Column: CEO Learnings
Martin Lindstrom’s Ministry of Common Sense is a refreshing and insightful book that shines a light on the inefficiencies and nonsense that plague organizations today.
Lindstrom, a well-respected business thinker, expert in neuro-marketing, and one of the world’s most influential people, takes a bold departure from his usual subject matter to explore the loss of common sense in both corporate and government institutions.
The glaring loss of common sense in both corporations and government
The book is a wake-up call to the complacency and acceptance of unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape that have become the norm in organizations.
Lindstrom examines the most common and annoying examples of nonsense, such as copied and unnecessary emails and meetings that could have 
been emails. In Italy, for instance, complaints on train service can only be filed 60 days after the experience!
The author asks why we accept these things and why we have become so compliant and lost our sense of empathy.
Why?
Lindstrom attributes the loss of common sense to the loss of empathy.
He cites examples such as Botox, which removes facial expressions, and Twitter, which encourages short and shallow communication. According to Lindstrom, 80-90% of companies lack adequate empathy, and corporate silos hinder communication.
He argues that people do not see themselves as lacking empathy, and the loss of common sense is directly related to the loss of empathy.
Looking from the outside, in
The author explores how to regain empathy and how companies see the world from the outside in, rather than inside out.
He suggests that founders of companies are steeped in empathy and are motivated to solve a problem, but successors do not share this trait. Politics in an organization is the invisible straitjacket that complexifies rules and restricts action and innovation.
The U.S Forest Service, for example, restricted the use of natural resources, which led to an increase in wildfire risk, and did not look at the problem holistically.
A common sense solution, roadmap and more
To address these issues, Lindstrom proposes the creation of a ministry of common sense within organizations to illuminate and untangle misalignments, miscommunications and inefficiencies.
He provides a roadmap on how to create a ministry, endorse its existence, energize it, externalize it and provide examples of successes to make it profitable. 
He also offers five steps to reunite companies and their employees with their own common sense, empathy, and humanity, which he calls caged, courage, celebration, check the cage and conquer, and contribution culture.
In this book, readers will learn why organizations lose sight of their core purpose, how to reveal the cost of bureaucratic bottlenecks, how to put their organization back on the path to purpose, how to quickly remove unproductive practices, unblock innovation, reinstall common sense, and create an amazing culture.
An engaging, witty and excellent book
Lindstrom’s writing style is engaging, witty, and insightful. He uses examples and anecdotes that are relatable and easy to understand.
One of the things that I appreciate most about this book is that it challenges the status quo and encourages readers to think critically about the world around them. Lindstrom invites readers to free themselves from the tyranny of nonsense and to take a fresh look at how they can create organizations that are more empathetic, efficient, and purpose-driven.
Martin Lindstrom’s Ministry of Common Sense is an excellent book that I would highly recommend to anyone who is tired of the bureaucracy, red tape, and nonsense that plague organizations today.
The author provides practical solutions to the problems he identifies and challenges readers to think critically about the world around them. This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in creating more empathetic, efficient, and purpose-driven organizations.
Listen to Martin Lindstrom’s interview on the loss of common sense
You can listen to my interview with Martin Lindstrom on the loss of common sense by going to THE MENTORS RADIO, https://thementorsradio.com/how-to-get-rid-of-bureaucratic-red-tape-bad-excuses-and-more-with-brand-meister-martin-lindstrom/ This show was broadcast worldwide on The Salem Radio Network, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn Radio. It is also available now on your favorite podcast platform.
RELATED RESOURCES:
The Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses, and Corporate BS, by Martin Lindstrom
- An interview with author Martin Lindstrom and Tom Loarie on The Mentors Radio
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