#really? 30. Importance of morality & honor

"The growing danger of crime, particularly embezzlement and undetectable theft, will make morality and honor among associates more crucial and highly valued than it was during the Industrial Era, particularly in its waning years."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 29. Catering to the rich

"Because incomes for the very rich will rise faster than for others in advanced economies, an area of growing demand will be services and products that cater to the needs of the very rich."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 28. New thinking and info

"Thinking about the end of the current system is taboo. To understand the great transformation to the Information Age, you must transcend conventional thinking and conventional information sources."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 27. Thinking clearly

"Cognitive skills will be rewarded as never before. It will be more important to think clearly, as ideas will become a form of wealth."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 26. Introducing innovation

"Technical innovations that displace employment should probably be introduced in jurisdictions that have no tradition of producing whatever product or service is in question."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 25. Public sector deficits

"Taxing capacity in the leading nation-states will fall away by 50 to 70 percent, while it will prove far more difficult to reduce spending in an orderly way. The result to be expected is a continuation of deficits that plague most OECD countries, accompanied by high real-interest rates."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 24. Coping with deflation

"While the experience of the nineteenth century proves that long-term growth can proceed apace even while deflation raises the value of money, business and investment strategies must be adjusted to the unfamiliar realities of deflation – that is, debt should be avoided; savings and cost reductions should be pursued with greater urgency; long-term contracts and compensation packages should probably be drawn with flexible nominal terms."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 23. Cyber money

"The death of politics will mean the end of central bank regulation and manipulation of money. Cyber money will become the new money of the Information Age, replacing the money of Industrialism. This means not only a change in the fortunes of banknote printers; it implies the death of inflation as an effective means by which nation-states can commandeer resources. Real interest rates will tend to rise."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 22. Falling asset prices

"Debt deflation may accompany the transition to the new millennium."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 21. Consumption reduction

"You should expect a slowdown or decline in per capita consumption in countries such as the United States, which have been the leading consumers of the world’s products in the late stages of industrialism."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 20. Retainers to the rich

"As Professor Guy Bois observed in his history, The Transformation of the Year One Thousand: The Village of Lournand from Antiquity to Feudalism
, “in a period of increasing difficulties, the weaker elements in the social body tend to polarize around a rising star.” In the transformation of the year two thousand, the rising star will be the Sovereign Individual. As the nation-state system breaks down, risk-averse persons who formerly would have sought employment with government may find an alternative in affiliating as retainers to the very rich."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 19. Wealth produced by knowledge

"Control over resources will shift away from the state to persons of superior skills and intelligence, as more wealth will be created by adding knowledge to products."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 18. Digital servants

"Many members of regulated professions will be displaced by digital servants employing interactive information-retrieval systems."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 17. Contract work

"“Jobs” will increasingly become tasks or “piece work” rather than positions within an organization."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 16. Using agents

"As a relative performance becomes more important than absolute output in determining compensation, an ever more important occupation will be that of the agent, not merely for the highly paid performer, like a football star or an opera singer, but also for persons of modest skills, who may welcome help in landing a paying position."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

Situational Leadership

Barry is not one of those guys you have to close manage to get things done. In fact, the challenge is to stop him working too hard! We were talking this morning about "Situational Leadership" and the importance of changing style based on the maturity of the individual, and their competence or familiarity with the task.

1. Tell what to do and how to do it (give clear directions, follow-up and feedback)
   when the members of the group are
• New and inexperienced
• Have little knowledge or ability
• Or if they lack confidence


2. Sell (explain decisions and give opportunities for clarification)
   when the members of the group are
• Somewhat experienced
• Need help "buying into" decisions
• Need coaching about how to do the task
  
3. Participate (share ideas, help in decision making, encourage & compliment)
   when the members of the group are
• Know how to do the job, but lack self-confidence
• Need to share decision-making with each other and the leader
  
4. Delegate (turn over responsibility and allow members to carry out decisions)
   when the members of the group are
• Quite experienced
• Capable of doing the job
• Want to do the job
• Are responsible for directing their own affairs

#really? 15. Income stability & equality

"Incomes will become more unequal within jurisdictions but more equal between them. Countries with a tradition of a very unequal distribution of incomes may be relatively more stable under these conditions than those jurisdictions where strong expectations of income equality have developed in the Industrial period."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 14. Virtual corporations

"Corporations in the Information Age will increasingly become “virtual corporations” – bundles of contracting relations without any material reality, and perhaps without physical assets. The virtual corporation should be domiciled with an offshore trust to minimize tax liabilities."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

#really? 13. Offshore businesses

"Where possible, all businesses should be domiciled offshore in a tax-haven jurisdiction. This is particularly important for Websites and Internet addresses, where there is virtually no advantage in locating in an on-shore, high-tax jurisdiction."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

Lessons from a light switch

I used to think that becoming a Christian was as simple as flicking on the light switch: it's either 'off' or 'on'; you're following Jesus, or you're not; you're going to heaven, or to hell.

