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Author: iexposedus
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR – MOBILIZE MARSHALL
By Ron Munden
By Ron Munden
I think many will agree that over the past 10 years I have written more critical articles about Marshall than anyone else. I hope so because that has been my goal.
In 2006, I was appointed Project Manager for the Tourism Task force over the objection of then City Manager Frank Johnson. This is the only time that I worked on a City project. The entire experience was less than perfect but there was one incident that convinced me that I should not waste five minutes working with the City.
By 2007, the Task Force had selected a contractor and the contractor had provided the first deliverable. They provided a list of 54 best practices that should be implemented in preparation of the detailed tourism plan that was the final deliverable.
I was confident that we could complete these 54 items during the 6 months that we would be waiting for the final plan. Before returning to Marshall I had worked for the Department of Defense {DoD} for over 30 years and most of that time had successfully managed a variety of projects. Based on that experience I wrote a web-based project management software package based on proven project management techniques. The software provided tools for managing the implementation of each task and just as importantly it provided transparency so every citizen of Marshall with a web-browser could review the status to the project whenever they wanted.
I loaded the first set of data into the software so I could demonstrate it to the Task Force. At the next meeting I provided the demo.
The software included all the standard project management date like:
. Item due date
. Item completion date
. Responsible organization
. Responsible person
. etc.
I was shocked at the response to the demo. Assistant City Manager Janet Cook explained that was not the way that we did things in Marshall. She explained that the city did not assign specific due dates. When Marshall developed a project plan, due dates would state, “to be completed in the 2nd quarter of next year.” And most disturbing, I assigned responsibility for completing a task to a specific person. The City would never do that.
Finally, she said that she thought we should sit back, take some deep breaths and do nothing until the contractor provided the final report because the contractor might change their minds on these 54 best practices during the next six months.
The Task Force voted. All the city employees on the Task Force voted to do nothing. A couple of hotel representatives on the task force agreed. The other private sector representatives voted to proceed. It was a split vote. I decided not to push it.
In Ms. Cook’s brief three-minute description of how Marshall managed projects, she described a system that violated every project principle that I had been taught in my 32 years in DoD and my three years at Booz Allen Hamilton.
That was the day that I gave up on Marshall successfully completing any project.
The Task Force did nothing during the next six months. On the night the final tourism plan was approved by the City Commission, the City Manager announced that he was abolishing the task force. Using Marshall’s “breathe deep and do nothing” project management system, the City spent over $3 million dollars of Hotel Occupancy Tax money and accomplished nothing.
The City has used those same techniques during the last 10 years on the yet to be completed Memorial City Hall renovation project.
For over ten years I have felt that Marshall was hopeless.
But starting in 2019 I feel CHANGE IS IN THE AIR.
Saturday’s “Mobilize Marshall” meeting validated this feeling.
I think many strategic plans are as worthless as the paper they are printed on. In Marshall’s case I would substitute “always” for “most.” But that was the past — today I feel different.
For the first time since I returned to Marshall, I heard magical words coming from a Marshall City Manager’s mouth. Words like “accountability”, “measurement”, etc.
Also, based on my brief observations and conversation, I think that Marshall now has a City Manager with leadership skills and is a subject matter expert on managing a city. I get the feeling that when he says something, he means it. A rare trait.
With the exception is the period Buzz Snyder was the interim city manager. In the 18 years that I have been in Marshall we have not had a city manager with leadership skills. In that time none have had broad city management skills.
I think the new City Manager, Mark Rohr, can successfully lead the charge to “mobilize Marshall.” History may prove me wrong, but I don’t think so.
Finally, based on conversations with key city employees, I think at least some bought into Mr. Rohr’s management style and are eager to follow his lead and improve Marshall.
Twelve years ago, I lost all hope that Marshall could ever succeed. Today I think the stars have realigned and success is possible.
It is time for Marshall to reject the “breathe deep and do nothing” attitude. As they say, “Lead, follow or get out of the way.”
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Beware of “opinion” writers
By George Smith
To an editor, publisher, columnist or investigative reporter, personal insults or fits of screaming heebie-jeebies by members of the public over something written cannot be taken to heart.
