Mark Fitzsimmons
The title of my talk is Flexibility, Openness and Consensus: Keys to your Destiny
I am a Beekeeper and an Aerospace Engineer. I am naturally interested in social insects and have noticed analogies between large human organizations and ant and bee colonies. Some years back I was reading Holldobler and Wilson's pulitzer prize winning book "The Ants" and was startled by some profound information in the chapter "Social Homeostasis and Flexibility." It has changed the way I approach cooperative and business relationships. Though many people have the big picture experience of enjoying cooperative ventures, they often appear to happen spontaneously, the reasons why cooperation works in one instance but not in others may be unclear to the participant. There is very little to guide one who seeks to re-create the experience elsewhere, and there are many contervaling forces in society, business and politics which discourage and hinder successful cooperation. My short talk will illuminate some basic principles of success through cooperation which can help you improve your chances of making goals you set for yourself.