Katherine Jones points us to two gaps in the HR and talent space, via research from Hewitt and the Human Capital Institute.
SWOT that then for an opportunity!
What happens when human values and financial values are seriously misaligned at the operational level? Keysha Cooper once of Washington Mutual reveals all to the New York Times.
“If a loan came from a top loan officer, they didn’t care what the situation was, you had to make that loan work,” she says. “You were like a bad person if you declined a loan.”
One loan file was filled with so many discrepancies that she felt certain it involved mortgage fraud. She turned the loan down, she says, only to be scolded by her supervisor.
“She told me, ‘This broker has closed over $1 million with us and there is no reason you cannot make this loan work,’ ” Ms. Cooper says. “I explained to her the loan was not good at all, but she said I had to sign it.”
The argument did not end there, however. Ms. Cooper says her immediate boss complained to the team manager about the loan rejection and asked that Ms. Cooper be “written up,” with a formal letter of complaint placed in her personnel file.
Ms. Cooper said the team manager told her to “restructure” the loan to make it work. “I said, how can you restructure fraud? This is a fraudulent loan,” she recalls.
We've written before about the links between human and financial values but its interesting to see the contrast recounted first hand given the extreme circumstances.
Miki Saxon tells us that she's no fan of the cult of individual leadership. Likewise we'd also agree with the following when Miki says;
‘Leader’ and ‘leadership’ lost their meaning when the media latched on and started using them as shorthand for what the guy at the front (leader) thinks should be done to move forward (leadership).
(while revelling in the subjectivity of the language around leadership!)
Nick McCormick very kindly sent me a copy of his 'Lead Well and Prosper' book to read and review. Rather than provide a standard review, I thought it would be fun to run the book's chapters through the leadership model we've been exploring recently, just to see if any interesting patterns or emerge.
A breakdown of the 15 chapters and their respective quadrants.
| Self Awareness | Relationships |
| 7 | 4 |
| Culture | Business and Social Systems |
| 1 | 3 |
It is interesting from the table to see the heavy emphasis on self awarness, which to me makes complete sense when Nick said to me
As for the audience, my target is middle management. I believe it can benefit others too. I've heard many comment that it's great for new and aspiring managers. Others have said that it's good for upper management as well. I think the fact that it focuses on the fundamentals does give it broad appeal.
My questions for Nick on the back of this are;
I've included extracts from each of the chapter summaries below to give you more of a flavour and to illustrate why I put each chapter into its respective quadrant.
Self Awareness
Listen
Treat People like Human Beings
Learn
Embrace the Uncomfortable
Clean up Your Own House First
Persist
Do What You Say You'll Do
Relationships
Adopt a Serving Attitude
Teach
Provide Honest and Timely Feedback
Share Information
Systems
Set Goals, Plan, and Execute
Always Follow Up
Plan Your Week
Culture
Do the Right Thing
As the credit crisis takes a turn and people ask (not for the first time!) if we've seen the worst, I was contemplating who to write about for the next leadership post. Henry Paulson, Gordon Brown and Richard Branson all came to mind. Rather than take a shot in the dark and choose someone on a whim, I thought it would be interesting to see what Google's blog search would suggest if I searched for 'leader'[1]. The first result, rather intriguingly turned out to be John McCain, presidential candidate for the 44th President of the United States.
As always, we are taking the top 10 posts from Google blog search to research the post.
A breakdown of the 10 articles from Google blog search and their respective quadrants.
| Self Awareness | Relationships |
| 4 | 1 |
| Culture | Business and Social Systems |
| 3 | 2 |
Given the impending election, much of the commentary is focused on the minutiae of the final few weeks campaigning, McCain's manoeuvrings as a politician and commentary on day to day events. While the outcome of the vote is unknown, the polls currently show Obama holding a steady and significant lead. Against this backdrop, the spread of coverage is similar to that of our piece on Sarah Palin, the only difference being Culture was 2 and Systems was 3.
While we would stick to our earlier thoughts that regardless of the outcome for McCain, the justifications and hindsight shown after the event will take on a very similar tone to those we mentioned when talking about Palin.