Those brave souls of print and electronic media have a job, an important job, to do. Period.
In more than 50 years of writing, typing and computering editorials, analyses and commentary on everything from the price of silver and how and why it effects everyday citizens to city council and county court faux pas, from instances of fraud or pure political bedevilment by elected officials to uncloaking crooked law enforcement officers, and from outing pot smokers and alcoholics in newspapers’ pressroom to teachers faking standardized test scores … the stories and follow-up opinion pieces must be written.
For many opinion writers, it’s a simple task to judge the public reaction of articles before they are written; after a time in the gossip-caldron around the coffee machine or café table, the majority of folks (even those who did not read the article) to form a “fir” or “agin” opinion.
There have been times when my fingers paused before pounding out a statement of opinion that I knew would not sit well with some friends, co-workers or family members. That poignant pause did not last long; I seemed to always “err” on being true to myself, rather than bow down to outside forces that hovered about.
I have always bound myself to the personal rule that nothing I write is intended to evoke support or choruses of Huzzah! from anyone, from readers to company executives; my opinions were my own and aimed at doing nothing but provide, hopefully, an environment of thought for someone…for anyone. And on the opposite side of the commentary spectrum, I have never written an article with the sole intent of upsetting any person or group, but did believe in advance that something I wrote would be upsetting to someone.
As an editor and/or publisher in myriad cities in four states, I have been a member of various civic clubs. Rotary, for the most part, was my preferred club because in many chapters the local movers-and-shakers are members; being a part of that group is a good way to keep abreast of any errant changes in a community’s business pulse.
Before I joined any Rotary Club, I made it clear that Rotary’s Four-Way Test created a problem for a member who peddled news and opinion for a living. The Four-Way Test, repeated at most clubs at every meeting, is:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL, and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
I had no problem with Nos. 1 and 2, but Nos. 3 and 4 sometimes got a little dicey for a newshound. For example, writing a story about a fellow Rotarian who is charged with embezzlement probably wouldn’t pass the “smell” test for the last two questions.
If what I wrote/write is TRUE and FAIR (meaning the facts are right and all known sides of an issue are given), that had to be a good enough standard of excellence for any published works, printed or electronic.
I can think of several hundred times when reporting on a story and a personal commentary let to unrelenting verbal abuse, even picketing and boycotting of the paper. On two occasions, I was physically assaulted because of an opinion column or an editorial.
Writing about unpleasant occurrences that one knows is going to cause heartache and emotional problems should never be taken lightly. Every effort must be taken to give both sides of any controversial news story (and, sometimes, there is only one side and at other times, multiple sides) and give equal treatment when appropriate.
Some readers do not see the difference in a news story and an opinion column or editorial; that is where a lot of misperception and anger enter into the situation.
A news story should be fair and balanced (not the Fox News “fair and balanced” type of presentation or the Al Sharpton one-issue programs) with information given to views/readers to allow them to dissect it and make up their own mind about relevance.
Opinion programming or stories are simply opinions tossed up in the air like wheat, often filled with pabulum-like fillers and buzzwords to give a one-sided perspective to an issue.
But stop and think: There’s nothing wrong with that, really. You have opinions, as do I and so does everyone else. Opinions are cheap to come by; many people form them after just overhearing a conversation or by reading a headline or hearing a one-sentence screed on talk radio or TV.
In the world of reputable opinion writers, opinions are the fruits of often-intensive research and examination and are intended to enlighten, inform, entertain and educate the audience.
Of course, there are those writers who simply want you to follow their ideology as presented without thought or research. They are the charlatans of the opinion world and are as deadly intellectually to their “flock” as are many evangelistic preachers who spend more time talking about money as they do about God.
Good writers? Bad writers? They are out there in droves. The hard part is figuring out which is which. But you can use the first two steps of Rotary’s Four-Way Test as a good starting point.
