Bucko

8:46:47 PM EDT

This is a difficult topic for most people to grasp.  When we say we are going to hold someone "accountable" for their actions, what are we really saying?  Have you really ever given it serious thought?

Today, we had some serious accountability at our Management Review Meeting (MRM).  How was this accomplished?  We were originally scheduled for 1:30 P.M. through 4:30 P.M.. We actually ended at 3:30 P.M. [kind of nice for me, because I was going straight home after the meeting, and I got home at 4:30 P.M.]  So how is ending early a form of accountability???

This is simple, one way we define accountability is "ownership".  We ended early because we are requiring all the performance indicator owners to update their analyses and actions to be specific, not generic, and to close performance gaps.  They will get to present their results next Thursday at a repeat of our meeting, and this will continue weekly until we demonstrate as a management team "that we get it!".

So, here is my question to you - are you truly accountable for your actions, behaviors, responses to challenges and negativity?  We need to recognize that we "own" how we are perceived, how we respond and react to others, and how we internalize our lessons learned from our life lessons.  Are you accountable to yourself?  I say, go to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and assess this for yourself!

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8:23:29 PM EDT

Two options, and one is less smelly than the other :o)

1. Place a box filled with wadded up newspapers in your car overnight, and let the carbon used in the black newsprint act like activated carbon in odor-removing filters.

2. Place a shallow bowl filled with white vinegar or baking soda or used fresh coffee grounds in the car.  Be sure to air out the vehicle before driving, or it could be unpleasant.

So, which one will you try? :o)

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8:12:04 PM EDT

Interested in not receiving any more credit card and insurance solicitations.  I recently found information that allows me to opt out of receiving solicitations from credit card and insurance companies.  I was able to "Opt Out" without providing either my SSN or my Phone number.  Lets all hope it works!

 www.optoutprescreen.com

I know I get a lot of offers from the charities that I contribute to, so hopefully this will cut down on the "world points" offers that continuously come through :o)

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8:32:30 PM EDT

This is a picture of my summer intern Lindsay.  She attends the University of Michigan (as as a graduate of Illinois and a loyal Notre Dame fan I do not hold that against her).  She expressed an interest in Environmental, so she got to spend a day with them.  A rough job, going out on the boat (I have not been able to do that!). You can see our plant in the background.

Wassup is what I imagine the fish saying, and I have a version in my office with that coming out of its mouth (Lindsay found it very funny!)

This is my fifth year of having a summer intern, and it is so pleasurable to have a positive influence in a budding career and to provide a positive experience :o)

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8:23:18 PM EDT

For the second time in a month, legislation (H.R. 6515) that would do nothing to address America’s energy crisis has been defeated by the U.S. House. H.R. 6515 is the “use it or lose it” bill that I alluded to in a previous entry.  Like the last version, H.R. 6515 breaches contracts by re-writing terms under which oil companies may use and bid on leases.  This would drive away oil and gas companies from the U.S. and lower production of energy.  It is based on a claim, dismissed by the Department of the Interior, that industry is “stockpiling” 68 million acres of federal leases. 

I recently came across the phrase “Stricken From The Call”, and researched a few legal sites, but did not find this as an official phrase.  However, I really like this phrase, and I think it really fits this legislation that was presented for votes twice in the last month.

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8:05:40 PM EDT

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8:03:55 PM EDT

OK J-Land, I warned you.  Here are two "turkey" pictures taken this afternoon from our deck.  I put my new "toy" into sports mode and reeled off 12 pictures, and selected the best two :o)

Sorry dear, I know the speed mode makes you a little envious, but I will show you the ropes, and you can use during the day :o)

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7:47:19 PM EDT

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12:00:16 PM EDT

After reading the below article in its entirety, I have nothing to add, the points I would have brought out are discussed at the end.  A very good and balanced article :o)

Associated Press and Globe Staff:  WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Al Gore challenged Americans yesterday to switch all of the nation's electricity production to wind, solar, and other carbon-free sources within 10 years, a goal that he said would solve global warming as well as economic and natural security crises caused by dependence on fossil fuels.

"The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels," Gore told a packed auditorium in Washington's historic Constitution Hall. "When you connect the dots, it turns out that the real solutions to the climate crisis are the very same measures needed to renew our economy and escape the trap of ever-rising energy prices."

Gore, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his fight against climate change, said he hopes the next president will embrace the goal, and he said fellow Democrat Barack Obama and Republican rival John McCain are "way ahead" of most politicians on the issue.

In a later interview with ABC News, Gore said he has no interest in being Obama's running mate and will focus on swaying public opinion on climate change.

Gore, one of the leaders of the Democratic Party and its presidential nominee in 2000, was noticeably nonpartisan in issuing his challenge. He not only said he had had substantive conversations with Obama and McCain, he also made a point of thanking Bob Barr, a former Republican congressman who is the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee.

