MBA on the Rock

Been a while...

2006-10-29T23:24:00.000-03:30

Seems like I've been here before... LLLOOONNNGGG gaps between postings. I'd love to apologise and say that I had a damned good reason for not posting but the simple fact is I don't! Spending quality time with my kids, working and just plain enjoying the place I am at in my life keeps me busy enough.

Call it laziness, lack of drive, whatever... It's not as if I don't have a lot to talk about... hell, complaining about the irrationality of that person some bloggers refer to as the maven of the local radio talk shows could keep me going forever...

And the only comment I am ever going to make on that subject is this: Sue, if you want to help Newfoundland so much then pick up the torch in the next provincial election for one of the MAINSTREAM parties and get yourself elected - otherwise stop polluting the airways and cyberspace with your own brand of spin doctoring... frankly every Newfoundlander I know is sick of it and of hearing your voice on the radio everytime I turn it on at night...

Now that's out of my system... on with the show!

Workplace Secrecy....

2006-05-02T12:14:00.000-02:30

Copied with thanks and sincere apologies to workopolis.com and the Globe & Mail...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

However much we like to think we're team players, a surprising number of us withhold information from co-workers, researchers have found.

Moreover, we tend to deceive ourselves about what we are doing.

People who are asked for assistance will often play dumb, say they will help out, but stall as long as possible.

Some give co-workers a little information, but not enough to run with.

Many would deny they do any of this, but are quick to identify others who engage in such "knowledge hiding"

In reality, few of us are as helpful as we pretend to be, say the authors of new research to be released this week.

"It's funny, everyone thinks they are an excellent actor and can hide their own knowledge-hiding performance," says McMaster University researcher Catherine Connelly, who has surveyed more than 1,200 Canadians on how they have been treated, and how they have treated their colleagues' requests for help or information.

Prof. Connelly found that it is "quite common" for employees to withhold or conceal information that has been requested by others, but it is also common for them to try to give the appearance of being helpful when they are actually stonewalling.

"The No. 1 thing that really comes into play is this strategy what we call playing dumb. Someone asks for help and you say, 'I'd love to help, but I really don't know anything about it,' and it's not true," said Prof. Connelly, who will present her findings with two co-researchers at a conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in Dallas on Friday.

Prof. Connelly said organizations that want to instill a culture of co-operation and sharing need to delve into some of the reasons that employees deliberately withhold information.

"Knowledge management has emerged as one of the most popular initiatives over the last decade to enhance organizational competitiveness . . . and researchers and practitioners alike have touted knowledge management systems as the method for capturing and transferring knowledge and transforming this knowledge into a competitive advantage," Prof. Connelly and her co-authors wrote.

"Everyone is talking about teams, about how everybody is going to share. It's this happy rainbow world of Romper Room," Prof. Connelly said. "That's very unrealistic."

Her research disclosed that more ambitious employees tend to avoid playing dumb -- it would hurt their advancement prospects -- but they will employ other strategies.

"They might give you a little information, but not the real story," said Prof. Connelly, an assistant professor at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business.

"Or they will give you an explanation: 'I'd love to help you, but it's confidential. Only certain people are allowed to have this information.' That makes them look important. At the same time, it also keeps the information for themselves."

Prof. Connelly and co-researchers David Zweig of the University of Toronto and Jane Webster of Queen's University uncovered a number of motives for employees withholding information: The person asking for the information has never done anything to help them, they have been burned in the past by others taking credit for their knowledge, or they simply don't have time to tutor colleagues in complicated concepts.

Many study participants reported reluctance to help someone who had been rude to them, some cited a desire to appear smarter by being the acknowledged expert in a certain area and some were "surprisingly candid" in expressing fears that the person they shared the information with might actually do a better job and show them up, Prof. Connelly said.

Morning Radio

2006-04-26T20:32:00.000-02:30

I'd like to meet the person who's responsible for deciding that radio morning shows should involve a lot of talk, inane contests, manic hosts, and a lot of bad jokes rather than music conducive to waking up. Yes, I'd like to meet that person. And then I'd like to punch him in the face.

The breaking point came this morning as I was waiting on a left hand turn, when the guy talking (I won't grace him with the title of "DJ") made a joke about Billy Ray Cyrus getting on the gay cowboy bandwagon with a new song "Brokey-Backy Heart."

And as if that wasn't bad enough, he sang it.

Why can't morning DJs just play music? And if they must talk, instead of acting as if we lived in a ritalin-free world, why can't they be briefly comiserative of the fact that everyone's tired and in need of coffee, and then continue with the music?

Anyone remember the episode of WKRP in Cincinnati when Johnny Fever had left the station for another job and come back, but his regular slot had been filled so they gave him the 1-5am slot? And he spoke in dull, fatigued tones and went by the air-name "Heavy Early"? That's my ideal morning DJ -- someone who'll just accept that we're all still half asleep and greatly irritated by manic men-children who think crank calls and topical song parodies are the height of human wit, and who'll just play another fucking song.

