In general, I use this blog for business and technology topics of interest to me (and I hope others). There is an issue, though, in our local Knox county government, which needs comment. Exposure, through internal auditing and newspaper exposure, show a distinct lack of controls and a lack of common sense operating in the use of purchasing credit cards (labeled P-cards).
The lack of controls seems symptomatic of a failure in leadership. By example, Ragsdale showed the members of the county government how to act, and therefore could not follow rules diligently. The best you can say is that he was not hypocritical wrt to the rules, but this does not excuse the use of funds for personal enrichment with the hope at not being caught.
Common sense and a lack of personal integrity are at stake as well. The assumption that these funds are present and available for use in personal expenses is appalling. This type of behavior in a business leads at least to disciplinary action, if not outright termination. Any repeat is grounds for immediate termination. It will be very interesting to see if the county acts as a business in this regard. This is not a case of a few missing receipts, but willful disregard for the existing rules for the P-cards and clear disregard for the public money.
I applaud the internal auditor and encourage the county to act correctly and swiftly with discipline and repayment.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Potential European manufacturing move to U.S.
The dollar is falling with respect to the Euro. No news flash there. One aspect of this situation bears consideration, though. With the fall of the dollar, labor and services is lower cost, with respect to the European costs. This means that, for consumption in the U.S. market, European labor is not competitive, leading a natural analysis of production in the U.S. for the U.S. market.
Some indication of these analyses are starting to appear. An NPR article this morning had a short mention of this at the end of the article. You have to listen to the radio announcement, though, because the written form does not have this indication. Could present interesting business opportunities.
Some indication of these analyses are starting to appear. An NPR article this morning had a short mention of this at the end of the article. You have to listen to the radio announcement, though, because the written form does not have this indication. Could present interesting business opportunities.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Teamwork vs. Autocratic Management
This post could be the subject of an entire book. Saw an example of exactly what this means, at a client's site. When your team is present and participating in the decision making, even among a group of strong willed people, the implementation strength of a given decision is huge. When an autocratic leader hands given decisions to a team, the implementation strength is low and the potential for consistent passive resistance or less-than-active drive is large.
The concept of implementation strength is huge. This does not mean that a strong leader does not have a good idea of where things are going. It does mean, though, that the leader asks about the concept, accepts changes when team members suggest them and helps the entire team come to the realization that the direction is best. This is true leadership strength.
The concept of implementation strength is huge. This does not mean that a strong leader does not have a good idea of where things are going. It does mean, though, that the leader asks about the concept, accepts changes when team members suggest them and helps the entire team come to the realization that the direction is best. This is true leadership strength.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Solar Subsidies in Tennessee
Solar power seems to be charged, in part, by subsidies at the state level. California and New Jersey (interestingly enough) are leading in this aspect.
A quick check for Tennessee shows absolutely no subsidy at the state level. TVA has a program, the "Green Power Switch" program which offers a $500 rebate and a guarantee of $0.15 per kWhr for any EXCESS power produced and put onto the grid. This price is a little more than double the average price for power in the Tennessee Valley currently and is set for at least 10 years. One thing to note is that the homeowner forfeits the rights to the carbon credits to TVA. Wonder what they are using that for.....
In addition, there was information on the TVA site which indicated that the $2000 tax credit ran through 2008, but I thought this had been eliminated as part of the latest energy bill in Congress. More research to follow.
A quick check for Tennessee shows absolutely no subsidy at the state level. TVA has a program, the "Green Power Switch" program which offers a $500 rebate and a guarantee of $0.15 per kWhr for any EXCESS power produced and put onto the grid. This price is a little more than double the average price for power in the Tennessee Valley currently and is set for at least 10 years. One thing to note is that the homeowner forfeits the rights to the carbon credits to TVA. Wonder what they are using that for.....
In addition, there was information on the TVA site which indicated that the $2000 tax credit ran through 2008, but I thought this had been eliminated as part of the latest energy bill in Congress. More research to follow.
