Leadership

May 22nd, 2009

I was talking with a friend recently about technologies, such as the Saturn V and the Blackbird, that we can no longer use because all the people who know how to create the technology are dead or retired.

I said “Of course, to believe otherwise would reduce their power”. It is rarely stated openly, and antithetical to what is commonly stated, that people are their most important asset.

This country has an abundance of managers, and far too few leaders. And no current politicians of note come to mind for the second category.

Anyway, here is a treatise on leadership. Rather than people being replaceable, it is all about the people.

The second principle of leadership, is that people are your only resource.

People have tools, techniques, technology, process, and procedure; but as leader, it is the PEOPLE that are YOUR resources. People have tools, you have people.

For you to succeed, for you to accomplish your mission; your people must succeed first.

To succeed, people MUST get these things from a leader:

Loyalty: A leader must be loyal to the bone. Loyalty down, means loyalty up. You support your people, you protect them, you take the heat for them. It’s your responsibility, no matter what.

If you do that, they will support you, and give you everything they have. If you don’t, they won’t. Without loyalty, you have nothing. Without loyalty, you are not a leader.

His third principle is pretty good too. Actually they’re all pretty good, but I’m only going to quote so much.

The third principle, is that it is YOUR responsibility.

Always. You are the leader, it is your responsibility to ensure the success of your mission, the success of your people, and the success of your organization. If your organization is unsuccessful, it is your responsibility.

If you fail in your mission, do not achieve your goals, or your people fail in their tasks, it is your responsibility, and your failure.

If one of your people screws up, it’s your responsibility, and your screwup. They either screwed up because you didn’t lead them properly; or because you allowed them the opportunity to screw up and should not have. In either case, it is a failure of leadership. It is YOUR failure.

If a group you are dependent on screws up, and doesn’t meet your dependency, it is STILL your failure, because you should have had a plan, or a contingency, or some other way to accomplish the mission.

We live in a time when there are few leaders, men with clarity of vision, who put people first, inspire loyalty, take responsibility for their mistakes, and act wisely and decisively.

Perhaps it is a problem of our times. We live in an era that is quick to find fault (some one fell, quick is there a lawyer in the house), quick to shift blame (we even have terms such as “modified limited hangout“), and are adverse to letting people suffer the consequences of their actions (it seems we can’t even let companies go bankrupt now).

When those are the characteristics that succeed, leaders will remain hidden. Not because leadership isn’t needed, but because it isn’t valued.

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Not One Cent

May 17th, 2009

via R S McCain

Not one penny to the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Facebook.

First they supported Chafee.

Then they supported Specter.

Now they support Crist.

I pledge to give no money, no support, no aid, and no help at all to the efforts of the NRSC.

I am tired of the Republican party supporting nominees that are Republican only through accidents of history and geography.

To far too many in power the party is mainly about acquiring and holding power, which Crist would give with his one vote in the senate, and not about principle or policy, where Crist would be right up there with Voinivich, Hagle, and Specter.

On a related note, I was talking with my sister-in-law yesterday about Utah politicians, in particular Orrin Hatch. I find it amazing that Utah voters still think he is there for them. But what can I say, my Dad likes him.

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Gitmo

May 7th, 2009

I think we’ve only begun to see the fecklessness of this administration.

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Why

May 5th, 2009

Obama is privileged enough, and rich enough, to make sure his kids never attend public school. He lives in, and lived in, two of the most corrupt local jurisdictions in America. And as President of the United States he just made the city he lives a little bit worse.

I’d try and say something snarky about doing it to his people, but his “people” are really the union and community organizers. And he did do it for the N.E.A and A.F.T.

Update: Obama has announced that he is rescinding his decision to stop school vouchers for current program participants. It might have been the heat from fellow D.C. blacks. My guess is that it was too much for him to explain to his daughters why two of their classmates wouldn’t be coming back in two years. But then again, he might be counting on Congress to kill it for him.

Nah, that would be too cynical.

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Blame Canada

April 24th, 2009

via Hot Air: House GOP: Napolitano must go

National Post:

Can someone please tell us how U. S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano got her job? She appears to be about as knowledgeable about border issues as a late-night radio call-in yahoo.