PHEW!!!

2006-04-15T19:32:00.000-02:30

3 months since I posted anything here!! Wow, now I'm starting to realize how busy I've been since the new year with work, the kids yada, yada, yada...

And there has been so much going on here in Newfoundland - the "great" seal hunt debate (and everything that entails) , the Hebron collapse, the federal election... the list just goes on and on...

I shall endeavor to post more often... I won't promise daily but certainly weekly. And all I ask in return is that if you do read this blog please let me know every now and then....

Cheers!

Toronto

2006-01-10T00:38:00.000-03:30

Here I sit in my hotel in Toronto (Markham actually) wondering how I ever managed to live in this city for 10 years! The city is cold, the people are cold, the traffic is horrific...

I think whomever coined the term "Toronto the Good" really needs to re-evaluate this nickname... Maybe update it to "Toronto the stressful".

WOW

2006-01-10T00:32:00.000-03:30

Been a while since I posted... a number of reasons for this, first and foremost I FORGOT my account information and frankly was too busy/lazy/disinterested to make the effort to track it down.

Second, Christmas was just nuts at my house! But then again with 2 kids under 10 what else should I have expected right?

Third, starting this new job has been hectic and I'm working with a hard and fast deadline to get things up and running... unfortunately some of my suppliers don't seem to think THEIR DEADLINE to me is not so hard and fast.

So that's the reasons, hopefully I'll get more time in the future to write some musings but if I don't c'est la vie... I'll post if and when I can.

Been a while since I last posted...

2005-11-28T13:08:00.000-03:30

As I have been actively looking for another job...

After "Saltmines r Us" I figured "Petro-Newf" would be a good change and it was for a break but it isn't a "career" place, at least for me. Reminds me to much of Sleepy Hollow... If this is what it's like to be a public servant then hey, they can keep it!

So I'm leaving here at the end of the year (just before Christmas actually). In January I am joining the Business Consulting & Global Outsourcing division of IBM and I'm going to build and startup call centers for them here in Atlantic Canada.

I am truly looking forward to the challenge which is something I didn't do before coming to "Petro-Newf"

And the Lord spake forth

2005-11-28T13:05:00.000-03:30

And the Lord spake forth unto the heavens and said,
"Let there be Airborne."
The earth did tremble and quake
and mountains crumbled into the sea.
The waters did rise up,
and tidal waves surged against the shore
And all at once the day turned into darkness,
Lightning did flash and echo across the sky
and the winds did howl,
The clouds did part
and there came forth a multitude of parachutes that filled the sky.

God looked down and saw this was good.
And they were good; they were AIRBORNE.
Besides himself, God now spake forth again and commanded:
"Let all ye that be weak in mind and body, arise and go forth."
And lo, from the abyss they crawled forward with indecision
and limped weakly upon the earth.
God looked down and shook His head, for this was pathetic.
And they were pathetic; they were LEGS.
_________________
"When in doubt, empty the magazine"

Time...

2005-11-14T11:43:00.000-03:30

With thanks and apologies to Adrian Savage:

What three statements are never true? The answer is:

"My check is in the post;"
"Of course I'm not only interested in sex;" and
"I'm from Head Office and I'm here to help you."

I want to add a fourth: "I didn't have time."

What this pitiful excuse means is either "I didn't want to" or "I didn't know how to" or "I was doing something else more important to me."

Lack of time is an attractive excuse, because it implies you're blameless — a helpless victim of stress, overwork and external circumstances. Of course, you may object that you truly do have far too much to do and something had to be left out. But who decided what you did in the time available? Either you set those priorities yourself, or you're the helpless slave of some all-consuming power that decides how you spend every moment of your time.

I'm less interested in what people don't have time for than what they do.

When someone says they don't have time for family, or friends, or hobbies, or recreation, because they have so much work, what I hear is someone telling me work is the most important aspect of their life. It comes first. Let's be honest, it must, or they wouldn't accept living the way they do. If they choose to be at their desk by 5:00 a.m. and stay until 9:00 p.m., they are making success at work the only goal of their life.

Everyone makes time for what they believe is most important. We all have the same amount of time available to us, so how we use it shows what we value most. Of course we face decisions about what to do first. Of course we have to choose between competing claims on our time. Of course we probably have more demands on us than we have time to meet them.

When you find yourself saying you didn't have time for something, take a moment to remember what you did find time for. Whatever you say to the contrary, that's where your priorities lie at present.

So be honest with yourself. Admit who's choosing to spend his or her time that way. And if you still want to do what you claim you want, push something else out of the way and make time.

If you don't have time for it, what do you have time for?

Being an effective boss...

