change and move into a more positive collaborative participative framework as my mentors, my generation of professionals and the newer generations of consultants teach...In business, unilateral power is over.  Give it up.  It is obsolete.  Besides, New Power is more fun and much more profitable!  Scandals are EXPENSIVE!

In politics, the power issues are being played out around the world.  Egypt is in the grips of a battle between 2 Old Power factions, so they are in real trouble whichever one wins there.  Freedom will be hardwon and delayed for them.....watch this going on in every dictatorship...China, Iran, Syria...in different ways...the Old Power model is being challenged.  An amazing time and a compelling saga!

This underlies the huge mistrust of leaders now, by the way...standards have gone way up!  Leaders, your required learning curve now is huge.  If you do not learn the Power Shift skills and techniques, your career and company are at risk.  Plain and simple.

Peace and prosperity to all of you.
Dr. Linne

"Build on Your Best" Giving you the power to predict, profit, & protect 
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D 
www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com 
Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System Founder/CEO 480-767-1717
 Institute for Transformation Leaders& Consultants Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, 
Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? 
Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom 
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides Series Positive Quotient PQ® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient AQ® Questionnaire Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation" Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage Coming soon!! Power Course on Intuition for Business Leaders! "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2012. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.