A new report shows that Twitter provided an early account of the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti. According to the study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Internet news and social media were faster transmitters of information in tracking the cholera epidemic in Haiti than health officials. The tweets provided information that health officials wouldn’t report until two weeks later.

via curiositycounts.com

In cholera-time, two weeks is a lifetime. Maybe, it's many lfetimes.  Saving lives, giving advance notice of cholera outbreaks is...that frivolous? Using a tool that lets you hear these advance warnings...is that frivolous? 

Cholera outbreaks. What's that got to do with your business?

Let me answer it with another question, one only you can answer:

If Twitter, or any tool, can give you 2 weeks advance notice on drastic changes to your marketplace, where your business lives and dies, would you say that's a frivolous tool?

via mashable.com

Tom Rieger, author of Breaking the Fear Barrier: How Destroys Companies from the Inside Out and What to Do About It, was a guest on the radio show last year. About two-thirds of the way through our conversation, he talked about 2 questions he uses in his consulting practice.

He asked each prospective client these questions prior to the start of a formal agreement. If the client answered yes to both, then their relationship could move forward.

The two questions were:

1. Is everything on the table? Or tell us what it isn't.
2. Are you ready to look at yourself in the mirror?

I loved those questions. I loved how he phrased the first question. Hard to wiggle out of that one, isn't it?

The proverbial ding! went off, It was a two-prong ding, maybe a ding-dong, like a doorbell with good news knocking.

• The ding came from wishing I had asked these same questions in the past with client prospects.
• The dong came when I realized I could do that now, moving forward.

Tom's two questions, our conversation, hung around. It would revisit me when I would be out running. Two questions. So simple. Save so much time.

The other day, also out on a run, I realized at this point why that conversation kept hanging around, ringing in my head in quieter moments. Those two questions apply to all of our relationships.

1. Is everything on the table? Or tell me what it isn't.
2. Are we ready to look at ourselves in the mirror?

Trust me here, I'm not saying I can answer yes to these two questions in every situation. I certainly haven't in the past, always to my detriment. I understand that now.

But I am saying...whether we're frontline employees, part-time help, C-Suite executives, in school, out of work, ...these are two questions that determine our success. Environments where we can answer yes to them....are environments where we can be successful. Matter of fact, that's the only environment where we can be successful.

That's all. I mean, it's just two questions.

Have a great week.

* You can read notes from that portion of our conversation here.

* You can listen to our full conversation here.

We're in the early days of 2012.

And 2012 is an even-numbered year, evenly divided by 4 and with a leap day, February 29, too. Add all that up and we're in campaign season now. Wherever we live, work and play those campaigns are coming to our hometown or radio or tv or website or podcast or favorite social media tool.

We in Iowa just survived the Iowa Circus Caucus.

Like a moth to a flame I am drawn to politics, well political news. A political junkie, maybe.

But I'm recovering. Now I'm in a love hate relationship. I love the stories. They amaze me...On the other hand, they've become so amazing, on a bi-partisan basis, that I hate 'em.

That drove me to wonder:

• Where were the solutions?
• Was anyone talking about the solutions?
• Was anyone in the media pressing candidates and office holders for solutions as opposed to pressing them on their political posturing?

The answers to those questions in order are:

• Nowhere
• No one
• Nope.

Rather than be victimized by that group and its conversations and my flame-loving personality for that group and its conversations....I started to look for solutions.

Outside of politics. Crazy, I know.

Then I thought well, why don't I ask experts what their solutions are for the challenges we face as a country. You see, I interviewed business experts on my radio show. You can listen to these conversations here, read the transcripts of those conversations there.

One show, I finally asked an expert something to the effect of

Let's imagine President Obama invites you to the White House. He's heard our conversation, read your book and wants to learn more. What are three things you could tell him to fix x or solve y or improve z.

Asking that question is tricky, sadly. Asking business experts to share their ideas on how to fix national problems.

Each guest ventured forth with their ideas and perspectives. All were great. But with each one I noticed a hesitancy, a nervousness. That's sad, I understand it.

But it's discouraging to hear anyone be reluctant to share their ideas on how to make our country better. We have betrayed our selves and our families and neighbors when we delegate that conversation to professional politicians of any stripe. We relegate ourselves to being victims when we refuse to volunteer any ideas or engage in conversation on how to solve our nation's challenges.

Sure, these conversations can get...uncomfortable. But that's because we're so out of practice. The result is, that for our convenience....those  conversations to discover and refine solutions, solutions that can unite us in moving forward, have been co-opted by those whose voices are loudest, whose reactions are the most abrasive or abusive, and whose solutions represent their quest for a public forum, a stage, a base of power or a money from speaking or being a media personality.

Back to the point. Below is a list of those experts where I asked the above question and where they shared their thoughts. The link takes you to my post where I transcribed just this question and their answers. And with each such post is a link to the radio show and the complete transcripts of our conversation.

Check them out. See if these solutions make sense. So far, they all did for me. Think about your own solutions. Talk about them with others. Listen to theirs. Share your thoughts here or there or somewhere. See if a year from now we all have better skills to discuss and debate ideas from the basis of seeking a solution for our shared challenges.

Jim Clifton, author of The Coming Jobs War

Julie Steelman, author of The Effortless Yes! Demystify the selling process and discover: Your selling archetype,your natural asking style and your bankability

Tom Rieger, author of Breaking the Fear Barrier: How Destroys Companies from the Inside Out and What to Do About It

Jeffrey Phillips, co-author of A Guide to Open Innovation and Crowd-Sourcing: Advice from Leading Experts

Richard R. Troxell, author of Looking up at the Bottomline: The Struggle for the Living Wage

Dr. Hal Gregerson, co-author of The Innovator's DNA - Mastering the 5 Skills of Disruptive Innovators

Sam Harrison, author of IdeaSelling: Successfully pitch your creative ideas to bosses, clients and other decision makers

Rajeev Peshawaria, author of Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders: The Three Essential Principles You Need to Become an Extraordinary Leader

Elizabeth Doty, author of The Compromise Trap: How to Thrive at Work Without Selling Your Soul

Peter Sheahan, author of Making It Happen: Turning Good Ideas into Great Results.

Josh Linkner, author of Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity

Sybil Stershic, author of Taking Care of the People Who Matter Most: A Guide to Employee-Customer Care

Doug Mitchell, author of The Multi Thread Marketer: How to Hire One or Better Yet Be One 

Scott Gerber, author of Never Get a "Real" Job: How to Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke

Joan Koerber-Walker, CEO of the Arizona BioIndustry Association

Paul R. Williams, author of The Innovation Manager's Desk Reference

Bill Davidow, author of Overconnected: The Promise and Threat of the Internet

Derek Irvine, co-author of Winning with A Culture of Recognition: Recognition Strategies at the World's Most Admired Companies

Brad Szollose, author of Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia - Multigenerational Management Ideas That Are Changing the Way We Run Things