2005-11-14T11:29:00.000-03:30

As bosses, many of us cling to our "inheritance" of expertise and experiences. I believe today this isn't good enough; we've got to be adding skills and improving continually. I've listed areas to focus on, below.

Are you a good administrator? This is one of the dullest and most overlooked aspects of being a boss. Mission and vision are important to a department, but it's the little things that impact the day-to-day lives of workers. Focus on the little stuff and you'll reap the benefits.
Do you give direction well? I can't tell you how many times I've seen a boss lead the troops up the wrong hill. Or into the wrong battle. It's very important for the boss to be able to communicate simply, clearly and effectively. How do you know whether you are communicating well? Ask people to repeat back to you your directions in their own words.
Are you a leader? Leadership is tough. But don't take my word for it -- how many great leaders have you come across in your career? Leadership takes vision, clarity, insight and guts. The best way to learn this skill? Ask the leader you most respect to mentor you.
Do you respect your people? Respect is a two-way street. If you give it, chances are you'll get it back many times over.
Do you act? Talk is cheap. Analysis is important, but there comes a time when leaders must act. Examples include firing an employee who is causing problems and launching a new initiative even though all of the research results aren't yet available. The time to act is often before you are totally ready.
Do you reduce anxiety? According to a ABCnews.com survey, 25 percent of employees report that they are angry at work. There are a lot of strong emotions at work today. It's important for the person in charge to acknowledge them and act in a way that reduces unnecessary tension.
Do you accept your impact on the rest of the organization? Bosses need to understand that employees pay extraordinary attention to the boss. People study you and talk about you constantly.

So you need to understand that like it or not, you are a role model for the business. Maybe it's time for you to lose your "inheritance" to focus on developing new skills to make you a more effective boss.

The Modern Noah

2005-11-14T08:52:00.000-03:30

In the year 2005 the Lord came to Noah, who was now living in
Australia, and said, "Once again, the earth has become wicked and
over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me. You need
to build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a
few good humans.

You have 6 months to build the Ark before I start the unending rain
for 40 days and 40 nights".

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his
yard - but no Ark.

"Noah!" He roared, "I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?

"Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah, "but things have changed. I needed
a building permit. I've been arguing with the inspector about the
need for a sprinkler system. My neighbours claim that I've violated
the neighbourhood zoning laws by building the Ark in my yard and
exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the Development
Appeal Board for a decision.

Then the Department of Transport demanded a bond be posted for the
future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions,
to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea. I told them that
the sea would be coming to us, but they wouldn't listen.

Then I had problems getting the wood. There's a ban on cutting local
trees in order to save an endangered species, the spotted quoll. I
tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to
save the quolls - but no go!

When I started gathering the animals, an animal rights group sued me
for confining wild animals against their will. They said it was
cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.

Then the local council ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until
they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights
Commission on how many indigenous people I'm supposed to hire for my
building crew.

The Immigration department is checking the status of most of the
people who want to work and I've even had a letter from Amanda
Vanstone asking about my ethnic background!

The trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to
hire only Union workers with Ark-building experience.

To make matters worse, the Taxation department has seized all my
assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with
endangered species. So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least
10 years for me to finish thisArk.

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow
stretched across the sky.

Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to
destroy the world?"

"No," said the Lord. "The Government beat me to it."

As Rememberance Day approaches

2005-11-02T11:48:00.000-03:30

Link to The Royal Newfoundland Regiment

Love in the work place...

2005-11-01T14:50:00.000-03:30

I enjoyed this musing posted by Adrian Savage today so much I had to reprint it:

"Love is a powerful emotion for which people are willing to kill and die. I don't mean just love for another person, still less sex. Love of money, love of power, love of glory and love of reputation all play major roles in how businesses run. Let’s ignore sexual love and office affairs. I’m not a moralist. I want to think about the love that motivates people to act in purely business ways: the three kinds of love that most affect the places where we work.

Desire
Let’s start with love as desire or want. Wanting money (and what it can bring) drives many people. So does wanting power, glory, or recognition via a corner office and grand title on the door. When companies set up incentive schemes, or link pay to performance, they’re relying on love of this type to encourage greater effort and success. Wanting things is a powerful force in human affairs. Competition springs from it; if people didn’t want to have more than others, or to be seen to come first, competitiveness wouldn’t exist. It also produces greed, selfishness and jealousy.

Buddhists believe removing desire, the emotion of wanting, is the only way to achieve peace and freedom from suffering. That’s probably too extreme for the corporate world, which thrives on stirring up every version of desire in consumers; and believes competition and reward is the only way to persuade people to work.

So can you use this force positively? Desire is ethical when what you want is positive (freedom, knowledge, happiness) and the means by which you’ll get it are civilized and promote peaceful relationships (learning, reason, cooperation, endeavor). Forget about whether the means are legal. That’s too easy a test. Many things are legal and unethical at the same time. By my reckoning, wanting something that harms you or others can never be ethical. Nor can any means to get it that uses harmful or uncivilized actions.

