Archive for September, 2006

When I read that Warren Buffett’s decided to put up $50 million US for the creation of an international nuclear fuel bank where “aspiring powers could turn to for reactor fuel instead of making it their own,” I immediately thought, “Good for him.”

Good for Warren that he’s got the foresight and money to jump start proactive means to ward off nuclear-weapon development. Good for Warren that he thinks so much of mankind that he’s taking his capitalism rewards and attempting to do some good.

At the same time, I’m continually asking myself, why nuclear? What has taken mankind so long to figure out how to harness the sun, the wind, the rain in ways that would make the world less reliant on grids and more reliant on the world around us?

I guess my beef is that we’ve done so much technologically, and yet we’re still driving cars and still relying on coal, oil and nuclear power.

It’s not to say that nuclear power is unsafe or that I have any misgivings about the technology. Michael Wallace, the President of Constellation Energy, one of the largest firms managing nuclear power plants in the world, once outlined to me how safe the technology has been.

That his firm is looking to place power plants in Florida due to an enormous need for power and few alternatives given the growing population. A nuclear reactor can withstand a class 5 hurricane in it’s design…as long as a barge does not slam through a retaining wall letting in billions of gallons of water like New Orleans. Globally the world is moving to nuclear power and history has shown that nuclear plants don’t fail in reality to the degree the public perceives.

Again, the WOW is that there “is ALWAYS a solution” and that there “more than one RIGHT solution.” In this case at least someone’s thinking.

NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/world/20nukes.html

or read it here…

$50 Million Offer Aims at Curbing Efforts to Make Nuclear Fuel

By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: September 20, 2006

VIENNA, Sept. 19 — Warren E. Buffett, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, pledged $50 million on Tuesday to help set up an international nuclear fuel bank that aspiring powers could turn to for reactor fuel instead of making it on their own.

Mr. Buffett’s aim is to curb the risks of nuclear proliferation by providing an alternative to the kind of indigenous production of nuclear fuel that Iran is embarking upon, and that countries like Argentina, Australia and South Africa have recently announced plans to pursue.

Nuclear experts say indigenous production carries with it the risk of military diversion for nuclear arms, and that the risk is rising as a growing number of countries around the world embrace atomic power or plan to expand their nuclear programs.

“This pledge is an investment in a safer world,” Mr. Buffett said in a statement.

“The concept of a backup fuel reserve has been discussed for many years,” he said. “Its creation is inherently a governmental responsibility, but I hope that this pledge of funds will support governments in taking action to get this concept off the ground.”

His pledge came at an international conference here in Vienna where nations are exploring how to create multinational fuel banks as a way to aid nuclear development while avoiding new risks.

Multinational banks and plants are seen as having a security advantage because member states can watch one another to prevent weapon diversions.

Mr. Buffett’s pledge is meant to jump-start the creation of a reserve fuel bank run by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the global nuclear watchdog based in Vienna. He made it through the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a private group in Washington that he advises.

Sam Nunn, a former Democratic senator from Georgia and the group’s chief executive, announced the $50 million pledge here, calling it a crucial step toward a new order that enhances peaceful aspects of atomic energy. “We are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe,” he said, “and, at this moment, the outcome is unclear.”

Mr. Nunn said a country’s decision to import fuel, rather than make it indigenously, could pivot on whether the country can be guaranteed an assured supply.

“We believe that such a mechanism can be achieved,” he said, “and that we must take urgent, practical steps to do so.”

Mr. Buffett’s pledge is contingent on two years of developments in which the nuclear agency moves to establish the fuel bank and one or more countries contribute an added $100 million or an equivalent amount in reactor fuel.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the international atomic agency, said Mr. Buffett’s pledge “will provide urgent impetus to our efforts to establish mechanisms for nondiscriminatory, nonpolitical assurances of supply of fuel for nuclear power plants.”

Laura Holgate, a vice president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, said $150 million in fuel would represent less than 1 percent of that used globally each year, and would be enough to fuel a typical power reactor.

One of today’s interviews with an executive was interesting in that his firm’s entire business model revolves around catering to the Japanese traveler.