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Pedantic
By George Smith
| That’s a word that describes Vice President Mike Pence perfectly and his view of what a Christian should be. Well, that is just one word and one way of looking at America’s No. 2. A couple more would be “punctilious” and even “fussy.” Pence is a walking, talking contradiction: He’s a relatively quiet man who seems content to literally stay in Trump’s shadow, but in an instant he chameleons into a showy, know-it-all when it comes to showcasing his individual brand of Christianity. His personal religious brand is a subdued, mis-directed version of the money-grubbing, televangelists: He doesn’t ask for money, he demands you believe the way he does about religion or your opinion does not count. Pence appears to professes he is at a level of Christian belief that has risen above the fight of good vs. evil we mortals face daily. Yet he gives his unconditional loyalty to a man who is a serial adulterer, an admitted sex addict, an obnoxious, lying bully and who proudly confessed to be an abuser of women. Pence, a self-described “man of God,” puts his pious self forefront on the dais of self-righteouness; he pulpit pounds his beliefs into those that are baptized in the tweeted fire and brimstone of the right-wing doctrine of The Honorable Donald J. Trump. Pence wants folks to think of him as the conscientious adult in the administration. However, his desire is severely compromised by his obsession with pleasing Trump and garnering praises the president’s base (which he idolizes and shares his gilded feelings for his lord and master’s every belittling, demeaning, juvenile, policy-changing, official-firing, economic- or warfare-threatening tweet). Pence’s kowtowing to Trump’s every mind-numbing whim is like a third grader fawning over a charismatic but horribly unprepared teacher. In this case, however, the “teacher” is in the second grade. What is Pence thinking? What keeps him from projective vomiting when he has to smile at Trump’s half-baked edicts and asinine executive orders which have no basis in reality or in the rule of law? Is Pence automatically assuming that when Trump is no longer president, he will be the de facto leader of the Republican Party? If that is his thought process, he is committing political hari kari. Win or lose in 2020, Trump is not going anywhere. If he wins, he will be free to go from half-cocked on issues to three-quarters cocked. And by the end of his second term, voters will be so tired of the vaudevillian horseplay and slapdash policy-making they would assuredly vote for anyone but a Trump accolyte. If Trump loses next year, and that is certainly possible, he will not just ride into the sunset. The taste of enormous power handed to him by virtue of the office he holds has unleashed a Stephen King-caliber monster in this president and he will do whatever takes to stay in power and continue mining the l thought control tunnel he has dug into his base of millions. Mark this down after this November 2020 headline appears: “Trump Loses Re-election Bid Bigly”: As ex-president he will buy a cable channel (DJT-TV) with news by, for, and with Donald J. Trump, 24/7. He will continue to run the Republican Party from outside the party…you know, like he does now. And Pence and Graham and other boot-licking GOPers will have to be content to make appearances on the by-then-almost-defunct Fox News Channel and get one-minute interviews on the Rush Limbaugh Jr. radio show. This era of American politics is not over and it won’t be until the fat man goes toe’s- up. |
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And open letter to my conservative GOP friends and relatives
By George Smith
The conservative political persuasion of 2019 is not the same as it was 40 or so years ago.
In the early ‘70s there was a growing tide of opposition to another president and with many less indictments, guilty pleas and convictions in that administration, that president was forced from office before he was impeached and convicted by a bipartisan Congress.
The majority of congressional leaders from both parties in both houses of government put country first before politics, put the good of the nation before party labels, placed a much higher standard for ethical behavior by government officials than is now being experienced.
Ideology – political and personal — has ramped up since Richard M. Nixon was flat-out told by members of every congressional faction, and especially from his own party members, to resign or be the first president to be impeached, convicted and removed from office. Back in 1973-‘74, our leaders were proud to put country before partisan political thought-speak and election results that too often take a backseat to rule of law.
Plain and simple…those politicians were patriots, not toady posterior kissers looking for a favorable nod from a sycophantic egoist with a style of governing akin to Capt. Bligh barking orders on the best way to herd gerbils.
Back then, unlike now, it was a case of folks with common sense and a love of country selecting justice over personal and party political power.
It’s not too late for those who back President Trump, despite overwhelming evidence of his incompetence in key areas of operating a government in an even-handed, logical factions, taking into account past lessons and future expectations and needs to say “bah-bye” to his amateurish governmental meddling and obsessive need for affirmation from underlings and his unwavering base.