Affection
The second type of love is affection: liking something or someone enough to care for their well-being and do what we can to promote it. Affection is the basis for team working and commitment to the organization itself. It is hard to cooperate with people you dislike; and harder still to work for the well-being of anything or anyone (organization, product, customer, subordinate, boss) whom you despise or view as unworthy of your attention.

In the workplace context, feeling affection for your colleagues doesn’t mean any romantic attachment. You don’t need to want to spend your life with them. All that’s needed is to feel friendly towards them, rather than hostile. The same goes for feelings of affection towards the work you do or the product you make or sell. Salespeople know how hard it is to sell a product they don’t feel good about. It’s as if you’re sending out silent signals to the buyer that this is something you would never buy yourself.

To be happy at work, you should strive never to work with people, products, services or an organization for which you do not feel any affection. It will make you miserable, hamper your success and turn you from a willing collaborator into a slave (who has no choice) or a harlot (who does distasteful things purely for the money).

Altruism
Before I leave the matter of love, there is a third kind that occurs in the workplace, though it’s far more rare than the other two. I’m talking about altruistic love: the love for one’s fellow creatures that seeks neither reward nor recognition. As I said, it is rare. It can also be hard to distinguish from pious intentions and general idealism. Genuinely to seek the good of all, regardless of liking or potential benefit, is the stuff of saints rather than ordinary people. Does it exist? Probably. Does it affect normal working life? Hardly at all in my experience.

Ethical uses of love in a working environment come from using desire and affection (or benevolence) in civilized ways. Always be clear the purpose of what you’re doing will add to the happiness and serenity of our world. Don’t use means that harm or degrade others.

Love isn’t, sadly, the answer to everything. But it goes a long way towards making the task of looking for other answers more tolerable."

Today...

2005-10-31T20:22:00.000-03:30

Life sucks today...

That's all...

Nothing else to be said....

Do you have a great career?

2005-10-29T23:25:00.000-03:30

I was out with a friend tonight, listening to her complain about her job and started to wonder... Those of you you have been "regular" readers know I was not very happy in my previous job at "Saltmines 'r Us" and frankly I can only barely tolerate the one I'm in now at, as Ed refers to it, Petro-Newf...

So I did some trolling of the internet and found some advice on Working Wounded that I liked. Here's an excerpt:

Chico Marx was once asked if he loved his brother Harpo. He replied, "No, but I'm used to him." That seems to be the attitude that many of us have about our careers. We don't exactly love our careers; we simply learn to tolerate them. I believe that we spend too many hours working on automatic pilot. So it's worth the time and hassle to find a job that is something that you can really be passionate about. I've listed a few questions to help you do this, below. For more, check out "5 Paths of Extraordinary Careers" by Citrin and Smith (Crown, 2003).

Do you appreciate your own value? There seem to be two kinds of people in the world, people who consistently overestimate what they can do and people who consistently underestimate it. To me, the key to career success is to have a clear view of your strengths and the value you bring to work each day. This requires getting lots of feedback from the people you work with and for, so you can really understand your contributions. And humility has no place at work, you need a realistic view of what you bring to the table.
Are you benevolent? There are lots of people at work who look out only for themselves. It's rare to find someone who is benevolent and looks out for the good of everyone. Good guys and gals might not always finish first, but on average they're amazingly successful at work because they have a network of people who will look out for them. Do favors for people and you'll be surprised at how often they return the favor.
Do you overcome the permission paradox? I recently read that Amazon's highest award is called the "Just Do It" award, where employees are recognized for contributions made without their boss's permission. I'm not arguing for anarchy, but I do agree that it's usually easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Do you focus on the urgent or the important? It's tough when stuff is coming at you fast and furious to pull back to decide what is really important, and therefore what should consume the majority of your efforts. At work the important should always trump the simply urgent.
Are you always a little bit hungry? I once asked a friend about his approach to business. He said that while many people were either satiated or famished, he always tried to remain a little bit hungry. This is precisely the attitude I try to bring to work each day.

Yesterday's Editorial

2005-10-26T13:26:00.000-02:30

Normally I don't comment on anything in the newspaper. Hell, normally I don't even read the local paper (or watch local news on TV). I realize it's rather short sighted of me but if It's not on the BBC or CNN I'M NOT THAT INTERESTED!

However a friend pointed out the editorial from yesterday's Evening Telegram. As those of you who know me realize, this one struck way to close to home for comfort. I won't really comment on the piece, reproduced in full below. I'll just bold and highlight what I consider the appropriate parts....

"Tuesday, October 25, 2005
How to really take care of business
By THE TELEGRAM

It’s nice to hear someone speak bluntly and colourfully, instead of the careful, media-savvy sound bites we’ve come to expect.

