How Do We Fix It?

We recorded this the day after the stunning U.S. Presidential election.  This show is our attempt to explain the reasons for Donald Trump's win.Despite his deeply divisive rhetoric and attacks on Muslims and undocumented Mexican immigrants that deeply offended many voters, Trump emerged victorious. We examine why Trump won the election but also solutions and takeaways from his surprise victory.Solutions:Let’s come up with a list of things we can agree on. Congress should meet before the new Administration takes office and discuss bipartisan reform on prison reform, business regulation, taxes and trade.Americans who are deeply distressed by the election can commit themselves to constructive change where they live, volunteering at improving and rebuilding the public square.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Almost all of us do a poor job of predicting the future.  This show looks at how we can adapt to the disruption and change the future inevitably brings.  Using examples from business and our personal lives, we consider how to be smarter and more successful."You can't really imagine what it's going to be like should a bad thing happen," says our guest, Mark Earls. "We over-estimate how bad we might feel if we lose something, and under-estimate how we might feel if something good happens to us."Mark joins Jim and Richard at our living room table in New York. Usually Mark is based in London where he's a well-known author and consultant on marketing, communications and behavioral change.  His books include “Copy Copy Copy”, "HERD: How to Change Mass Behavior by Harnessing Our True Nature” and “I’ll Have What She’s Having”"We have to realize…we have to prepare for multiple futures," Mark tells us in this episode. Some additional takeaways:Solutions:Start small. For example Spotify began in a small market (Sweden) and it was able to be more agile, make mistakes and react to its competition more effectively than a larger company. Product plus: some of the most successful companies are the ones that make a product AND deliver service; Dollar Shave Club is a good example of this. Customer service is more important than ever. “You can’t have that ‘take a ticket and wait in line’ attitude towards customers; you need to fix it. In our personal lives prepare for multiple future scenarios: what would happen if you had an unexpected expense, how would you deal with a serious illness or a absence from work, or a major housing expense? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"There are genuine emotional benefits when we connect with strangers," says our guest, Kio Stark. These fleeting interactions are important interruptions in the steady routine of our lives. "They bring connectedness and belonging."Kio is the author of "When Strangers Meet: How People You Don't Know Can Transform You." Her popular TED Talk has received more than 1,450,000 views. "My own interactions with strangers resonate with meaning for me," she writes in her book. "You find questions whose answers you thought you knew. You reject the ideas that make us so suspicious of each other."Kio explains why and how anyone - including introverts and those who are fearful of strangers - can benefit from allowing these brief encounters into their lives. For instance dogs and babies can make it easier to speak with people you don't know, Kio explains why."There's an amazing power in being seen. We live in cities we don't see each other," Kio tells us. "When you are seen, when you notice someone is acknowledging you it's a momentary bond." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you believe you can make a difference?  What improvements to the world have been made by nonprofit organizations?  What lessons have been learnt by philanthropists about delivering services and furthering their cause? These and many more questions are answered here by our guest, Jennifer McCrea.  She's a leading global expert on giving and fundraising.  Jennifer works to transform the practice of philanthropy She discusses her important work with the Born Free Africa collaborative, which works for the eradication of mother-to-child transmission of H.I.V. "While of course we have to get money moving in support of the work we are doing," Jennifer tells us, "it's not about money at the center of the relationship." In her course at Harvard University, Jennifer has worked with leaders from the nonprofit and social enterprise sectors to improve their organizations results from fundraising. "I keep the work itself at the center of the relationship and money just becomes the gas that goes in the car."  Philanthropists need to avoid "a begging bowl mentality," she says. Solutions: - Philanthropic groups need to be collaborative, working in concert with other organizations in their space.  - Transparency and learning from those who these groups are trying to help should be part of their DNA.  - For those of us who give money to nonprofits, sign up for more than donations. Be part of their cause. Monitor their mission.