We've repeated that table below.
| Self Awareness | Relationships |
| His personality | How he works with people, journalists and other 'players' |
| Culture | Business and Social Systems |
| His values, moral compass and cultural references | Political stance, campaign execution, efficiency of operations |
Over and above the similarities with Palin, it is interesting to explore the self awareness column, if only because it is where McCain scores highest. We've expanded on self awarness before[2] and how its fractal qualities overlap well with developmental approaches such as Maslow and Graves for example. Given that both theories suggest that higher self awareness and self realisation is something to aspire to, it is interesting to read the extracts from the blog posts;
McCain is afraid to stand up to the ugliness and hate that his own campaign is whipping up, terrified that he'll alienate the only group still firmly in his Palin's corner
[McCain] You’ve just been compelled to downplay your attempts to whip up hate and hysteria, either because they clearly aren’t working or because you are uncomfortable with the ugly stain on the body politic that will be your lasting legacy
Mark Salter, wrote [McCain's] memoir, Faith of My Fathers, and in the process hatched the superhero he has been pretending to be throughout his campaign for the presidency
Many are now looking to Senator McCain to see if he can provide strong leadership, sensible policies and commit to the accountability we are seeking. For those of you raising your voices up, it looks like John McCain heard you
Whatever the outcome of the US election, people's perceptions and assessment of McCain's self awareness and his personality raises as many questions as answers. We await the outcome and post election rationale with interest...
The remainder of the note details each of the 10 articles and relevant extracts.
Self Awareness
John McCain continues with his cowardly refusal to stand up to hate... McCain is afraid to stand up to the ugliness and hate that his own campaign is whipping up, terrified that he'll alienate the only group still firmly in his Palin's corner. Which brings us to a poster that was proudly waved during his speech earlier today.
Time for a little reality check, Senator. After a week of desperate-looking mud slinging that made even your own people gag, your opponent is further ahead than at any point in the campaign. More reality… You’ve just been compelled to downplay your attempts to whip up hate and hysteria, either because they clearly aren’t working or because you are uncomfortable with the ugly stain on the body politic that will be your lasting legacy. Or both.
David Kirkpatrick has a piece in The New York Times today about the impact John McCain's five books have had on his self-image and political identity. The McCain we know today, Mr. Kirkpatrick writes, is one that came into existence around 1999, when he and his longtime speechwriter, Mark Salter, wrote his memoir, Faith of My Fathers, and in the process hatched the superhero he has been pretending to be throughout his campaign for the presidency.
We not only want solutions. We want retribution. And many are now looking to Senator McCain to see if he can provide strong leadership, sensible policies and commit to the accountability we are seeking. For those of you raising your voices up, it looks like John McCain heard you.
Relationships
Less than a month after abruptly canceling on the late night host, Republican Presidential nominee Sen. John McCain is ready to make nice with David Letterman. McCain will visit "Late Show with David Letterman" on Thursday, Oct. 16. He'll be joined by musical guest Ne-Yo, who hasn't been endorsed by either major political party. Expect plenty of apologies from the Arizona Senator, who has become a Letterman whipping boy since bailing on a Sept. 24 appearance.
Systems
And so the ever impetuous McCain ignored the tsunami of polls showing that the biggest reason that he is trailing Obama so badly is that the negative campaigning of he and Palin have blown up in their faces. This, of course, is because voters are deeply worried about their own well being and don’t give a hoot about whether Obama knew a one-time radical 10 years ago or supported a controversial community organizing group that McCain himself has embraced.
Senator McCain was unremarkable not only in his lack of expertise on the subject of small business, but in the complete dearth of new ideas he presented. At one point in the roundtable, the chief of a precision machine shop said he was having trouble finding qualified machinists. McCain threw out a tired line: government subsidies for students to attend trade school. When the shop owner respectfully pointed out the systemic nature of the problem—that nobody in this country wants to go to trade school anymore—McCain paused for a moment, then simply reiterated his first suggestion before moving on to the next question.
Culture
Here he is, on Feb. 20, 2006, telling immigration rights activists at a rally in Miami that they "are what makes America special." ACORN co-sponsored the rally, and its volunteers surround McCain, and while there's no evidence that McCain ever formally teamed with the group, the video serves as a reminder that he did not mind being associated with them when the politics of the moment were different.