Take Russian Communist Party Leader Gennady Zyuganov, talking about the current Russian leadership and the suggestion that the embalmed corpse of Vladimir Lenin should actually be buried: “With their filthy hands and drunken heads they are crawling into the sanctuary of the state.”

Well, here’s a few blunt words of our own. There’s a few things that business in this province clearly has to start thinking about.

Sometimes, the world coalesces in strange ways: last week, Monster.ca revealed the results of its survey of Canadian bosses, and in that survey, this province came dead last, with a score almost 50 per cent lower than the nearest miscreant, Saskatchewan.

Monday, a report prepared by Ipsos-Reid suggested that the single-largest threat to the profitability of Canadian businesses was their inability to retain talented employees. The issue was of higher concern than the fluctuating Canadian dollar, of more concern than either global economics or poor customer care.

Dare we suggest that somewhere in here there is a common thread?

Here’s a thought: the pendulum in Canadian business, as in American business, has swung heavily towards defining the success of companies based strictly on their profitability, and describing that profitability as being a function primarily of the executive office suite.

What’s often left out in the equation is the contribution of a company’s ground-level employees.

Companies regularly look for a year-over-year increase in profits — or that now-notorious business term, EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization — but rarely track how many of their employees have quit or moved on.

It’s easy enough to say that, in a market like ours, there are always warm bodies looking for work, scarce opportunities for those already employed and those looking, and all of that means we perhaps don’t have to be as diligent about employee concerns as employers in, perhaps, Ontario.

It’s a short-sighted view, to say the least. As businesses focus on their profitability, they have to keep in mind that profits are also driven by an engaged, involved and attached workforce. That sort of workforce is more likely to find solutions to workplace problems.

The businesses — including those in this province — that understand the role that connected and happy employees play in business success are, frankly, the ones that will succeed.

We’d like to end up with a “filthy hands and drunken heads” plain-spoken quip, but wait a minute. We’re employees, too. So here’s a careful sound bite instead: pay attention to your workers. It pays off in the end."

Reading for life....

2005-10-24T14:06:00.000-02:30

As an avid (some would same demonic) reader it was great for me to discover (yet again) Project Gutenburg.

Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.

Go on, loose yourself in a book! It's good for both your mind and your solul!

Parachuting....

2005-10-21T22:44:00.000-02:30

I had cause ths week to remember my time spend in the military and more specifically as a member of the Hq & Sigs Squadron of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. My oldest daughter found my copy of "In Search of Pegasus" By Col. Bernd Horn also formerly of the Airborne Regiment. The book is an examination of the Canadian Airborne experience from WW II up to and past the disbanding of the Regiment in March of 1995.

Anyway, she asked me this past weekend why I would jump out of "good" airplanes and what it was like. After giving my standard answer of "I don't like to talk about it" (No particular reason why I don't, I just feel that my time in the military and in the regiment in particular is part of a past life - I don't even really discuss it with my wife. She's knows I served, that I threw myself out of airplanes about a hundred times over 4 years (still have my jump log here somewhere!) , that I served 3 UN tours but thats about it...Oh yeah and that I still carry a, as she calls it, "silly" regimental challenge coin in my wallet after al these years), I decided to write down what goes through one's mind every time you jump.

It is an experience and a feeling that you NEVER forget, no matter how long ago it was. So as I was saying, I decided to put those thoughts to paper so someday when my girls are older maybe they can read it and understand it. Then I decided to post it here so the reset of you can read it... anyway here goes:

Main thing that kept repeating in my head was "How come I have to be #1 in the door, will I jump, glad I'm #1, damn this is taking waaaaay too long, wish I wasn't #1, it's an honour to be #1 hope I don't let anyone down, jab, jab, jab, which foot is it again." Repeat 30 times at one million miles per hour.

"Oh crap there goes the light, fuk this, nah fuk it, fuuuuukkkkkk, I'm going, aaarrrhhhhhhhhhh. Repeat once but with a lot of emphasis. "

Woah that was freaky, check canopy, man that's big, lines look good, must breathe. Holy shit it's so quiet out here. I survived. Whoah, man I'm high up, hope I don't land there, or there, that spot looks good, hey what's that guy doing, hey what's that fluttering noise is that normal, what's next, wow that fence is close, man the ground is coming up fast." Repeat 100 times at 10,000 miles per hour.

"Ohhhhhh this is going to hurt, feet and knees, feet and knees, oooohhhh this is going to hurt, uuuggghhh! Well that wasn't pretty, heels, ass, head but nothing broken. YAH! Bring on the next one."

That first glorious moment of silence upon exiting the door, a defining moment. More than 20 years ago and I still remember it like it happened this afternoon.

"Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open". - Lord Thomas Dewar

List of the day from IBM...

