NeuroLab

Baby-Boomer Marketers Are Misreading Millennials’ Media Behaviour

alan — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:04:52 +0000

Check out this article on marketing to the Millennials.

Our Baby boomer siblings are missing the boat it would seem.

Click here to read the article. Article

What the hell is a KPI?

alan — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:44:56 +0000

Check out this article by Bernard Marr

Click here to read the article “What the Hell is a KPI”

Send Money with Google Wallet and GMail

alan — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:22:28 +0000

Money transfers made really easy.

Labour vs Work – TEDxRiodelaPlata

alan — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:55:19 +0000

This is a great video on the nature of work and the prediction of motivation.
Read about Sisyphus

Why business leaders should think like artists – Seth Godin

alan — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:06:22 +0000

Take a look at what Seth Godin has to say and get some inside info on his new book.

Employee Engagement Marshall Goldsmith

alan — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:52:57 +0000

So much is being said about employee engagement and what companies can do in order to get there employees engaged in their work. Marshall Goldsmith asks another question.

Protected: Onsight

alan — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:21:36 +0000

Coaching Minute 10|26|01 – Careers

alan — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:56:59 +0000

This week I would like to concentrate my coaching minutes on careers. Now this concept of careers is something that runs deep with people. Actually, education runs deep with people and I think you will find that there are as many differing opinions on careers as there are people giving those opinions. But what of predictability? How do we educate our children for the future. Children entering the education system now will be retiring in 2075. None of us know what the world will look like in 5 years, net alone 65 years; and we are supposed to be educating our children to live and work in this world.
There are trends that we can look at but none of us know what the future will look like, do we?
How do we go about helping our children navigate the future. We think our problems are new, but every generation feels this. If you look at the theories and the psychometric tests and the research around career development you will realise that this has been a rather important point of discussion over the years, and people have been trying to resolve these issues for years!
One thing I know is that the world of work out there is not the same it was 5 years ago, and the world that our children are going to work in, is not going to be as it is today. Equipping our children to handle complexity and chaos, generalising initially as opposed to specialising from the start is probably a wise thing to do.
So may you learn that the world we live in is dynamic, diverse and creative, and may you understand that for all the planning and preparation we might do, factors out of our control do play a role in challenging the status quo more and more each year. Equipping our children to be able to cope with the challenges that life may throw at them is something that will probably be a good idea.

I’m Alan Ahlfeldt, coaching psychologist @ NeuroLab.

A nation of Wimps

alan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:31:20 +0000

Parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the bumps out of life for their children. However, parental hyperconcern has the net effect of making kids more fragile; that may be why they’re breaking down in record numbers.

At times I have to admit that I agree with some of this thinking.I have two sons, aged 9 and 5. Sitting in front of the screen (limited) is still taking them away from real life experiences, and limiting their coping abilities in one respect but build other abilities. One real positive is that my 9 year old is building cities in the game Pharaoh. Not only does he have to provide food and work for his people, he needs to look after their health and safety (armies) and buildings (architects and fire fighters). It is truly giving him the ability to think in a more holistic way. Perhaps one day he will learn how to spell Pharaoh correctly.

Read the article and let me know what you think. Email me info@neurolabinc.com

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200411/nation-wimps

Also take a look at this Ted video, the dynamic of video games on developing youth is a fascinating topic.
Game designer David Perry says tomorrow’s videogames will be more than mere fun to the next generation of gamers. They’ll be lush, complex, emotional experiences — more involving and meaningful to some than real life. Watch the video at the top of the page http://neurolabinc.com/?page_id=705

Alan Ahlfeldt

2010_03_001 Alan Ahlfeldt

alan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:25:40 +0000

The New Year

The other day someone asked me how my year has been so far. It was the second week of January and I answered in all sincerity that it feels like the 42^nd of December. As soon as I had said it I realised the impact of the statement. I always say it’s been good because I am probably on holiday, I have spent about two weeks with friends and family, probably gone away for at least a long weekend and generally would have rested my body and mind. And I would have had a lot of fun. But this year was a little different and although I had a lot of fun, there was more responsibility and much less rest than I normally would have had. The economic aftershock of much of 2009 was also present in an intrusive way and the realisation that despite all our plans and precautions, we are extremely vulnerable.

We can philosophise that the economic melt-down levelled the playing field a little and made many more people accountable for their spending. We can say things like one man’s loss is another man’s gain, and this too allows us to assimilate the very real consequences of a treacherous year. You see, many people outside of first world countries didn’t experience the giddying effects of a super boom economy. But when the bust came, most people in developing countries felt the crunch in varying degrees. And then I thought that we in South Africa, and especially in the Eastern Cape are actually quite used to facing the consequences of economic mayhem. And although our resilience is building, I think that I might just have reached that threshold where I am not caring that much about the good things that might be happening in my life, in anticipation of the chaos which is out of my control.

I would love to believe that everything is going to be great in the future and that it will all work out in the end. But I know that it probably won’t work out in the way that I currently desire. But if the truth be told, there will be areas in my life that really do work out and there will also be areas where chaos prevails. So looking at 2010 I resolve to become more conscious of the good and positive things in my life. I resolve not to ignore the bleeding obvious and negative and to do my best to overcome what I can with the resources I have. But I will not let the negative dictate how I feel and who I am. I resolve to be a life giver and not an energy sapper. I resolve to keep looking at my life and working through my issues, not to think that they will disappear, but to know that I am doing what I can to grow and become more of who I really want to be. So if you ask me how my 2010 has started now, that’s how I will answer.

I’m Alan Ahlfeldt with NeuroLab’s coaching minute of the day.