John McCain was the keynote speaker at a pro-immigration reform rally sponsored by ACORN in 2006. Oh yes, he was. Now, why would a fine, upstanding Senator like John McCain involve himself with a group of, ahem, community organizers like ACORN?
Both John McCain and Sarah Palin have clear ties to the far right John Birch Society organization. McCain used to attend John Birch Society meetings in the Phoenix, Arizona area and is well known to local John Birch Society members in that area's chapter... With their common connections to the John Birch Society, both John McCain and Sarah Palin are exactly the same extremist mindset of this organization which has a history of making up such misleading conspiracy attacks on many moderate political figures ever since it was started by political extremist founder Robert Welch in the 1950's at the height of "Red" scare paranoia.
Footnotes
[1] I suspect the longevity of Google's search results leaves a lot to be desired. Given the huge number of servers google run and the nature of the internet, I suspect results will change from day to day or even more frequently. While this isn't a surprise, it does illustrate the fluid and ever changing nature of the internet.
[2] See a New Model of Leadership and in particular the appendix for more information.
Tarique Ghaffur CBE is a high ranking police officer who has previously been tipped for further promotion. He has been in the headlines recently for his difficult professional relationship with Sir Ian Blair and the fact that he claims to have suffered from racism while serving in the Metropolitain Police Service (MPS). While the MPS have had many problems dealing with race, most famously being found guilty institutional racism, it should be noted that having started to write this piece in late September, it has since transpired that on the 2nd October, Sir Ian resigned his role as Commissioner of the Met.
While Sir Ian's own career is an interesting subject for a future post, let's stay focussed on Tarique Ghaffur.
As always, we are taking the top 10 posts from Google blog search to construct this post.
A breakdown of the 10 articles from Google blog search and their respective quadrants.
| Self Awareness | Relationships |
| 3 | 0 |
| Culture | Business and Social Systems |
| 5 | 2 |
Given the table above, two thoughts come to mind. The first being the emphasis on culture with half of the entries. Considering that Tarique Ghaffur is Asian and the historic role of race within the MPS, this is of no surprise. The second and a little more surprising is that there is nothing in the relationships box. While Tarique's relationship with Ian has been a subtext for recent events, it is telling that none of the posts speak directly to this.
The lack of commentary on relationships is interesting for two reasons. The first and most obvious is the private nature of the interactions between Tarique and his colleagues. Given they have generally taken place inside the MPS, a genuine appreciation of what has transpired is not only difficult, but likely to be a key component of any forthcoming legal action. The second reason and perhaps less apparent is the relative simplicity with which the subtext of the interaction is being discussed. While the interactions have been private, it is interesting to see difficulties cloaked in their claims of racism or a lack of professionalism.
In situations such as this, it is often the unreported and apparently intangible elements of the relationships and people's interactions that lies at the root cause of the difficulties, as opposed to circumstances that appear to be more tangible and objective such as racism, professionalism or appropriate consultations between officers.
What value knowing in advance of any potential challenges in the relationship between Tarique and Ian and being able to adjust accordingly?
We will watch developments with interest, particularly if more information on the type and nature of the interactions becomes apparent.
Each of the 10 posts and relevant extracts follow...
Self Awareness
I am absolutely appalled by the way Tarique Ghaffur has been (allegedly) treated by the Metropolitan Police and by “Sir” Ian Blair (yes, he of Jean-Charles De Menezes; insensitive comments about Holly and Jessica; etc). He should be replaced, not by the usual public school & Oxbridge educated, white, middle-class copper but by someone who knows the patch and commands respect: as well as adding some diversity to the most senior leadership of this country’s police. Who would be the ideal successor to ‘Sir’ Ian Blair? None other than Tarique Ghaffur - he would make a fine, and well deserved, head of the Met.
In a shock announcement yesterday Sir Ian Blair said that the Ugandan-born Assistant Police Commissioner, who is in the middle of taking the Met and Blair to a tribunal over alleged race discrimination, is to take an "authorised leave of absence". Blair was keen to emphasise yesterday that the reason for the gardening leave was not linked to the discrimination claim but rather it was "the way [Ghaffur] has chosen to conduct himself. For example by the manner in which statements were made in his press conference, in conducting a media campaign, both personally and through the advisors and organisations supporting him."