2005-10-18T09:24:00.000-02:30

Many baby boomers don't have enough saved as a nest egg for retirement
Only 35 percent have been "been socking it away" over the years
58 percent said that they haven't saved enough
50 percent of respondents say that they'll need to make some sacrifices when they retire
67 percent said they should have saved more or worked longer workweeks

Although I am a child of the revolution...

2005-10-17T20:21:00.000-02:30

The sexual revolution that is and my thoughts, beliefs and values were shaped by the freethinling and anything goes attitudes of my parents during the '60s I have decided that, should my children be fortunate enough to actually reach their teenage years with being either cloistered in a nunnery or buried in the backyard, a one man sexual counter-revolution is going to descend upon them!

Can you believe this - my 8 year old, in Grade 3 came home today telling me about a boy in her class. Let's call him, oh I dunno, “Dead Meat #1”. He told my darling little girl he “enjoyed having sex with his teddy bear” (I see some real problems and intensive therapy in his future!) And that he “can't wait until Grade 7 when he can start have sex with real girls!”.

Needless to say his father and I had a rather prolonged and loud discussion about his and his son's moral character!

Academics

2005-10-17T13:19:00.000-02:30

Academics try to play the "professional" game for all they're worth. You can't have anything useful to say, or worth listening to, if you're not a professional with a Ph. D.

Let me let you in on a secret. Getting a Ph. D. is something that takes time, effort and knowing the system. The things it doesn't take include unusual intelligence, imagination, creativity, common sense or a passionate interest in the topic.

I wish to god that academics would cease attempting to poison the youth of the world with their idealism. Teach the real world, not some lofty quasi-religious mumbo jumbo that has no basis in the real world.

Granted, knowing the theories of say Phillip Crosby or Edward Demming may be nice for an exam but when was the last time anyone of us sat in a real world business meeting and said or heard, "Well, Demming believes...." Poppycock!

Savage Chickens Part 2...

2005-10-17T13:13:00.000-02:30

The sad thing about this one is that there is someone who has said the "I know you too well" line to me on way too mant occasions!

Do they like me....

2005-10-17T13:07:00.000-02:30

Many people — maybe most — are deeply concerned with the way others think about them. They want so much to be loved — or at least liked. They want to be thought of as "good," "respectable" or "nice people to have around." Because of this, they spend their whole lives looking over their shoulders, wondering what the world thinks of them. They change their actions and behavior to fit in with others or seek approval. They worry about real or imagined indications someone may not think well of them or see them as they want to be seen.

It's a complete waste of time and energy.

It's folly to believe you can control anyone's feelings. You can't even know fully what they're looking for or what type of person they find likable.

People's likes and dislikes are based on their values, and are often buried deep in areas of the mind all but inaccessible to anyone — including the individual themselves — without special effort. They shift and change places. Maybe this one is dominant for a while, then circumstances change and another comes to the front. You respond from a value you've had since childhood, then from one you picked up only yesterday.

You can't control how others feel or think about you, whatever you do. Nor can you be responsible for it. It's pleasant if people like you, but whether they do or not is not your concern.

In this world, you are only responsible for your own actions. Everything else is beyond your control. By all means behave in likable ways, if that's your choice. It will likely make you feel better and increase the chances others will enjoy your presence. But don't be downhearted if someone doesn't respond as you hoped.

Maybe they're having a bad day. And maybe — just maybe — they're a disagreeable person who doesn't like anyone much. Ever thought of that?

Savage Chickens

2005-10-13T09:59:00.000-02:30

I love it! From David Savage's website:

Coyotes

2005-10-12T14:54:00.000-02:30

Now that we have coyotes here in Newfoundland I have to say that I like coyotes. They're tough, adaptable and always themselves, without concern for what so-called civilized folk think of them. We've stolen their habit for our master planned communities and malls, so they've moved in with us and stolen ours. They're original, authentic, proud and expressive.

Of course, sometimes they're bad as well. Round here, they have a regrettable tendency to eat people's small pets. In Native American lore, they're tricky and liable to mess you up if you don't watch them. But, hey, they're also playful and spontaneous, and they're never dull.

Who would you rather listen to? A guy in a suit or a singing dog under a wild moon?

Conventional thinking has got us where we are today. And if it's produced some great benefits, it's produced some equally massive problems. We won't solve the problems by using the same approaches that created them in the first place. Nor will conventional thinking produce many new ideas, especially if it's been worked to death by everyone from marketing gurus to media hacks.

Those coyotes can teach us something.

The first lesson is to forget idealism. Now there's nothing wrong with having ideals -- even some perfectly pleasant people have them -- but they do tend to block the willingness to adapt. What's made the coyote so successful is adaptability. These guys are realists. If you can't change it, exploit it.