Monitoring Organizational Health
Thoughts on two aspects of organizational health. The first is triggered by an article that a colleague pointed out to me, from the Automotive News magazine, where Ford is working to repair damaged supplier relationships. It relates to external organizational health with the lesson that monitoring and maintaining healthy external relationships is key. The level of effort to maintain a healthy relationship is far less than the level of effort to correct or recover a damaged relationship. In addition, the relationships most likely have a direct bottom line impact in the willingness of the supplier to work with an organization, in quality and in cost controls and cost savings sharing.
The same equation goes toward the internal organizational health. When the organization health with employees is allow to deteriorate, through apathy or downright bad management, the level of effort to recover is huge and takes signification time to complete. The efficiency, idea-generation and willingness of the employees to help the company succeed goes down dramatically.
The key lesson is, of course, monitor the organizational health of your company, both internal and external. It still boggles my mind at how many companies do not take into account these factors when managing their business and then spend an inordinate amount of time and resources correcting situations which should have never been allowed to occur.
The same equation goes toward the internal organizational health. When the organization health with employees is allow to deteriorate, through apathy or downright bad management, the level of effort to recover is huge and takes signification time to complete. The efficiency, idea-generation and willingness of the employees to help the company succeed goes down dramatically.
The key lesson is, of course, monitor the organizational health of your company, both internal and external. It still boggles my mind at how many companies do not take into account these factors when managing their business and then spend an inordinate amount of time and resources correcting situations which should have never been allowed to occur.
Private Speech
There was an interesting article on NPR this morning, relating imaginative play and executive function development in children. The gist of the article related to declining executive function due to the increase in structural play for children. One concept of the article caught my ear, the concept of private speech. I have always wondered about the function of the "voice in your head", and always thought it a little odd on my part. I have conversations with myself related to problem solving, planning for contentious meetings, rehearsing speeches, etc. This voice or private speech can be the greatest critic, but helps you think clearly through problems and issues yourself.
In relation to the NPR article, I also believe that, in adults as opposed to children, the lack of free time or down time creates a void in the ability for this private speech to be heard. My own experience is that this private speech is best heard when there is a length of time to hear it. A chance to debrief and detox from a meeting or tough day is essential to letting this voice help sort through all the issues and develop plans for success. The lack of time to do this leads to stress, less effective sleep and less effective solutions.
In relation to the NPR article, I also believe that, in adults as opposed to children, the lack of free time or down time creates a void in the ability for this private speech to be heard. My own experience is that this private speech is best heard when there is a length of time to hear it. A chance to debrief and detox from a meeting or tough day is essential to letting this voice help sort through all the issues and develop plans for success. The lack of time to do this leads to stress, less effective sleep and less effective solutions.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
A Neat Experiment in Zero Energy
I saw an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal for an effort by BASF to build a zero energy house, in Patterson, NJ. I followed up on the web and found the site interesting and well organized. Some technical information on the site, though more details could have been included.
(Not so) Strangely missing was the cost data for the house. It would be interesting to review the economics of the house in terms of payback for the installation of the metal roof, solar systems, high spec HVAC, etc.
On the solar electricity generation, the site uses thin-film solar panels, from attached directly to the metal roof (one of BASF's key contributions). The solar panels are supplied by United Solar Ovonic.
Looks like an interesting effort, though I would like more technical details.
(Not so) Strangely missing was the cost data for the house. It would be interesting to review the economics of the house in terms of payback for the installation of the metal roof, solar systems, high spec HVAC, etc.
On the solar electricity generation, the site uses thin-film solar panels, from attached directly to the metal roof (one of BASF's key contributions). The solar panels are supplied by United Solar Ovonic.
Looks like an interesting effort, though I would like more technical details.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Do something different
I had an interesting discussion, related to work effort and getting stuck in the familiar patterns of work life. There are many times when the first and only answer to a problem is to work harder; to keep exercising the same methods to get out of a bad situation.
Fundamentally, in a business setting, I believe this comes from fear of failure. The willingness to take risks and accept failure is not built into most people's psychology, even risks which are not of a huge in nature. In addition, there are cultural barriers built into most companies which punish all failures. The option of failure as a course of learning is not available.