This is more than a simple ex-wife slandering her ex story. Her comments were very reserved and carefully thought out they are also blunt. As the UK’s highest-ranking muslim officer (one btw, who likes to toss out the race card) he should expect close scrutiny. You can bet we will be watching. Is Tarique what he seems; a fast tracking, seemingly competent and loyal officer or a scoundrel?
Business and Social Systems
The country's most senior Asian police officer has lodged a £1.2m claim of racial discrimination against his own force, BBC News understands. Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur lodged the claim against the Metropolitan Police with an employment tribunal on Friday. He claims he was discriminated against on grounds of race, religion and age.
Tarique Ghaffur ‘relieved of duties’ at Scotland Yard - Daily Telegraph. “Tarique Ghaffur, Britain’s most senior Asian police officer, has been relieved of his duty by the Metropolitan Police, the Daily Telegraph can disclose.”
Culture
Tarique Ghaffur, who held the number three position in Scotland Yard was suspended for claiming there was discrimination in the police force.
Today we have the latest BME person in the Met police of massive seniority getting all upset because he thinks he is being discriminated against on a grounds of race, and on a personal basis by Sir ian Blair. Tarique Ghaffur, the person in question, is the Met’s third most senior officer. I find the whole concept of accusing the organisation you work for of racism quite fascinating. I checked out the Equality and Human Rights Commission website and they have a section which explains all about race discrimination, what it is and how it becomes manifest.
Ian Johnston, head of the Police Superintendent’s Association, has been making headlines over the past few days with his admission that the quality of service provided by the police is negligible. Indeed, public confidence in the police is extremely low – not helped by the perception that crime is getting worse or the unnecessary sideshow provided by Sir Ian Blair and Tarique Ghaffur. It is heartening then to see some kind of consensus emerging over the need to modernize, decentralize and make the police force more accountable to the people that they serve.
Given the appalling treatment of Tarique Ghaffur over the past few weeks, and I’ve not known anyone more loyal to the Met Police, I think this (The National Black Police Association is threatening to run a public campaign urging ethnic minorities to boycott the Metropolitan police) is a good move.
An inquiry into allegations of racism in the Metropolitan Police has been ordered by Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson's decision comes after the Met's Black Police Association (Met BPA) announced it would launch an advertising campaign "actively discouraging" young black and Asian people from joining the force. It said that the suspensions of Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur - Britain's most senior Muslim officer - and Commander Ali Dizaei were proof that ethnic minorities are treated unfairly.
The last week has been noteworthy and historic for many reasons, not least the collapse of 158 year old Lehman Brothers. Richard Fuld was Lehman's Chairman and CEO on the day it announced its intention to file for Chapter 11 protection, September 15th.
As before, we're taking the top 10 posts from Google blog search to construct this post. While it is something of a straw poll, we'd hope to find something interesting and noteworthy nevertheless.
A breakdown of the 10 articles from Google blog search and their respective quadrants.
| Self Awareness | Relationships |
| 6 | 0 |
| Culture | Business and Social Systems |
| 1 | 3 |
While it would be presumptious to lay the blame for Lehman's demise at the door of Mr Fuld, it is interesting to see how the commentary on his position and leadership breaks down in the table above. The heavy empahsis on self awareness and systems being somewhat inevitable. People's questioning of Mr Fuld's own character, while acknowledging the role of commercial and legal systems that proved to be as significant as own personality is par for the course for any leader who must balance internal and external influences on their organisation.
The interesting information that arises from the table above is the need to better understand the relationship between Richard himself and the systemic events that enveloped and eventually suffocated his business. Gaining such insight is far easier said than done given the lack of access to the private sphere of people's lives. If one were to speculate however (something not alien to Richard himself), one might be drawn to some choice extracts in the Times.
They called him the Gorilla – the brawler known as the scariest man on Wall Street
In that first fist fight, Mr Fuld was said to have been defending a young cadet who was being taunted by the senior officer
Mr Fuld, who represented the US at squash, claimed to be defending the underdog again when he found himself wrestling with the father of a child playing hockey against his son
Over the past few months he refused to acknowledge that Lehmans was in difficulty – despite frequent warnings from leading analysts. Had he acted sooner, he would have been able to avoid bankruptcy. A series of interested buyers surfaced in recent months, but Mr Fuld would not sell at the prices offered. By the time he appeared to face up to the situation at the end of last week, it was too late: Lehman was past the point of no return.