Next, be yourself. Well, heck, it's tough to be anyone else, but some of us spend a lifetime trying. As Shania says in the song, "That don't impress me much." It don't impress anyone else much either. You are who you are and you won't easily change that. You don't need to either. Just be the best version of who you are and you'll be fine. You'll also be authentic instead of a fake.

Sometimes those little coyote buggers wake me up in the middle of the night having a riotous party somewhere behind my house. Lots of singing and probably a few beers. They really know how to have fun. Corporate America has lost that skill. Most companies aren't fun to work for. It's all so damn serious and heavy. But fun is the best source of creativity. Stamp it out and innovation goes along with it.

It's okay to be bad too. Not nasty and vicious or downright evil, but just a little mischievous and rough around the edges. Who would you trust more? Some person you know is inclined to be a little tricky on occasions, or a city slicker who pretends to be so-o-o honest but would stab you in the back as soon as look at you?

When I was younger, the really interesting girls were usually described as "no better than she should be." Well, hell, that sounds about right to me. Why should anyone be better that they should, except to create a false image to cover something worse?

Here's to being just as good as we need to be...and not even a tiny bit more!

Loyality and Fear

2005-10-12T14:45:00.000-02:30

Sitting down to write this I imagined myself producing something light and humorous. It didn’t work like that. What I found myself focusing on was the dark side of loyalty, starting from the question: “Is loyalty to the boss and the company always admirable?”

In my career, I’ve experienced times when disloyalty was disruptive and killed any sense of trust. But I’ve also seen cases where too much unquestioning loyalty meant important issues were suppressed until it was too late. It’s made me wonder if open questioning of authority, short of defiance, may be essential if we’re not to lose our way.

Loyalty has long been valued by leaders. The more authoritarian and dogmatic the leader, the more they prize loyalty in their followers. Dictators — political and organizational — surround themselves with “yes-men,” eager to prove their loyalty by saying whatever the person in power will find most acceptable. Then the pressure to fit in and suppress unpleasant realities can be overwhelming. That loyalty stifles creativity and discourages people’s willingness to speak the truth about their leaders, themselves or their work. Competitors ought to cherish excessively loyal organizations, where no one is ready to rock the boat by pointing out how fast they’re becoming obsolete.

Getting the right balance between loyalty and initiative isn’t as simple as it sounds. Loyalty is good for comfort and support, but bad for promoting initiative and truth-telling. Organizations need people who support one another. They also need those ready to see with different — even “disloyal” — eyes and bring uncomfortable realities into the open. Without them, everyone gets fat, dumb and happy — until the dam breaks.

Ought loyalty to be prized more than curiosity and independent thought? Curiosity is uncomfortable. Skeptics make you mad when they challenge what you’ve come to believe and automatically rely on; especially in areas you don’t want looked at too closely.

Socrates, one of the world’s most revered philosophers, described himself as a “divine gadfly” sent to stir up his fellow citizens and shake them out of their complacency. They valued his efforts so much they had him executed for “corrupting the young” by teaching them to think for themselves.

If your unthinking assumptions are about to break under the pressure of change, shouldn’t you be thankful to those who draw them to your attention in time? What about the “disloyal” whistle-blowers who alert the public to hidden corruption and deceit? Aren’t they important and valuable people, often moved by a stronger sense of moral duty than the rest of us?

There is a way to reconcile loyalty with openness to uncomfortable truth. It’s based on exercising ethical choice. When people think through the ethics of trust, and the basis of their support for boss or employer, they can see where the balance lies between being honest (even if that involves dissent) and being disloyal.

In any culture that prizes loyalty above all else, fear becomes the major emotion: fear of doing or saying anything that might suggest dissension; fear of exercising individual freedom to think and speak. Sadly, some major commercial and political organizations seem not too far from producing exactly such a culture.

Few things in life are black-and-white, however much some people try to make them so. Failure to question received opinions quickly leads to ethical blindness. Unquestioning loyalty is no loyalty at all. Sometimes what the boss most needs is to hear the truth, before he or she says or does something that will bring harm to themselves and others. Our intellectual and personal freedom is too important to surrender it to help our masters shut themselves away from uncomfortable questioning.

100,000+ Names

2005-10-11T14:39:00.000-02:30

Vocm is reporting that the petition to reinstate the weather office in Gander now has more than 105,000 names on it.

PLEASE....

Does anyone anywhere realize that this effort, while valiant, is simply a waste of time and paper. All it is going to do is provide election fodder for the liberals and give the members of the "loyal" opposition the chance to develop more political rhetoric that they can sling around the election arena.

As I said, it's a valiant effort and yes I did sign it (several times in fact) but Newfoundlanders better face the reality that the office is gone and their best option for weather forecasting remains to look out their window!

BTW, for the weather guys in Halifax - it's raining in St. john's today...

You say you want success - but have you figured out exactly what success is?