Now I realize that the truth is more complex: it's more like turning on a "dimmer" switch (why are they "dimmers" when they make the bulb brighter?!)

With a dimmer switch, there's a point when the light is off and there's no electric current flowing. You're not a Christian, yet. Turn the switch past the click point and, if that's all you do, the bulb hardly shines with any brightness (but if you stick your fingers where the light bulb goes then you meet Jesus sooner than otherwise!).

But, the bulb is pretty useless if it's kept on its absolute minimum setting. The switch needs to be turned to make the bulb brighter. In the same way, my question is whether I'm shining more brightly for Jesus this year compared to last; this month rather than last month; am I more like Jesus today than yesterday?

Just as the light switch can't turn itself on, so we need the operation of God's grace in our lives. After all, no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' without His help; and we can't be transformed into the likeness of Jesus unless we let the Holy Spirit have free reign to change us.

#really? 12. Encryption importance

"Encryption will be an important feature of commerce on the Web and the realization of individual autonomy. You should acquire and begin using strong encryption immediately. Just as the church attempted to ban printing at the twilight of the Middle Ages, so the United States and other aggressive governments bent on control will seek to bar effective encryption. As happened five centuries ago, this may merely drive the taboo technology into areas where the writ of established authority is weakest; assuring that it will be put to its most subversive use in undermining state control everywhere."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

Business Conduct Guidelines

IBM was my first employer out of University. Before starting work I had to sign to agree to work in accordance with the company's Business Conduct Guidelines, a short document laying out compliance with laws and good ethics, and ensuring that the company's relationships are built on trust.

Each year of my employment I had to sign to confirm my continued compliance; and I saw colleagues, even very senior ones, lose their job if they broke the guidelines because IBM takes these things seriously. For example, Business Conduct Guidelines says that IBM staff will not sell by 'disparaging the competition.' You won't see IBM running 'attack ads' so widely practiced by other companies.

My colleagues are now taking IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines as a starting point to draft our own document: it may cost us more, and in the short-term it's a big investment for us to task such a senior member of the team with this as a priority, but we believe that doing business right is vital to our ethical success.

#really? 11. Cyber economy growing

"The fastest-growing and most important new economy of the next century will not be China but the cyber economy. To take full advantage of it, you will need to place your business or profession on the World Wide Web."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

Cashflow from Zero!

We have recently been introduced to several Christian millionaires and billionaires. They're interested and excited about what we are doing, and keen to become involved.

However, we believe that the Lord wants all the glory, and not just some of it. We've come to understand that if investors get involved then they get to say that, to some extent, they 'did' this. The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her ..." (Judges 7:2) So in the same way, we believe He wants to bring us forward from, quite literally, an empty bank account!

We're trying to move from having a faith to living by faith!

#really? 10. Preferred jurisdictions

"Jurisdictions of choice in which to enjoy high living standards with economic opportunity include reform areas in the Southern hemisphere, such as New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina, which boast adequate to superior infrastructure and many beautiful landscapes and are unlikely to be targets of terrorists wielding nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?

China mandates screening software on citizen PCs

China has defended the use of new screening software that has to be installed on all computers to 'filter out pornographic or violent material.' Critics have complained that it could also be used to stop Chinese internet users searching for politically sensitive information. Already, sites such as BBC China News and Yahoo are blocked within mainland China.

BBC NEWS | China defends screening software

#really? 9. Countries' fortunes

"The forty-eight least-developed countries, comprising some 550 million persons with per capita income of less than $500 per head, will have widely divergent fates in the Information Age. Most will become even more marginalized and desperate, providing a venue for only the most intrepid investors. But those that can overcome structural problems to preserve public health and order stand to benefit from rapid income growth."

This is another of the controversial implications from The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg, Simon & Schuster, 1997

Is it really so?