In an interview broadcast Monday on the CBC, Ms. Napolitano attempted to justify her call for stricter border security on the premise that “suspected or known terrorists” have entered the U. S. across the Canadian border, including the perpetrators of the 9/11 attack.

All the 9/11 terrorists, of course, entered the United States directly from overseas. The notion that some arrived via Canada is a myth that briefly popped up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and was then quickly debunked.

As a former governor of a border state during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks she should have known this for years. As the current head of the DHS she should really know it without thinking. But it seems par for the course for Obama appointees.

National Post:

Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday said he believed some of the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States from Canada, triggering a new round of frustration and anger among Canadian government officials only days after a similar remark by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Mr. McCain, an Arizona senator who has championed free trade ties with Canada, told Fox News Ms. Napolitano was accurate when she suggested the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington crossed into the U.S. across the Canadian border.

As a senator from a border state (same border state as Napolitano), and national security pretensions, a presidential candidate, and a former officer, he should know this in his sleep. Reminds me of all the good times.

Despite all the wind at their backs the democrats had, and how much Obama is “The One”, he lost because he didn’t deserve to win.

Oh, and he should tell his daughter to get some class and put a sock in it.

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Cops

April 24th, 2009

via Hot Air

This is why I don’t get teary-eyed professing undying devotion to our men in blue. This type of stuff happens way too often. And usually it is just the threat of it. What is amazing about the clip is that, a> he does this to professional journalists, b> he does it in front of witnesses, c> he does it on camera, and d> he doesn’t tear up the tape.

The rest of us don’t have the same protection.

Years ago when I was still going through the trauma of being recently divorced, my ex-wife decided at the beginning of my visitation to take our daughter to her parents house 160 miles and two and a half hours away .

Before showing up I called for a police stand by. Rather than do his job, the cop decided I was an outsider (he told me I shouldn’t be bringing in trouble to their county), and my ex needed protecting (she outwayed him, and almost outweighed me).

As I was leaving with my daughter my ex demanded that I return her to her parents house. I didn’t answer. The cop, and I use the word pejoratively, told me to answer. He was using the un-subtle threat of violence implicit in so many intereractions.

I said that no, I would not bring my daughter back there. By that time I had learned to always carry a notorized copy of our visitation orders. He told my that I would agree to bring her back or he would arrest me.

I told him that I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop him from doing whatever he wants, but I would not agree to bring her back. He didn’t know what to do with that, so he called up his Sergeant. After some discussion he let me go.

Years later I was called up for jury duty on a drug trial. After questioning the first twelve potential jurors the prosecutor and defendant (in pro per), started taking turns using their peremptory challenges. I was about the third person up after the first twelve.

By that time the judge was simply asking us if we had any affirmative answers to the set of questions they asked the first twelve. So I said that I didn’t believe in the drug laws as currently constituted, and told the story of picking up my daughter. With tears in my eyes I didn’t even try to tell about the time a highway patrolman threatened to run me and over.

The prosecutor immediately requested my release for cause. The judge asked me about my opinion on drug laws. I replied that I didn’t have a problem convicting someone for breaking the law, but didn’t feel the law was currently right.

So the prosecutor asked that I be summarily released. The judge reminded her that it wasn’t her turn. So the defendent asked for another juror to be released, and they questioned the next juror. Upon which the prosecutor immediately asked for my release.

Which was funny, because looking around the room I figured I was probably the most conservative person in the room, including the prosecutor, judge, and bailiff. If not the most, easily in the top three.

I can’t say all my experiences with the police have been bad. There was the time a policeman told me to take it slow on my motorcycle, after he asked me where I was going in such a hurry, and I just said L.A. And, there’s my son’s Cub Scout leader, who is the man I thought I would be back when I was young.

But dang, there are just too many cops.

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San Francisco Tea Party

April 15th, 2009
Tea Party Tax Day 2009 - It all started Civic Center Park
There's my son David, happy to be helping out.
One of the always helpful native San Franciscans loudly abusing us.

