How Do We Fix It?

When is the last time that you called a big company or government agency and a human being answered the phone?   From big data, complex algorithms and giant corporations to massive government bureaucracy, the everyday life can seem increasingly impersonal.     Our guest, Steve Hilton, argues for radical change.  The former senior policy advisor to ex-British Prime Minister David Cameron has written "More Human: Designing a World Where People Come First."  The book is a clarion call for reform of government, law, education, welfare and business systems.    "I think one of the most destructive and damaging words in the entire world right now both in government and the private sector is efficiency, " Steve tells us in this episode. "In the name of efficiency really stupid and inhuman things are often done."   Find out what he's talking about and what fixes he has in mind...   We also interviewed Hilton about Brexit, to listen to that interview click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are opinion polls accurate?  Did they miss the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders?  Do they properly measure America's increasingly sharp political and cultural divisions?  What's the difference between a well-designed poll conducted with careful methodology and a sloppy opt-in online survey? Our guest is Gary Langer, an internationally recognized opinion researcher and longtime director of polling at ABC News. He has overseen and analyzed more than 750 surveys on a broad range of topics. Gary has a passion for numbers and explains what listeners should know about polls.  He tells us that surveys taken at least a year ago - when many pundits dismissed Trump as an outlier - clearly showed that his views on banning oversees Muslim visitors and building a wall along border with Mexico had substantial support among Republican voters. Trump led the  GOP field throughout the lead-up to the primary season.   "The news media have for far too long indulged themselves in the lazy luxury of being both data hungry and math phobic," Gary tells us.  "I would suggest polls are anti-pundit. A good quality poll ... holds a pundit's feet to the fire " In this episode we get some vital takeaways on how well researched randomized polls are conducted and what changes have been made recently to ensure that a representative sample is reached. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This show may very well save you money, boost your career and help you make smarter decisions.   It's about risk.   Our guest is Karen Firestone - author of the new book “Even The Odds - Sensible Risk Taking in Business Investing and Life."  She is President and CEO, of Aureus Asset Management, an asset management firm she cofounded after 22 years as a fund manager and research analyst at Fidelity Investments. Karen is a contributor to the Harvard Business Review blog.   "I think that sensible risk taking is something that we should all think more about," says Karen. She argues that most of us are too gullible.  "It's more fun to be enthusiastic and positive about the outcome of something that involves some risk than be pessimistic and skeptical."   Karen shares her personal stories and knowledge about investments, starting a firm, changing careers, surviving in the workplace and raising kids.     Karen's four principles of risk taking:   Right-sizing. Consider how big the risk is before you commit to a decision.  Right timing. Is this the right time to change your lifestyle or career?  For instance, don't open an ice-cream shop in November! Relying on knowledge and experience. Know as much as you can about the risk you are taking. Remaining skeptical about promises and projections. "If you show up at a blackjack table and you don't know how to play, you are going to be out of money in five minutes."   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would Britain face lasting economic and political harm if it votes to quit the European Union in June 23rd's referendum?  Our show looks at the case for Brexit. Steve Hilton, one of David Cameron's closest friends and a former senior political advisor to the Prime Minister, is a leading member of the Vote Leave campaign.  He tells us in this episode that a bureaucratic, over-centralized EU has become far too entangled in British life and is incapable of reform.   Richard and Jim disagree on the best outcome for Britain and Europe.  They discuss some of the arguments for and against.   Note: This episode was recorded shortly before Thursday's tragic murder of British MP, JO Cox. Several campaign events were cancelled after the attack.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many times have heard somebody say that the political campaign has reached a new low?  How much worse is the 2016 race compared to previous elections?We asked Princeton University Professor, Sean Wilentz, to give us a history lesson. In his latest book, "The Politicians and the Egalitarians" Sean makes the case for pragmatism, arguing that politicians serve the country best through the art of compromise.On this episode, he tells us that "nasty, slimy stuff" is nothing new in Presidential campaigns, using the wild rhetoric of 1828 and 1860 as examples.But what is new this year, Sean argues, is hyper-partisanship, "where you cannot imagine the other side even existing. You want to obliterate them. You want to wipe them off the face of the earth." The SOLUTIONS start with us.