Here are a few things I learned.

1. There is a cultural tradition that when someone travels they are obligated to bring back gifts for their friends, coworkers, and family. Typically the gifts are the equivalent of what they were given from the other person’s last trip.

2. The Japanese don’t spend more on travel than Americans. They spend differently. Americans are big on hotels and meals while the Japanese spend less on hotels and don’t mind a buffet. They also stay shorter stays to make up for the difference in what they purchase. This means a 10-day 4 or 5-star hotel would translate to a 3 to 4-star hotel for only 4 days. The additional money goes to purchasing.

3. A Japanese woman will spend very little on clothing, and yet her handbag will be top of the line. Shoes are also not very highly rated. Think handbag and watches and you’re now talking style and class.

4. With a wide brush stroke, the average Japanese foot is wider than a typical American’s, and therefore, most high-end shoes don’t fit well. Companies like Ferragamo do cater to this market better than others.

5. Purchasing clothing tends to be more difficult for woman due to their petite size: another reason that clothing is lower down on the status list.

6. Lastly, the reason that Japanese travelers are considered big spenders is that the typical luxury item is much more expensive in Japan than around the world. For example, a Coach bag at $300 in the states may cost $480 in Japan. For this reason, they save to spend when on the road.

Some tidbits about a culture that may come in handy.

Our local paper did a segment on airline security and how companies that used to ship frozen products on airlines have had to make changes. One solution that caught my eye is the use of frozen peas, or any frozen produce for that matter, as a supplement to gel packs for packaging.

The frozen foods maintain their temperature long enough for products to make it to their destinations.

NPR Website Segment on Company

Business Finds New Way to Chill Carry-On Lobster

All Things Considered, August 24, 2006 • Because of the ban on liquids aboard planes, Clearwater Seafoods, which sells lobsters in the Nova Scotia airport, had to find a substitute for the ice packs it uses to keep carry-on lobster cold during flights. The general manager of the lobster division, Tony Jabbour, says that the company went a week with no sales before finding the perfect solution: frozen vegetables.”

Clearwater Seafood in Nova Scotia noticed an immediate drop in their retail business until they discovered peas. Given that they only sell $4 million US in retail sales, the company looked for solutions and then asked the transportation authority if peas would be OK for packaging.

With over $315 million in revenue, the $4 million does add to the bottom line. Using peas, carrots and cauliflower customers are now bringing home the lobster.

There is ALWAYS a solution!

An aside: Omaha Steaks has not lost a beat, selling $410 million US in revenue last year due to steaks staying frozen for longer periods of time.

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Click to NPR’s Website to listen to an audio recording of the management’s story and the TSA. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5705299

If you’ve heard me speak recentl,y I’ve touched on the social networking and my love for products such as Facebook.com.

It’s a site designed by Mark Zuckerberg while attending Harvard as a tool to rate other co-eds. After being called to the Dean’s office about his conduct, Mark converted the site to tool for which students, anyone with a .edu address, can connect with other students. What makes the site cool is that everything is linked. When you type in your interests, every word is a networking tool in that it connects your interests with those on your campus, and if you wish any .edu in the world.

So, say you’re taking an organic chemistry class and its 2:00 AM. You’re lost. Jump on facebook.com, and you’ll find that out of the 375 students in the class, three live in your building and one on your floor. And you didn’t know it! Next thing you’re pounding on Kevin’s door looking for answers.

On Facebook, everything is connected and all digitally. As a professor at NYU, I’ve even got a page.

Tripmates.com is trying to do the same with those who travel: trying to give connections to those who live in an area or travel to locations around the globe, thus enabling better decision making. Want to go to Barcelona? Maria lives there and would be willing to give some pointers. Yoko has visited twice and has posted recommended night life and inexpensive hotels. The value here is that you’re getting a visitor’s perspective and one where you can immediately connect to Yoko or anyone else for that matter.

First impressions are that the site’s going to need the viral marketing component of the net to really take off. Second, will those on the site keep it current, add new and interesting tidbits, and create connections more than just information. Right now I’m not so sure.