The S.S. Trump is not a ship on which one needs to hang his or her future. That ship is already in troubled and turbulent waters; its hull is ruptured in many places; the engines are stuck on “Full Speed Ahead and Damn the Reef”; its captain Twitter-addled and cannot find his moral or ethical compass he lost decades ago.
,
Your leader does not care about the future of the world, nor of this country’s place in it. “Personal gratification” is the only thing on his to-do list…and his millions of supporters are co-signers on his plans for the future of the United States.
Open letter to my liberal and independent friends, etc.:
This is not the time to gloat or scream to the rooftops, “I TOLD YOU SO!”
Take this time to contemplate what future you believe will best serve your children, grandchildren and future generations and convey those thoughts to those you love and respect turn positive thoughts to social media accounts that promote fairness in thought and words; write to the letters to the editor section of area newspapers.
Despite your personal feelings about the goings-on in government, it’s time for all to put animosity feelings aside and do what is right…for you, your family, friends, county and the world.
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Impermanence-Impermanence
By George Smith
Impermanence.
It’s a word seldom used in situations involving conversations, but one which would give comfort to millions of Americans if they would tie it to specific events in their lives, from societal expectations to mind-numbing relationships to, yes, politics.
I have started mumbling and even doodling this word on occasion when I become despondent about the state of political affairs in the U.S., about the incredible philosophical abyss brought to citizens, courtesy of the candidacy and presidency of Donald J. Trump.
(Don’t hold back, George. Say it straight out!)
The man is a virus that infects the brilliant and the ignorant alike; like an Old Testament preacher breaths fire and brimstone, Trump exhales massive amounts of nonsensical pasture pancakes and it becomes mental manna for millions.
I cannot understand – and probably never will – the Trump attraction to anyone with a college degree or those who has navigated life’s obstacle to become contented and who have at least the basis of independent thought. Trump is selling himself and a special brand of hate and illusions of success and millions are buying his shameful product.
Impermanence.
There is hope out there; at some point the era of Trump will end, but it has to take the form of an uprising of a majority of citizens in key states – young and old, people of color, those who believe that voting does no good because nothing ever changes except the faces – to create the end of the reign of Trump.
Will that end come in less that two years or will the war of wills, the tweetstorms and the battle for ethical souls lasts another five-plus years?
Many are finally seeing that Emperor Trump’s new clothes are see-through and there are many sights that eyes (young, old, one patch (two?), with cataracts or glaucoma) should not see. The president, by any “ohhhh-meter” one can conjure, comes up lacking. Yes, the economy is rocking along nicely, for now, but that is the continuation of the upward trend started in 2009. It is a fact unemployment is low, but it also a fact you will not hear Fox News declare the percentage of white to black/Hispanic workers is unchanged.
Yes, Trump appears to be a rough-and-tumble negotiator (except when negotiating with countries with dictators or despots); his talks with North Korea, Russia and Iran has been abysmal failures.
- North Korea is back to shooting off missiles intended to scare the slapdoodles out of South Korea and U.S. soldiers stationed there.
- Iran, after Trump pulled the nuclear arms treaty against every intelligence agency in the U.S. and by allies, has geared up its dormant nuclear program and must be considered, once again, a nuclear threat.
- Russia holds the best hand in the game, with Trump being his talking hand-puppet. Russia cyber-trolls are messing with elections around the world, from Africa to Venezuela and Trump is saying “Putin assured me he was not interfering in (insert country’s name here).”
It will take two things to change the face and force of the administration in 2020 – a reasonable alternative and an uprising by millions that normally don’t vote.
If the prospect of another four years under this befuddled, addled-brained, abysmal knee-jerk reactionary and self-ordained Christian leader isn’t enough to switch voters to ABT (Anybody But Trump), then there is nothing but continued threats to allies, shrieks of bigotry, blatant misogynistic actions, cyber-bullying and kowtowing to Putin and Company…plus ignoring the sections of the Constitution that deal with separation of powers and obstruction od justice.
If that comes to pass, the United States will get what it deserves.