- How we talk about those we disagree with.  Are you gleefully vilifying the opposition?- Go beyond our information silos.  Read and listen to those we disagree with. allsides.com has daily examples, looking at the news from the left, right and center. Follow journalists who cover solutions.- Revitalize civil discourse. If you have a strong disagreement with friends or neighbors, consider setting up a living room conversation.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast is all about how to have better habits and use them to be more productive in our projects, careers and everyday lives.   We talk about to-do lists, email, mental models and making the most of our time with best-selling author,Charles Duhigg.  His latest book is "Smarter, Faster, Better:  The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and In Business."  Charles is also the author of "The Power of Habit." "Keeping your eye on that thing that matters most to you is the secret to success," Charles tells us.  "We need a mental model: a story we tell ourselves about how we expect our day to unfold."   Whether it's the importance of stretch and smart goals or our need to get out a rut or shed bad habits, this fun episode has smart solutions for all of us. Building on cutting-edge science and deep reporting, Charles uses storytelling to explain how productivity relies on making smart choices.    Just one example: "We can turn a to-do list from a memory aid into a device that forces us to think a little bit more deeply about our priorities." Find more on this episode.    Cynicism is a poverty of curiosity and imagination and ambition. -- Maria Popova. of BrainPickings   During their conversation in this episode, Richard and Jim mention the inspirational commencement address byMaria Popova - curator of brainpickings.org -  on the soul-sustaining necessity of resisting self-comparison and fighting cynicism.     possible tabs: habits, author, solutions journalism, podcasting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medical errors are America's third largest cause of death. Only heart disease and cancer have a higher body count.    A new report estimates that about 250,000 Americans die each year because of screw-ups in hospitals, doctors' offices and other medical settings.  In 2013, research by NASA's chief toxicologist put the number at as many as 440,000.   In this episode of "How Do We Fix It?", Pittsburgh-based lawyer James Lieber brings a passion for practical solutions to a widespread problem. James has spent more than a decade researching medical errors after his friend and mentor died from a prescription overdose following a lung transplant. Last month, his provocative and practical op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, "How To Make Hospitals Less Deadly", caught our attention. (Note: readers can get behind the Journal's paywall by pasting the link at news.google.com).   His recent book is "Killer Care: How Medical Error Became America's Third Largest Cause of Death, And What Can Be Done About It"    Solutions:    Standard medical records.  All medical information about a patient should be available in the exam room with a few clicks. Despite efforts by Congress and the Obama Administration to reach this goal, many online medical records are on closed systems, unavailable to hospitals and doctors when they need them most.    Structured handoffs. Miscommunication can happen during shift changes in hospitals or when a patient is transferred to a new room or different section of the hospital. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine suggested adverse events could be reduced 30% by structured handoffs.   Bring in pharmacists. In many cases, they have more up-to-date knowledge than doctors about how drugs interact with diet, age, disease and each other.   Get serious about infections. Adopt guidelines from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC, more than 700,000 patients become infected while hospitalized each year.   Reduce diagnostic error.  Improve communications between doctors, surgeons, nurses, pathologists and radiologists.       Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the biggest issue of the Presidential campaign that the candidates are not talking about: bloated government and the poor delivery of services.   From very long TSA airport security lines to the dysfunction at your local DMV, our interactions with government can be extremely frustrating.  Exceedingly complex rules and laws make things even worse.    For decades, Philip K. Howard has been a leading voice on how to streamline government and make it work for all of us. His latest book is "The Rule of Nobody: Saving America From Dead Laws and Broken Government." He's the founder of the good government group, Common Good.   In this 12-minute episode of "Fix It Shorts," Philip gives alarming examples of how regulations have programmed officials and politicians of both parties to follow rigid rules that often leave very little room for human judgement.   Solutions:  Rules and regulations need to be radically simplified.  Laws based on principles and goals rather detailed rules. Sunset provisions for laws: they can be re-examined every five or ten years. Founding father James Madison's warning about laws should be heeded. They must not be "so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood."   "Four Ways to Fix A Broken Legal System." Philip K. Howard Ted Talk.     Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With technology in overdrive, self-driving cars are no longer a fantasy. The first autonomous cars and trucks made by major auto manufacturers could be on the road within several years. But "Fix It" guest Eddie Alterman, Editor-in-Chief of Car and Driver magazine says not so fast. "It's a scary concept anyway you look at it," he tells us.  "The autonomous car is a very inelegant, very complex and a very fraught solution to the problem of texting while driving... and of information coming into the car when people should be driving." For Google, Apple, Microsoft and other big data companies, autonomous cars are a big opportunity. Instead of keeping their eyes on the road, motorists could use their driving time to consume more digital media.  But Eddie Alterman says a mix of self-driving and traditional vehicles on the road would create danger. "People will deal with or accept flawed humans crashing into each other. I don't think people will accept supposedly fail-safe machines crashing into each other" Solutions:Encourage the use of background technology to make driving safer with improved cruise control, vehicle stability, lane departure warning systems and other innovations.Pursue a cautious path with the use of autonomous vehicles in "closed" environments such as industrial sites.Encourage car-sharing and other initiatives to reduce commute times. Resist the temptation to encourage drivers to surrender control of their time behind-the-wheel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The numbers are alarming.  A 2015 Gallup poll found nearly 70% of U.S. employers say they're either bored or disengaged at work.   The cost to employers has been put at more than $500 billion in lost productivity. The cost to workers is incalculable - in human misery, unnecessary stress and lost opportunity.   Workplace psychologist Ron Friedman is the author of "The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace." Ron says there's an astonishing gap between the latest science and most the modern workplace.  He has some great tips for both employers and employees.    Ron's solutions for employers: An engaged workforce is more creative, focused and stay with their company for a long period time. This saves money. Employees need to be competent and connected to one another, yet they need to have autonomy - feeling they have choice in how they go about doing their work. Invite employees to share their ideas. Encourage learning: give your employees a quarterly reading budget. Establish an office library. Invite employees to take their vacation time and switch off from work at night, so they can live a balanced, healthy life. Workplace design and hiring a diverse workforce play a very important role in creating a better workplace. Ron's solutions for employees: Reframe the way you look at your job. Present a case that could add value to your employer. Get out of your comfort zone. Greater variety often leads to more work satisfaction.   Look for ways to re-create your job to allow yourself to do more of the things you enjoy doing more often.  Regular exercise. It makes you smarter, more focused and creative at work.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.