The challenge with Social Networking is that sites intent on connecting people must do it in a way that facilitates connections. Plaxo.com or Linkedin.com in the business sector has not taken off—in my opinion, because what’s happening is everyone wants something from someone. They want to sell to you.

Tripmates does have the flavor of making the connection, however, Facebook is purely a way to get connected.

While in Chicago I mentioned to a room full of student interns I was on Facebook.com and in unison they all turned to their keyboards and looked me up. They then pinged me. A form of hi, and nothing else. Then linked to me. No sale here. Just connections.

A simple little phrase that can change your life.

Often I wonder how people feel when they say they are trapped, stuck or just plain old tired of what’s going on in their lives.

Some tell me that their lives are part of a universal plan: that what happens is their destiny. I’d like to believe we’ve got a little more control. Otherwise, why even try at anything new if the outcome is predestined?

Some don’t know how to stop what’s going on. Their lives are controlled by others or their own self-defeating thoughts and tendencies. They unconsciously succumb to habits creating “todays” that imitate “yesterdays.” To some degree, they are pushed around by life.

The answer to carving out a life that you like and abandoning the eternal rut is to start talking to yourself, saying, “I’ve got choices….”

Let’s take dieting, for example. American waistlines are about as large as the clowns we once laughed at when the traveling circus came to town. Marketing has convinced consumers that if they spend on a weight-loss program, they will lose the extra weight and life will get back to “normal.”

My experience is that people who use the weight programs often find themselves right back to where they started before the plan. This is especially true when they partake of controlled eating plans where they’re paying for pre-packaged meals.

Although some people find success with these types of programs, typically the majority don’t. The problem is someone else is making the decisions and very little teaches the buyer to eat in a way on their own that extends the successful weight management plan.

Here’s the twist, consider that every time you go to the refrigerator you’ve got choices. You can take the carrots or the pie. One choice can make your day. You can opt for some chicken as a strong protein or load up on carbohydrates. You can take the choice not to have that second serving or when you purchase groceries to make the choice not to bring the food into your kitchen and your life.

You’ve always got choices. Some you may not like, however, you did have the choice.

The same holds true in business. Everyday you’ve got choices. Choices to put in a full day or choices to sit at your desk a full day and surf the net. Choices to speak up or not to speak up.

During an interview with a client, the client complained to me that in the final stages of a multi-million dollar deal, he and some other staff members blew the sale. They lost the deal, because when he brought in tech experts to help make the sale, the tech experts lacked presentation skills, and when they were put in the hot seat, were unable to satisfy the potential buyers’ questions. Instead of one person being the spokesperson, our client let the tech people speak directly to the buyers. They knew their stuff but could not get past their presentation-skills limitations. Several times the client said he thought to himself, “I should jump in and clarify the comments in ‘SALE EASE.’” Instead of doing so to make the information useful, he CHOSE not to do it.

The result was he lost the business. He had a choice to speak up, and he didn’t.

I know that you can easily pick a dozen times during a day that you had choices that may have been significant, ranging from speaking up to leaving work on time to be home for a family dinner. Review your day to see where you could have made better decisions. This will help you in the future when faced with the same or similar choices.

We’ve all got choices…Make them count.

Imagine for one minute your accounting department no longer had computers and that your entire department was forced to revert to a manual system once again. Now picture how many people you would need to do the work.

Upon posing this question to a group, one individual told me that they would need at least 4000 people, up from their current staffing of about 1000. A small business with two people might need 8 to do the same job, and I would bet you not at the same speed or accuracy.

Now think about the claim that outsourcing or offshoring has stolen American jobs. Consider the above staffing needs and then consider what proportion of job elimination is technological-advancement related and what involved moving one job to another country.

The realization should be that we lose more jobs to productivity gains than we do to any other condition.

Is this a bad thing? No. The reason is that it’s anticipated that within 10 years, an enormous amount of Americans will retire for one reason or another, and the best offense is to be prepared utilizing technology to leverage the workforce.

Besides, employers are having trouble finding qualified employees anyway. Just today in our local paper, the Post Standard, Charley Hannagan a staff writer quoted the President of Plainville Farms as having to take 10 applicants to find four to hire and only one will work out long term.