There comes a time when you have to Do Something Different. Doing something in different ways at least gives an opportunity to try to solve the problems in a new way. There is a chance of failure, which should be mitigated as far as possible through good team oriented thinking and planning. Nevertheless, the risk of failure will be there. We have to take the risk and try something different. In most people and most business cultures, this is not an easy thing to do.
The gist of the discussion which triggered this entry in the blog was centered around (convincing to try) taking a different route. More later in the success of the attempt.......
Fundamentally, in a business setting, I believe this comes from fear of failure. The willingness to take risks and accept failure is not built into most people's psychology, even risks which are not of a huge in nature. In addition, there are cultural barriers built into most companies which punish all failures. The option of failure as a course of learning is not available.
There comes a time when you have to Do Something Different. Doing something in different ways at least gives an opportunity to try to solve the problems in a new way. There is a chance of failure, which should be mitigated as far as possible through good team oriented thinking and planning. Nevertheless, the risk of failure will be there. We have to take the risk and try something different. In most people and most business cultures, this is not an easy thing to do.
The gist of the discussion which triggered this entry in the blog was centered around (convincing to try) taking a different route. More later in the success of the attempt.......
Monday, February 11, 2008
Continued success of continuous improvement
I received an email update today on one of the key projects undertaken at my previous company. The team has continued to drive success through continuous improvement despite some hurdles in the new environment. The cultural change of improvement is embedded deeply and it is heartening to see the team drive projects to completion. Once you have truly created this culture, the persistence of the culture and teamwork is high. To the operations team, keep up the good work!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Positive Dissatisfaction
A couple of articles recently triggered the writing of these thoughts. First, a Yahoo article on moderate happiness driving wealth. The second was a thread on a local blog by Helen Smith.
Both the original article and the follow up thread discuss the concepts that most successful people are not "always happy". As applied to business (and particularly change processes), I have always felt that the concept of a mostly optimistic person is the most successful. I call this Positive Dissatisfaction.
Positive Dissatisfaction is the balance between optimism and recognition of the need to improve. The optimism is required in a business to attract and retain driven personal. Most successful people want to work in an environment where they are appreciated and where the environment has high energy and a sense of purpose. These are all components of, or enhanced by, a strong optimistic leader. Optimism and positivity is also required for generating and maintaining personal relationships and a strong network of peers within an organization. People are attracted to people who are positive and get things done.
The dissatisfaction comes into play as a stimulus, at a personal and business level, for driving change and improvement. This stimulus is required to help a person or a group continue to strive to improve. The stimulus is the voice in the back of a person's mind constantly say "There is a better way......"
The coupling of the optimism with the right level of dissatisfaction is Positive Dissatisfaction. With absolutely no science whatsoever, I have always felt that being "80%" optimistic is the right level. This is the mostly optimistic person, who still retains a foot in reality. This is the leader who can attract and reward a team, yet still hold firm accountability to goals and objectives. This is the right level to help people drive to succeed and drive to improve, in parallel.
Comments welcome.
Both the original article and the follow up thread discuss the concepts that most successful people are not "always happy". As applied to business (and particularly change processes), I have always felt that the concept of a mostly optimistic person is the most successful. I call this Positive Dissatisfaction.
Positive Dissatisfaction is the balance between optimism and recognition of the need to improve. The optimism is required in a business to attract and retain driven personal. Most successful people want to work in an environment where they are appreciated and where the environment has high energy and a sense of purpose. These are all components of, or enhanced by, a strong optimistic leader. Optimism and positivity is also required for generating and maintaining personal relationships and a strong network of peers within an organization. People are attracted to people who are positive and get things done.
The dissatisfaction comes into play as a stimulus, at a personal and business level, for driving change and improvement. This stimulus is required to help a person or a group continue to strive to improve. The stimulus is the voice in the back of a person's mind constantly say "There is a better way......"
The coupling of the optimism with the right level of dissatisfaction is Positive Dissatisfaction. With absolutely no science whatsoever, I have always felt that being "80%" optimistic is the right level. This is the mostly optimistic person, who still retains a foot in reality. This is the leader who can attract and reward a team, yet still hold firm accountability to goals and objectives. This is the right level to help people drive to succeed and drive to improve, in parallel.