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Circumference of Me – Chapter 14
14. ‘Tis better to shovel than bail
It is an old axiom, but a business truism just the same, that shit flows, rolls, or bounces downhill, depending on the individual consistency and age of said waste.
It’s a fact of business life: You will have unimaginable and unimaginative chores to do in a corporate environment. There often are tough assignments that nobody wants to do, but almost everybody has to do.
The avalanches of shit you will face in business will be awe-inspiring – or downright scary. Learn to master and manage them, not to be buried by them, and to shovel shit with efficiency and aplomb. Learn to look over and past them to the emergent light on the horizon.
Lesson 1: Accept shoveling shit as a rite of passage. Know that the company CEO was a Supreme Shit Shoveler in his day. Follow his or her example: Do your duty, shovel to the best of your ability, and move on.
Lesson 2: It’s impossible to pick up a turd from the clean end. Grab it with both hands and dispose of it as quickly as possible.
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Circumference of Me – Chapter 13
13. Where’s my ladder?
Ambition is like a ladder. Without two strong sides and rungs arranged at regular intervals, chances of a safe climb are very slim indeed.
Young managers want to scamper up the ambition ladder. The faster the pace, the better they like it. Seasoned managers, either patient and not in an unrealistic hurry to be put in a position that might expose their weaknesses, or who have decided later in their careers to tackle the climb, use each rung as a learning experience to assist them on their vertical climbs in their chosen professions.
Is there one route that is best? To each his own.
But on principle, each rung of a career ascension should be used as an opportunity to learn about your company and yourself.
A career should not be judged by how fast a person gets to a certain position, but what the person brings to the corporate table when placed in a decision-making role.
Whatever your pace, make it your ultimate goal to learn how to manage in a way that realizes the most efficiency and effective benefits for your company.
Find the company that you know is a good fit. Secure the ladder that fits your personality, abilities, and goals.
There’s no elevator to the top of the ladder. It takes hard work and you need to be in shape to climb it.
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Circumference of Me – Chapter 12
12. The mind is a terrible thing in haste
Being able to work quickly can be a big help when that ability is combined with two definite attributes: accuracy and efficiency.
Unfortunately, “quick” and “sloppy” are more apt to be placed together in your personnel file than “quick” and “exceedingly accurate and productive.”
Any employee can be quick. Moving that ability to a high level of competence, thereby increasing the confidence of higher-level managers in your abilities, is a life-long chore.
Honestly, workers who are normally quick and accurate do occasionally turn out some sloppy work.
You know you’ve done it, too: The quickly composed e-mail with an attachment – which was not attached; the report built from a template and the date the report was made was not changed; the expense report with a missing receipt; the e-mail you sent without stopping to check whether it went out to all recipients who should have been included in the information-dissemination chain …
As you enter your chosen profession, work to enhance your skills to be accurate, efficient, and on time before you combine those three with quick.
Refrain from poisoning your corporate profile with a quick response, of which the sole attribute is that you finished it in record time.
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Circumference of Me – Chapter 11
11 Tunnel vision with eyes wide open
Just like the whaler who is so proud of his vigilance for his prey, all the time unaware that he has been plying his trade from atop a humpback, too many managers firmly believe tunnel vision is an admirable trait, useful for every project.
It never has been, is not today, and never will be. Tunnel vision — an accepted way to see projects that must be viewed and worked on with blinders in shower-curtain position — is a specialized tool for a specific job and only should be put into action on special occasions of the short-term variety.
A seldom-recognized trait of great managers is the ability to focus on tasks at hand while at the same time developing the peripheral vision necessary to watch out for unexpected opportunities.
That’s the hard part about being a see-all, do-everything manager: keeping focused on critical, short-term tasks while maintaining the secondary focus required to look around corners, over hillocks, behind obstacles, and past the horizon.
Focus, yet see beyond the obvious.
See unseen opportunities while keeping your focus.
Be able to shift visual and cerebral focus on command, yet never lose sight of the task at hand. It’s a trick that the world’s best have mastered.
It can be a difference maker between being successful today or being successful today and tomorrow.
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