That’s sad.

On a global competitive scale, it’s pathetic. Consider that for every one job in a call center in India, there are 1000 applicants! It means that the one person you hire will work as hard as they can to keep the job realizing they’ve got 999 others to fill their shoes. ..and there are not 999 other employers looking for workers.

As founder of a 36 year old business, Bruce Harris had been attached to the name Conferon Global Services. This, after all, was the name he had created years ago and had marketed relentlessly to become one of the most influential companies in the meetings industry.

That was about to change.

A newly hired CEO, Ed Sharter believed the name should be changed in order to help the market understand their services better. With over $80 million US in revenue, changing a name is always a risk, and Bruce had some reservations.

On the day of the announcement, Bruce told a wonderful story that helped everyone, including myself, see a different picture of the name change. I thought it was perfect and I hope you do, too.

Over the past few months, Bruce’s daughter had been visiting with her parents and at one point mentioned that, due to her upcoming wedding, she no longer would carry the “Harris” surname; this concept was a little upsetting to her. I can imagine that for many brides to be, this can be an odd concept to swallow.

In this case Bruce realized that his daughter’s name change was not about loss, but about what she would gain. A new name. One that, if all goes well, will set the stage for a new period in her life. One where she will find happiness with another individual. Raise a family. Purchase a home. Watch their kids grow.

To Bruce, this realization was liberating as he too now viewed his corporate identity as the next step in it’s life’s progression.

All of us in the audience “got it,” also. Quite a refreshing look at change.

Maybe you’d think differently about this scenario, however, I think not.

History:

For years, every 4-5 months, I’d have a problem with my web hosting company Advanced Internet Technologies as emails would not pass through their system into our mailbox at Earthlink. No biggie. For years they would fix a simple file, and the emails would flow out like a spigot turned on full blast.

My email box would fill up at lightning speed in real time, while they were on the phone.

The other scenario has been that at times the IP address and Earthlink break down. They won’t ‘talk’ to one another. AIT then calls Earthlink and the problem is repaired. Often this may happen for a whole block of AIT customers.

TODAY:

This time I called it was different. I was told by AIT that Earthlink wants all their customers to call them directly. Mind you AIT has hundreds of thousands of websites, and therefore, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of aliases.

Some Earthlink manager made the decision that it would be more efficient if each customer called them directly to repair the problem.

On my first attempt, the customer service person had no clue about the issue and started to blame me for the problem, saying that they do not support my email software…which has nothing to do with my receiving emails!

After requesting to speak with someone in management, which took 8 minutes of transfer, the manager checked the IP address and commented that they were “having technical difficulties,” and that he, “would call me back in 15 minutes.”

The wait was over 57 minutes and no return call. Yes, I expected this.

My next call to Earthlink consisted of a 9-minute hold and a review of the situation with a customer service person who would not hand me off to a manager until she knew the totality of the issue. Twelve minutes later I’m still on hold.

Concept:

When management makes poor strategic decisions, everyone suffers.

Consider this: management has options. They could have fixed the challenge as in the past. They could have notified the clients with issues and been PREactive. But no, they decided to put the issue in the hands of the customer who’s now upset that they’ve not been getting their emails AND they now have to talk to a behemoth organization to solve the problem.

The trouble is the organization is not prepared. They did not implement tools that would guarantee that every single AIT/Earthlink client’s case would be noted so that customer service would know how to fix the issue.

In our case we’ve had 3 front line people, 3 managers and then tech support from Earthlink working on the issue, one case at a time. Now multiply this by 10,000 and you can see the waste of talent. You might also hear the frustration within the walls of Earthlink as they’ve made a strategic blunder.

When you’re about to make decisions, always consider the bigger picture. Consider that most challenges with retention, motivation, personnel, don’t come from the employee making judgment errors. It’s from management putting in place decisions that impact the organization in a negative light. Then the employees become the brunt of the challenge while the manager who’s made the decision lives in their ivory tower.

Take the time to THINK things through.

Oh, by the way, I’m still on hold……