 - In our personal lives, when someone needs our help, listen openly and don’t always try to fix their problems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The news media have bombarded us with stories about the candidates, the contest and - to a lesser extent - the crucial issues America faces as people vote for the next President. This podcast is about the voters. We went back to four past episodes of "How Do We Fix It?" pulling extracts about how we make decisions and why the information that you and I receive from internet search engines and other sources may be radically different than the news and views our friends and neighbors are hearing.   On episode 24 podcast host and author David McRaney told us "we are not so smart," using confirmation bias as a defining example. "It would do us all good to actually think what are we wrong about," said David, who argues in favor of challenging our own personal biases. "Whenever you have an understanding of something, create an alternate explanation." Psychologist Robert Epstein joined us on episode 11 to discuss whether Google is too powerful for our democracy. The former Editor-in-Chief of "Psychology Today" has done extensive research on Google's search rankings and algorithms. "There is a problem is the monopoly in search" that Google holds in most of the world, Robert said. "They're customizing what people see."  Search rankings can have a big influence on how people vote. We are not getting challenged by ideas that we haven't heard before. Joan Blades of Living Room Conversations aims to bring people together.  A progressive herself, Joan has engaged with evangelical conservatives and leaders of the tea party in lively, but respectful dialog about climate change, criminal justice reform and other questions.  "We've become increasingly divided," Joan told us on episode 43. "We don't even share the same facts." Joan explained some of the ground rules of having conversations with those you disagree with.  This brief "Fix It Shorts" podcast also features John Gable of AllSides. This news website puts stories from different sources next to each other -  columns from left, right and center-leaning news newspapers and online sites.  "We want people to be able to see quickly the differences," John said in episode 49. "What we started doing with All Sides is breaking that filter bubble." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Vision Zero” is the highly ambitious plan put in place two years ago by New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio. The goal: no traffic deaths by 2024.  America's largest city is nowhere near reducing fatal crashes to zero, but great progress has been made since 1990.  "The good news is that we've gone from 701 deaths back then to an average of 245 deaths a year under the de Blasio Administration," says urban economics and transportation researcher Nicole Gelinas in this "Fix It" episode. Nicole is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. She writes for City Journal, The Washington Post, LA Times and a bunch of other publications. In this show we look at why so many pedestrians and bicycle riders are killed on the streets of U.S. cities and what we can learn from safety initiatives in Sweden and elsewhere. The bad news is that New York is far safer than almost every other American city.  "You're three times more like to be killed in Atlanta whether you're in a car or walking - and you're two times more likely to be killed in LA," says Nicole. We also learn the lessons of the Times Square traffic and pedestrian redevelopment initiative and why it turned critics into fans.  During our show Nicole Gelinas unpacks surprising research on the pros and cons of wearing bicycle helmets on busy urban streets.  Solutions: Data shows that redesigning streets to slow down and calm traffic is the best way to prevent injuries and deaths. Lower speed limits, especially in dense urban areas. Invest in a comprehensive mass transit system, which will reduce crashes and improves the quality of life for city residents. The old adage, safety in numbers is true when it comes to biking in traffic: bicyclists are safer when they ride in a group. Cyclists should always wear lights to make themselves as visible as possible to motorists.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Electile Dysfunction (is), “a terrible pun plus insightful commentary" is how TV host and wit Seth Myers describes" the new book by Professor Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz became a professor at Harvard Law when he was 25 years old. In his long and distinguished career, Newsweek described Dershowitz as "the nation's most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer and one of its most distinguished defenders of individual rights." We recorded this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" at his Manhattan home. "Electile Dysfunction" is his 35th book.   Voters are anxious, frustrated and they feel impotent. In this show we look at the strangest political campaign of our lifetime and what can be done to improve the way we elect Presidents. We are not alone in facing a threat to our democracy.  "I'm afraid of what's going on in Europe today and what's going in the United States may reflect a trend rather than a pendulum swing," Alan Dershowitz tells us. "A trend toward extremes and we have to fight back." Jim, Richard and Dershowitz discuss the rise of extremism on the right and left, the threat to free speech on college campuses and the virtue of compromise. "I think centrist liberals and centrist conservatives have to get together and take back the center and stop the alt right from taking over the Republican Party and the alt left from taking over the Democratic Party," says Professor Dershowitz. We look at solutions: - A voter's Presidential checklist. Before voting, weigh where the candidates stand on the most important issues - from who will best protect us from terrorism to who will keep America's economy strong and produce more stability. - Shortening the nation's extremely long Presidential campaign with one national primary day in June, weeks before the party conventions. - Reducing the destructive power of the media to hype conflict and obscure the electorate's understanding of vital issues. - Encouraging free speech and open dialog that is now under threat at leading colleges and universities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Too often, migrants and refugees are viewed as "other" - not like us. In recent days Donald Trump Jr. compared the Syrian refugee problem to a bowl of Skittles In this episode, Leonard Doyle of the International Organization for Migration walks us through the worldwide crisis of tens of millions of displaced people, from families fleeing from war and terrorism to young men and women who overstay their visas in search of a better life.  We look at the definitions of these terms - so often glossed over in our discussions of the crisis. Using personal stories and speaking from years of experience working with migrants, Leonard makes a powerful case for all of us to see migrants as people like ourselves. This is the first small step we can take in responding immense humanitarian challenge. "When you say the word 'migrant' people tend to have an image in their head,"  Leonard tells us.  That may be a negative image "because there is so much toxic discourse about them from our quite opportunistic political leaders."  Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has offices in more than 100 nations and works with governments and non-governmental organizations to promote humane and orderly migration, for the benefit of all. The movement of peoples from much of Africa, West Asia and The Middle East “is the global phenomenon of our time," says Leonard. "It's kind of the last flick of the globalization monster in a way.  We had free trade in global goods and services. This is the bit they didn't plan very well... But people aren't stupid. They watch television and see a better lifestyle happening somewhere else. We've kind of empowered them with our globalized media and globalized trade." A summit of world leaders at The United Nations this week put the migrant crisis more firmly on the global agenda. In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, President Obama called the refugee and migrant crisis "a test of our humanity." This episode also considers the views of voters in the U.S. and other nations who are fearful that the rising numbers of immigrants from nations with distinctly different cultures could lead to lower wages, rising unemployment and higher crime.  Dismissing or marginalizing their concerns can lead to to populist anti-immigrant rage. Join Richard, Jim and Leonard for a lively and often moving conversation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for slower economic growth and de-globalization, says investor and writer Ruchir Sharma. Ruchir invited us to his New York office, where he is the head of emerging markets and chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. He is also the author of "The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World." Our interview looks at Ruchir's rules for spotting political, economic and social change. They include: The depopulation bomb: If the working population shrinks, so does the economy. Good versus bad billionaires: Wealth inequality is exploding, but some types of tycoons are viewed very differently than others. The curse of the cover story: Ruchir looked at every Time Magazine cover on the economy going back to 1980. If the cover was downbeat the economy grew faster 55% of the time. If it was upbeat, the economy slowed 66% in the following years. Why democratic capitalism beats the Chinese brand: Postwar booms in democratic nations were usually stronger and longer than under authoritarian regimes. "What's very apparent and under-appreciated is the major drop off that we've seen in the world's working age population growth rate," Ruchir tells us. "I think that is a major drag on global economic growth currently." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On New Year's Eve, journalist and former Parade Editor-in-Chief Janice Kaplan made a promise to herself to be grateful during the coming year and look on the bright side of whatever happens. As we find out in this episode, it made a big difference to her life. Janice discovered that how she feels has less to do with events than with her own attitude and perspective on life. Her recent book "The Gratitude Diaries" began after a survey she had done found that 94% of Americans thought people who are grateful live richer lives.  But less than half those surveyed say they practiced gratitude on any regular basis.  "It struck me that we have this great big gratitude gap," Janice tells us on "How Do We Fix It?" If we change our attitude, she says, "we're going to be a lot happier." Solutions: - Say thanks to someone you love. It's easy to forget to appreciate your partner and your family. But the daily practice of saying something positive can transform almost any relationship. -Gratitude is an attitude, but it's also a daily practice. Each day write down something that you are grateful for. - Express gratitude at work. Many of us feel unappreciated at work, but we can change that for ourselves and our colleagues.  The start of the work week is a great time to tell fellow workers that they matter to you.  - At family dinners or when you are putting your kids to sleep at night, ask your kids what they were grateful for today. This can become part of what families do and how they think about their lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.