Based on the information above, questions about his personality, a possible lack of self acceptance and the events of September 15th all remain tantalisingly unanswered.
The remainder of this note details each of the 10 articles and relevant extracts.
Self Awareness
What an American civil war, two world wars and the Great Depression could not do has now been achieved by something called the subprime credit crisis, along with the assistance of an overly deferential corporate governance system that was blind to the risks being faced and a Napoleonesque CEO who could not see the disaster that was looming.
Dick Fuld, who threatened to break the legs of any partner caught shorting Lehman stock – gambling on the value of shares falling – is now just another name on a lengthening list of the “Masters of the Universe”, a phrase made famous by Tom Wolfe in his 1987 novel of Wall Street ambition and greed, The Bonfire of the Vanities, who have crashed to earth.
Oh Dick Fuld, you poor thing. A teeny, tiny sliver of my heart really does go out to Dick. A Wall Street titan and leader of the firm since 1994, Mr. Fuld has seen Lehman through many a storm and proved through this his loyalty and commitment to employees. Yet his pride, assuredness, and some may say, greed, got the best of him. In his quest to write off the inevitable, slowness to shore up his balance sheet with enough capital and what seems an absolute disregard for reality, he drove his coveted firm to where it stands today - bankrupt, trading at 21 cents and making a last ditch effort to have Barclay's buy something, anything, of what is left.
Richard Fuld, a one-time international squash player accustomed to playing the angles, finally found one he couldn’t master. Over 14 years, Fuld, 62, turned a money-losing bond trading shop into a full-service investment bank. He won acclaim from Wall Street leaders such as Lazard Ltd. chief Bruce Wasserstein, who on June 4 called him “very able.” Fuld joined the circle of CEOs sought-after by boards, such as the New York Federal Reserve’s. Fuld ultimately gambled almost four times the firm’s shareholder equity last year on mortgage securities that he insisted were hedged by other bets. “It makes me rather sad to see this organization brought to its knees as the result of what I’ll call a lack of control, poor management of internal risk and ultimate self-interest,” said Walter Gerasimowicz, who worked at Lehman as an investment strategist and now heads Meditron Asset Management in New York.
"Dick went wrong three to four years ago when Lehman bought these assets, now he's paying the price," said Ralph Cole, portfolio manager at Ferguson Wellman Capital Management in Portland, Oregon. "I don't think he knew when he was investing in mortgages where this could lead, and how important confidence is." At key junctures Fuld seems to have played a game of brinksmanship, refusing to accept offers that could have rescued the firm because they didn't reflect the value he saw in the bank.
Fuld, after nearly 30 years at the same firm; after being so intimately tied up in the trees, just couldn't see the forest to save himself, or his employees. "But his failure goes beyond refusing to make a trade that he did not like. Lehman also displayed confusion and ambiguity about how to address the credit crisis...The investment bank suffered from not conveying a clear message either internally or externally," notes the FT. His fall was classic, downright Shakespearean. A tragedy. At least a b-school case study.
Culture
The speculations were going on since about a month. There were talks of possible stake sellout to complete buyout. People were quite optimistic though. It has been two months since I joined Lehman Brothers (India office) and four months since I received my B.Tech degree. I won’t say that the situation here is the first for me alone; it is the first for almost all of us here. When we saw Bear Stearns go down, it was like, “Oh! It’s not good. But we will sail through”. When it has come down to us, I know now how it feels like. It’s not that I am too much worried about a job or anything. A bit alright, but not much. After all, I am a recent college pass-out and that too from Computer Science. I hope to get a new job sooner or later. But still there is a sinking feeling deep down. After all guys, I might not come back to the job tomorrow.
Business and Social Systems
Lehman Brothers’ options ran out late on Sunday after it failed to find a buyer, leaving more than $600bn owed to creditors in the US, Europe and Asia. Thousands of staff at the fourth largest bank on Wall Street face redundancy. The firm was brought to its knees by ill-judged investments in mortgage finance and other real estate. In the third quarter, the business reported losses of $3.9bn after taking huge writedowns on the value of those investments. Last Wednesday, Lehman announced a series of measures to cut its exposure to real estate and raise cash, but Wall Street was not convinced and confidence in the firm evaporated. Its shares had lost almost 95% of their value this year.