"I appreciate your open mind and serious approach," Gore told Barr.

Gore's ecumenical approach is intentional; he said to solve such a huge, complex issue as climate change, political leaders must move beyond partisan divisions.

Obama issued a statement saying he strongly agrees with Gore that "we cannot drill our way to energy independence, but must fast-track investments in renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind power, and advanced biofuels, and those are the investments I will make as president."

McCain is also calling for reducing dependence on foreign oil, and at a town hall meeting yesterday in Kansas City, Mo., echoed Gore's warning about sending hundreds of millions of dollars a day to unfriendly regimes. McCain said he admires Gore as an early and outspoken advocate on global warming, though they don't agree on all aspects.

McCain's plan, for instance, includes a significant expansion of nuclear power as well as wind and solar energy.

To meet his 10-year goal, Gore said nuclear energy output would continue at current levels while the United States dramatically increases its use of solar, wind, geothermal, and clean coal energy. Huge investments must also be made in technologies that reduce energy waste and link existing power grids, he said. He said the single most important policy change would be placing a carbon tax on burning oil and coal, with an accompanying reduction in payroll taxes.

Gore's proposal would represent a significant shift in where the United States gets its power. In 2005, the United States produced nearly 3.7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, with coal providing slightly more than half of that energy, according to government statistics. Nuclear power accounted for 21 percent, natural gas 15 percent and renewable sources, including wind and solar, about 9 percent.

Coal's share of electricity generation is expected to grow in 2030, according to Energy Department forecasts, while renewable energy would only provide 11 percent of power.

Gore acknowledged the hurdles to reaching his goal. The Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan group he leads, estimates the cost of transitioning to clean electricity sources at $1.5 trillion to $3 trillion over 30 years in public and private money.

But he said it would cost about as much to build greenhouse gas-polluting coal plants to meet demand.

Robbie Diamond, president of Securing America's Future Energy, a bipartisan think tank, said that weaning the nation away from fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas - can't be done in a decade.

"The country is not going to be able to go cold turkey," Diamond said. "We have hundreds of years of infrastructure with trillions of dollars of investment that is not simply going to be made obsolete."

The Edison Electric Institute, the private utility industry's trade association, said that it shares Gore's support for more renewable generation, a smarter power grid, and plug-in hybrid motor vehicles.

"But we cannot do the job with renewables and efficiency alone," it said, adding that the country also needs "an expanded role for nuclear energy, as well as natural gas and clean coal with carbon capture and storage."

Gore called for the kind of concerted national effort that enabled Americans to walk on the moon 39 years ago, just eight years after President John F. Kennedy set that goal.

Gore portrayed yesterday's speech as the latest and most important phase in his effort to influence public opinion.

"I hope to contribute to a new political environment in this country that will allow the next president to do what I think the next president is going to think is the right thing to do," he said.

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11:32:38 AM EDT

Yesterday was a challenging day.  I headed to work with the mindset to try and get out early, maybe around 1:00 P.M., and get an early start on the weekend.  When I got to work, I recalled that I had a 1:00 meeting.  At 2:30 P.M., I still had several tasks to complete, so had to attend the weekly safety meeting.  After that meeting, and a discussion with one of the other managers regarding a confrontation of our employees, I went to check on mine.

 

We sat in my office for a while, and shared some things to build another layer of trust, and I asked her to not make any rash decisions.  At this point, she started to cry, and kept apologizing.  I continued to talk calmly to her, explained to her my "Anger Management 101" philosophy regarding having an exit strategy when dealing with people who you know make you angry (pre-wire your brain so you do not do something you will later regret), and re-iterated that only you can decide how you will react to a situation.  She was expecting strong negative coaching and was relieved to be getting supportive suggestions on how to deal with future situations. 

 

My day ended at the normal 6:00 P.M., as I started my 45 minute commute home.  I think I did some heavy planting.  If you are curious as to what I mean, then read the following.  This story is based on an old Chinese folk tale called The Empty Pot.

 

************************************************************************

 

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different.

 

He called all the young executives in his company together.

 

“It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO he said; I have decided to choose one of you.”

 

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued.

 

“I am going to give each one of you a seed today - a very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”

 

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.

 

He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

 

Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

 

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.

 

Six months went by - still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

 

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened.

 

Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.

 

He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful–in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!

 

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

 

Jim just tried to hide in the back.

 

“My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown”, said the CEO.

 

“Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”

 

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front.

 

Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!”

 

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed.

 

Jim told him the story.

 

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Here is your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!”

 

Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said?

 

Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today.”

 

But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. 

 

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.

 

When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!”

 

Moral:

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

 

 

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Tags: Leadership, Ethics, Anger,Chinese Tale, Blogplugs

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