2005-10-11T09:58:00.000-02:30

Adapted from a recently article in the Toronto Star that I enjoyed:

Look up the word "success" in the dictionary and you'll find a definition along the lines of "a favourable result." Well, it is certainly that.

Success is difficult to define because it means different things to different people. It even means different things to the same people at different times.

It's also important to remember that success is not a static condition. It sometimes exists for a very long time, such as in a successful relationship, or it may last for only an instant, such as scoring the game-winning goal.

Success can, and should, be found everywhere: at home, at work, at play, at school, and in personal relationships. The opportunity to achieve success is everywhere and everyone can achieve success - provided it's defined in reasonable terms and pursued with the right mental attitude.

Success comes from you doing your absolute best, which is something only you can determine and control. We can sometimes fool other people, but we can never fool ourselves. To be successful you can't sit back and wait for things to happen; you have to make them happen.

Success has been described in many different ways. Some wise person, with a good handle on what success really is, wrote that success wasn't any particular place, but rather the distance you travelled to get there. It's certainly a far better measure of success to consider the distance travelled and the obstacles overcome, than where you happen to be at any particular time.

Other definitions of success include:

Dealing successfully with a particular problem
Being able to tolerate insecurity
Accomplishing something you were determined to do rather than destined to do
Doing today what someone else is planning to do tomorrow.
Knowing at the end of your day that you did the very best that you could.

Success rarely consists of one major achievement. Success will usually consist of continually reaching a series of reasonable and practical goals - goals which might be spread over a period of years in great undertakings. But it will also consist of many minor successes along the way - ones that might occur in a single week, day, hour or minute.

But always remember that a setback isn't a failure unless you quit.

It's the end of the world....again

2005-10-10T20:43:00.000-02:30

If only I could have a dollar for all the times in my life I've heard the Christians say, "this is a sure sign that Jesus is coming back," I would be living the playboy life right about now.

Pat Robertson...hot off the heels of his Chavez assassination comments, is now saying that the recent natural disasters in the world might be a sign that Jesus is returning.

And here I was waiting for him to say that all the people killed in Saturday's earthquake in Asia was because God was punishing them all for their "evil" ways. Oh wait...that's Gerry Falwell's job. I'll definitely post those comments as soon as they're made (and I'm pretty sure some right-wing nutjob is going to say it soon enough).

If Jesus is returning Pat is in deep, deep trouble! Start lining up with the goats, buddy, you're toast!

My Brain Pattern

2005-10-10T20:02:00.000-02:30

My Brain's Pattern

Structured and organized, you have a knack for thinking clearly.You are very logical - and you don't let your thoughts get polluted with emotions.And while your thoughts are pretty serious, they're anything from boring.It's minds like yours that have built the great cities of the world!

What Pattern Is Your Brain?/

Vandals

2005-10-10T12:56:00.000-02:30

VOCM is reporting today that that vandals have hit my kids school...yet again! Boy I'd love to get my hands on those ba#^$rds! Schools in this province are in bad enough shape without punks making it worse!

PetroNewf

2005-10-09T22:56:00.000-02:30

Ed Hollett over at the Sir Robert Bond Papers plays an interesting game of "Connect the dots to Danny" in this post.

Not bad, not bad, especially his discussion surrounding the "new" NL Hydro aka (as he calls it & I agree) "PetroNewf"

Ed refers to "Ed Martin, the guy who has been slowly transforming Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro into PetroNewf without so much as a public discussion of what the frig he is up to. When exactly will Danny and his Boys decide the public deserves to know what they are doing with our money? When will we find out why two vice presidents and some senior managers were tossed over the Falls recently and who is replacing them?

Second point from this: Ed's on the agenda 'cause of Dean (the chairman of Ed's board), who of course is connected to the new NOIA president, who was hired for being able to make just those kinds of daisy chains, with Danny at the front end of it."

Mr. Hollett has missed the final connection in the "Connect the dots to Danny" game at Hydro. PetroNewf has a new division dedicated to the Lower Churchill project. The newest VP of this division (the first VO) is none other than Gilbert Bennett - one of Danny's former senior engineering people from the Cable Atlantic days.

So what does a former cable TV engineer know about hydroelectric generation? Answer: Whatever the other members of the Gonzaga Alumni Association tell him!

One final comment tonight on PetroNewf... the employees are placing bets on the replacements of the two recently "tossed" over the falls VPs... Everyone at Hydro Place (soon to be renamed to PetroNewf HQ??) are betting on two upstanding members of the aforementioned GAA.

Return to the blogsphere

2005-10-09T22:37:00.000-02:30

After a lengthy self imposed absence I've decided to return to blogging at least on a weekly basis.

It seems that the political and social antics in Newfoundland are to hard for me to ignore any longer. Plus my tragic comedy of a life needs to be vented somewhere...

So I'm back and back to stay...

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