The three-legged banking/investment consortium is probably going to be put out of its pain tomorrow. The vulture feeding frenzy is frightening other bloated, lame banking/investment houses which are frantically trying to find bookies who will place bets on them as they limp around the race track. Sorry, guys. It won't turn you all into Secretariats. The rescue operation has failed. The attempt to split Lehman into a good bank/bad bank has failed.
That wider-than-expected loss increases pressure on Lehman to rebuild its crumbling capital base at a time when investors are showing little interest in purchasing mortgage-related assets at anything above fire-sale prices. What’s more, even a day after Lehman shares plunged 45% as talks with potential investor Korea Development Bank collapsed, there are signs that Fuld has yet to recognize the urgency to move now, before any more declines in the company’s share price further reduce its ability to dictate terms of any transaction. Lehman said in a press release Wednesday that it "is in advanced discussions with a number of potential partners" for Neuberger, "and expects to announce the details of the transaction in due course." Lehman’s "promises, promises" approach offers a stark contrast to the path being taken by another struggling brokerage firm, New York rival Merrill Lynch (MER, Fortune 500). Lehman, by contrast, keeps saying it intends on "de-risking" its balance sheet by cutting mortgage exposures, creating a much stronger, if smaller, firm that will emerge next year. Fuld has even branded the recent decline of the company’s shares a "distraction," as if the low market value being accorded Lehman somehow doesn’t carry an important message of its own.
Footnotes
[1] A blogger called Geoffrey spent last Monday and Tuesday (15th and 16th Sept) outside Lehman's offices, asking people for write their comments on Lehman on a portrait of Richard Fuld.
During those sessions I asked people if they worked (or used to work) for LEH. If they said yes, they got a green pen. No--they got a black one.
You can see the finished version here.
[2] I suspect Carl Ichann will likely see recent events as a possible line in the sand for his crusade to up the DNA of American CEO.
The collapse of Fannie, Freddie, Lehman, AIG, Merrill and IndyMac and over a dozen regional banks is emblematic of the era of credit excess on the part of banks and abdication of government oversight in lending standards. We simply cannot afford to allow our businesses to be run by hobbyists who parade around with the trappings of success like country club memberships, fancy limos, corporate jets, 50-yard line seats, skyboxes, golf outings, fishing trips, etc, all at shareholder expense, and pretend that they do a job that they abjectly fail to achieve. The evidence that board members and managers are failing is screaming at us from the front pages of every newspaper and the talking heads on every television show. This must change - and change fast.
As a first post to kick start the leadership experiment and in acknowledgement of the Special Sarah Palin Edition of Dan's Leadership Development Carnival, I thought I'd start with the VP candidate herself.
With good reason, Sarah needs no introduction, so I'll cut straight to the thoughts on leadership.
Table 1 - A breakdown of the 10 articles from Google blog search and their respective quadrants.
| Self Awareness | Relationships |
| 4 | 1 |
| Culture | Business and Social Systems |
| 2 | 3 |
As above, there is a reasonable balance across the 10 articles. Its not much of a surprise that self awareness is the highest scoring with 4, given the current fashion for concentrating on the personalities of politicans over and above their policies i.e. the systems quadrant and the fact that Sarah Palin has had something of a baptism of fire.
The systems quadrant shows 3 articles which is an acknowledgement of some political and policy analysis. Culture has 2 articles but with there being little known about her position and values, this is of no surprise. Finally, the relationships quadrant talks about her relationship with the local librarian as a proxy for a wider political stance.
In light of recent events and that Sarah Palin is something of an unknown quantity, the commentary on her leadership is of little surprise. As the election date moves closer and its outcome becomes a reality, it will be interesting to see if coverage of her changes. Regardless of the outcome, I'd guess that any analysis incorporating hindsight will, in simple terms, look like this.
| Self Awareness | Relationships |
| Her personality | How she works with people, journalists and other 'players' |
| Culture | Business and Social Systems |
| Her values, moral compass and cultural references | Political stance, campaign execution, efficiency of operations |
It will be interesting to revisit these thoughts in the coming months!
The remainder of this note details each of the 10 articles and relevant extracts.
