Umair Haque is the Director of the Havas Media Lab and, in his own words, he studies “what’s going on next, today.”

Here are his 10 Laws of Constructive Capitalism.

1. Strategy is a commodity
2. Competition is obsolete
3. There is nothing more asymmetrical than an ideal
4. Tomorrow is today
5. Connections not transactions
6. People not product
7. Creativity, not productivity
8. Outcomes, not incomes
9. Advantage is in the DNA
10. The next revolution is institutional

They’re all a little enigmatic, a little provocative, and all point to ways of doing less Good Work and more Great Work.

Haque thinks long and hard about what’s changing in the world, and he points to the bankruptcy (literally and metaphorical) in the current capitalist system, and looks to these 10 rules – and five core principals behind them – that can disrupt what’s happening now and build a more constructive capitalism.

Watch the full talk here.  It’s a long one – over an hour – and well worth the time. And the comments on the Vimeo site are worth a look as well

(Thanks again to Swiss Miss, who pointed this out to me).

The Simpsons – the most successful TV series ever – has revised and refreshed their opening credits.

It’s not a massive overhaul.

They’ve added a few characters, tweaked some of the details, shifted an expectation or three.

Part of what’s strategic – not just change for the sake of change – is that they’ve tied it to a purpose – the first ever Simpson’s episode in HD.

If …

Good Work is when things are comfortable, familiar, perfectly fine … but not at the edge.

And …

Great Work is the place where things get shook up a little to see what’s different.

=> Thinking about the work you’re doing, what could do with a little refresh?

=> What’s the strategic link?  For the sake of what, exactly, would you be making the change?

Elizabeth Gilbert had, as she says herself, a totally unanticipated, surprising, world best seller with her book ‘Eat. Pray. Love.’

She talks about the burden of anticipation, how to manage those moments of inspiration, and the connection between bull-fighting and Allah on this wonderful talk from the TED collection.

Kevin Kelly’s a clever man, and his blog is one of the ones I look forward to.

Today’s posting is a beauty, and important for anyone interested in Great Work.

It’s about the power of allowing the system to figure its own way to do things better, rather than trying to control it from the top.

It’s good for planes, cement delivery – and anyone trying to get Great Work done in organizations.

This fantastic Guinness ad might just be the most presuasive arguement for evolution…