Comments welcome.
Solar costs and availability
I recently read an interesting article in IEEE Spectrum, covering the payback time for production costs of solar technology (http://tinyurl.com/2rcpy8). Interesting (and natural when you think about is) is the payback varies by energy intensity. For the Knoxville area, we have (according to the article) 3.0 - 3.9 kwh/sq.m/day. With an estimated 33% efficiency (very high, I know, but do not flame me - it made the math easier), there is 1 - 1.3 kwh/sq.m/day available from a solar system.
I do not have cost data, but wonder if the Nanosolar and other technologies can approach solar cost effectivity for those areas outside California/Arizona/Texas. Some cost analysis is called for (to come).
I do not have cost data, but wonder if the Nanosolar and other technologies can approach solar cost effectivity for those areas outside California/Arizona/Texas. Some cost analysis is called for (to come).
Friday, February 8, 2008
The Change Process Tipping Point
The Change Process in a company or organization still fascinates me. You struggle, and struggle and struggle and then suddenly the path forward seems to ease and change rolls forward. Keeping the energy high enough to struggle through this tipping point is the challenge.
We worked with a client all this week. In the middle of the week, things seemed grim and the struggle was hard. Then, upon arriving this morning, the mood was remarkably different. Energy was up; the team saw the end of the tough week and worked hard to close this workshop out. Then, the report out to the senior executive staff was extraordinary and left the entire team, pumped up. The team's willingness to stick throughout the process and fight through to the end made it all worthwhile. I wonder whether this tipping point is a crux in all personal and organizational change processes.
We worked with a client all this week. In the middle of the week, things seemed grim and the struggle was hard. Then, upon arriving this morning, the mood was remarkably different. Energy was up; the team saw the end of the tough week and worked hard to close this workshop out. Then, the report out to the senior executive staff was extraordinary and left the entire team, pumped up. The team's willingness to stick throughout the process and fight through to the end made it all worthwhile. I wonder whether this tipping point is a crux in all personal and organizational change processes.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Internet tools increase human connectedness
A big fear with the internet is the computer interface removing people from human intteraction. Thanks to an internet connection to Jack Lail (Knoxville News Sentinel), I have exercised new internet tools and interactions between the tools. I now know that these tools actually increase the connectedness of people. I am late to the game, here, but as a forty-something father of five, I finally get it.
The first is LinkedIn. I have been a member and connector for over a year, but did not really realize the value until I had left my previous job with Siemens Medical in Knoxville. LinkedIn helps me keep up with people and their moves.
The primary one which Jack's blog introduced me to is Twitter and it's association with blogging. Twitter as a tool is interesting, but I am still playing with it. The way Jack uses it most is through a headlining type service for blog entries, which is cool. You can get updates via RSS feeds, etc., but the quick Twitter link is a simple way to get a view into what his blog contains. Read his blog entries on Twitter impact on elections and breaking news.
I have noticed, through using these tools, that the tool usage has deepened my interest in people. The tool usage has stimulated a deeper understanding of human connectedness and stimulated a greater desire for interesting interaction with people. As a geeky engineer at heart, this is an interesting personal revelation.
The first is LinkedIn. I have been a member and connector for over a year, but did not really realize the value until I had left my previous job with Siemens Medical in Knoxville. LinkedIn helps me keep up with people and their moves.
The primary one which Jack's blog introduced me to is Twitter and it's association with blogging. Twitter as a tool is interesting, but I am still playing with it. The way Jack uses it most is through a headlining type service for blog entries, which is cool. You can get updates via RSS feeds, etc., but the quick Twitter link is a simple way to get a view into what his blog contains. Read his blog entries on Twitter impact on elections and breaking news.
I have noticed, through using these tools, that the tool usage has deepened my interest in people. The tool usage has stimulated a deeper understanding of human connectedness and stimulated a greater desire for interesting interaction with people. As a geeky engineer at heart, this is an interesting personal revelation.
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