Melanie Morgan, local radio personality, talks to him.
Two nice ladies that complemented David. Video below
The crowd is starting to gather.

There's City Hall in the background as the crowd gathers.
Had to get her picture. She later spoke when we were in front of Nancy Pelosi's office.
The event organizer, Sally Quinn, speaking to the crowd.

Marching to Nancy Pelosi's office, a block from City Hall.
The crowd was about 500 people.
Melany Morgan speaking to the crowd.

Flags were so abundant it was sometimes hard to get a picture.
Melanie Morgan addressing the crowd.
Closest thing to a Protest Babe I have.

After chanting in front of Nancy Pelosi's office, the crowd decided to go back down to City Hall where there was an (illegal) immigrant rights rally.
Our crowd vastly outnumbered whatever spectators were there.
The rally speakers were'nt sure what to do.

They finally decide to pack it in.
One of their supporters decide to stick around and heckle the crowd.
The cops were going to make sure nobody got on the steps though.

The crowd didn't mind.
Sally Quinn leads us in singing the National Anthem.
There was more singing talent there than I would have given them credit.

1:00 pm. Time to break up.

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Binghampton

April 10th, 2009

At the recent Binghampton shooting the cops waited outside for 45 minutes before going in.

The first 911 calls reporting the shooting came in around 10:30 a.m., officials said Sunday using a revised timeline, but emergency dispatchers had trouble deciphering what was being said in those initial calls and where they were coming from because of the callers’ broken English. Two minutes later, police were dispatched to the association, and they arrived at 10:33, but did not enter because they believed there was no “active gunman” and decided to wait for a SWAT team, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said at the news conference.

But at another point in the news conference, Zikuski said police did not move in because they did not know Wong had already been killed.

I am actually impressed at how quickly they got there. The classic challenge is to call 911, and then call Dominoes, and see which one gets there first. But then the cops blow it by standing around waiting for people to bleed out.

Confederate Yankee:

Why do I have a CCH permit? Because when seconds count, police are just seconds 25 yards and several hours away.

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Stimulus

April 9th, 2009

Some interesting points by Nassim Nicholas Taleb on the economic melt down. Here are a few of his headers:

  • What is fragile should break early while it is still small.
  • No socialization of losses and privatization of gains.
  • People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus.
  • Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence. Governments should never need to “restore confidence”.

Most of which seem to conflict with current government policy. If I was in charge I’d let companies fail and let things settle out in bankruptcy court.

We went into this mess hearing that we were likely to make a profit bailing out these firms. Now the government is putting more money into GM, when we’ve already given them more bailout money than their entire capitalized value, and not letting banks return TARP money because the Treasury doesn’t want to give up control.

One of his points includes this:

Capitalism cannot avoid fads and bubbles: equity bubbles (as in 2000) have proved to be mild; debt bubbles are vicious.

It’s looking more and more like we might have a lost decade, just like the Japanese. They had the last big asset and debt bubble, and tried to prop up asset prices and stimulate their economy out of the recession.

Just like us.

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Piracy

April 9th, 2009

Recently Somali pirates captured an American flagged vessel carrying relief supplies to Kenya. An international fleet has been working to curb the pirates, without a lot a success as the pirates become more sophisticated in their efforts (see here and here).

Tigerhawk asks:

Why has this not happened before? Why were these pirates not deterred by the prospects of a response from the United States Navy (the very first mission of which was to stop piracy from Africa)?

I’ll tell you why.

A) This hasn’t happened before because there aren’t many American flagged ships in that part of the world.
B) They may not have been aware it was a United States flagged ship.
C) If they were aware, they didn’t care because we are using the same feckless rules of engagement against pirates as we are against jihadists.

Captains Journal has a post where it goes over the obvious.

I had a chance to talk extensively with one Marine who had pirates in the sights of his Sasser .50 caliber rifle while on board a CH-53. “Did you take the shot,” I asked him? “No,” he answered. “RoE. Who wants to have lawyers put him in jail when he gets back to the States?”

It concludes:

Piracy exists because we want it to.

Read the whole thing.

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