Self Awareness
Blogs About Sarah Palin: Who’s For Her, Who’s Against?
Sarah Palin is the first woman ever to run on the U.S. Republican party presidential ticket... But what are the underlying causes for all the Palin talk? Why the fuss? Is it because blogs may actually be responsible for John McCain’s selection of Palin as his running mate? Is it because Palin came seemingly out of nowhere to get picked ahead of several other contenders?
I haven’t been sitting over here at Chez Coma busting out on Sarah Palin, who I still think has little experience to take on what could be the most important office in recent history. (And, of course, hanging out with carnies and cool people, living my life the way I want to.) No, but I also want to say that that Gov. Palin’s actions aren’t lining up with her words. I realize that every government official gets a per diem. I’ve no problem with that when It’s company business and running a state is a company.
Vandalizing Sarah Palin’s Wikipedia page
William Beutler investigates.
I’m not trying to hate. I don’t know Sarah Palin, so I can’t really dislike her. I mean, they said she was a pitbull, but 2 husbands and my father said tell same of me. (2 were boasting, 1 complaining). I have no beef with women being barracudas and sharks. Its a tough world. But you know, I’m irritated. I dislike being irritated because deep down in my core, I am a peaceloving placid sort of person. Just that my sense of justice and fairness sometimes keep me from being able to sit quietly and enjoy life.
Relationships
The Answer to Sarah Palin’s Rhetorical Question: Book Burning
Sarah Palin’s defense for twice asking the Wasilla City Librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, about removing ‘certain’ books’ from the library was simply this: “It was just a rhetorical question,” the implication being, ”Sweet Lord, no! I would never ask the librarian to burn books!”
Systems
The Sarah Palin Distraction: UPDATED
The point is that Palin, and the circus she’s brought to town, are simply a bountiful collection of small lies deliberately designed to distract the country from one big truth: the havoc that George Bush and the Republican Party have wrought, and that John McCain is committed to continuing.
Watch Out, Russia: Sarah Palin is Coming!
Now that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is running for vice president, and the more accommodating members of the conservative commentariat have moved the goal posts on what constitutes foreign policy experience, it appears that both the Marine and I were unwittingly on the front lines of an epochal geopolitical struggle. I guess the Alaskan-Russian front was more exciting than I remember it being--I mostly recall seeing a lot of whales.
The Truth & Nothing But The Truth About Sarah Palin
I've taken the time to compile some relevant facts that will set the record straight on the governor's positions as well as the motivations for her selection by John McCain. In the interest of efficiency, I've condensed the issues into a list of ten factoids.
Culture
Sarah Palin brings ‘Palin mania’ as McCain woos small town USA
“We went right from the convention to small town USA,” she said. “It’s true that they grow good people, people who are working hard for America. You love your country in good times and bad and you’re always proud to be Americans.” The self-described “hockey mom” wooed her peers, holding up a Detroit Red Wings hockey shirt and describing how her son Track, now a soldier soon to deploy to Iraq, once played for a local team. “Michigan, you took care of my boy and now that boy is serving in the US Army and he’s going to take care of you.”
Republican strategists have made it clear that the GOP's only chance to win is by reframing the election as a battle of images. And right now, Palin is the pinup queen in that war. She's feisty, she's a mom, she's from a frontier state, she guns down wolves from the air, she's a devout Evangelical, she poses as a reformer, and she insults the Washington elites.
We've written a paper outlining a new model of leadership (its currently up as a pdf, but might become a blog post). In brief, the document talks about the importance of context within leadership and in building on the work of Maslow, Graves and Wilber, it is possible to see leadership through four perspectives of;
The paper goes into more detail about each of the themes and offers examples of each. What is also interesting about the model is the ability to apply it to every day situations, giving a sense of a leader's particular strengths and areas for possible development. Going forward, it will be interesting to look at various leaders and see how each of them fares in light of the model.
In terms of putting some practice behind this approach, we're planning on writing up some real world examples of the model and in doing so, the following principles will be applied;
Finally, it is worth pointing out some caveats;
We've just heard from Dan McCarthy that the post 'The war for talent is over and we’ve won!' has been featured in the Leadership Development Carnival. Thanks Dan 🙂
You can find out more about the Carnival and submit a post here.
