Here is my May News & Record Column:

The worst is yet to come.  The television attack advertisements that preceded last Tuesday’s primary were just the mild, opening salvo to a full blown assault on our ability to distinguish reality from out of context distortion and emotional manipulation.   Distasteful, demeaning, and insulting though they may be, attack ads are a fact of political life and will only increase in intensity until they meet their merciful death after the November elections.  In the meantime, here are some ways to neutralize their effect.

Understand when we are being dishonestly manipulated. This is not an easy task for any of us but it’s particularly difficult for new voters.  Regardless of their talents and abilities, they live in a world dominated by social media addiction, sound-bite analysis, and TV laugh track emotional conditioning.  They are bombarded by a proliferation of so called reality TV where “reality” is defined as scheming, lying, and artificiality.  Little wonder they are susceptible to the half-truths and out of context innuendos of many political ads.   

With age comes a mix of cynicism and wisdom. Both are useful when sorting out the components of dishonest political advertisements and helping others do the same.  Sweeping generalizations derived from out of context quotations; snide, harshly phrased accusations; unflattering – sometimes grainy, black and white – photos; and an overall focus on tearing down an opponent as opposed to building up a candidate, are all red flags.

Support candidates with an honest sales pitch.  Classic sales training emphasizes articulating the benefits of your product and backing up these benefits with your product’s good qualities. Selling a candidate to voters is no different.  The focus is on the benefits and qualities of your product or service. Belittling and smearing the competition only results in a loss of credibility, not sales.

Imagine a car manufacturer – say Ford – using political attack ad strategy against a competitor – Toyota.  There would be a rusty, dirty Toyota in the shadows next to a shiny Ford in the sunlight. The Ford would be bigger, surrounded by flowers and the Toyota would be parked in mud. A, hectoring voice would whine, “Toyota – promised to be clean but didn’t deliver!”  There would be a pause and a deeper intimidating voice would slowly repeat the bold letters appearing on the screen: “Toyota – can’t be trusted!”   

There’s a reason successful businesses don’t use attack ad strategies; they just don’t work.  Consumers see right through them and they backfire.  Far better in politics and in business to be straightforward and extol the benefits of your product not the flaws in the competition.  We should support candidates who make an honest appeal for our vote based on what they have to offer, not what they say their opponents don’t have to offer.

Channel your anger.  No one likes to be manipulated and stereotyped by an anonymous advertising agency as a mindless puppet, moved and motivated by the strings of contextual distortion.  Political attack advertisements are demeaning and anyone who doesn’t get angry doesn’t understand what they are trying to do.  There is a cathartic value to just getting mad, but if we add action to the catharsis, we accomplish more.

One way to channel our anger is simply to tell our candidates how we feel and ask them to stop.  That’s hard to do on a national level, but here in Greensboro, Guilford County, and even at the state level, we have much better access to our potential elected officials.  Phone calls, letters, emails, letters to the editor, and face-to-face communication are all options.   

Don’t accept the excuse that it wasn’t the candidate who formulated the attack ad; it was her or his “campaign” that did it. That’s a lame defense.  Candidates who can’t control their campaign strategy probably should not be elected.  

There, of course, is the option of simply not voting for a candidate who persists in attack advertisements but it’s not always that easy. There are cases where both candidates are in the attack mode and it is necessary to select the lesser of two evils. Some voters can also find themselves in a value conflict when a candidate who shares their political philosophy uses an unfair attack strategy. 

  Become familiar with the mute button.  As we get closer to November, keep the remote handy.  It provides a sense of control and you can, more peacefully, bide your time until you can implement your own counterattack using the ballot.

In today’s environment, effective leaders need do much more than the traditional planning, organizing, and controlling of the past.  Here are five things leaders can do to be relevant to the challenges of today’s economic climate.    

1. Brush up on Helping – Lighten up on Controlling.  Helping skills, not controlling skills are the currency of the leadership realm during times of organizational change, uncertainty, and transition. They are not “soft,” or “touchy-feely,” they are “hard.”  It is much easier to be cynical, controlling, and closed than to be open, facilitative, and optimistic.  
2. Re-recruit the workforce.   Survivors of most organizations are angry, depressed, anxious and fearful.  They are not able or willing to take risks or focus on increasing client service.  At the very time organizations need them to be the most creative and energetic; they hunker down in the trenches, absorbed in their own toxic survivor symptoms.  People are not “things” to be added or deleted from the production equation with mathematical sterility.  Managers need to move beyond layoff administration and planning into formulating strategies for layoff recovery. This involves re-recruiting demoralized employees and working to help them overcome debilitating survivor emotions.  
3. Facilitate venting.  This goes against cultural norms found in many organizations that do not tolerate any whining or complaining. The reality is that without the healthy externalization of layoff induced anger, fear, and anxiety, employees will remain crippled by layoff survivor sickness.  The evidence is overwhelming. Employees in most of today’s post layoff organizations suffer some degree of anger, fear, and anxiety; what I call layoff survivor sickness.  Effective leaders need to do two things: learn and practice helping skills, and change their organizational cultures to allow the necessary venting and processing of productivity-hindering emotions
4. Communicate with truth and authenticity.  It is a myth that, in troubled times, managerial communication needs to be clear, planned, objective, and structured.  It is a fallacy that expressing uncertainly, ambiguity, or dealing in feelings and emotions is not useful. Surviving employees are attempting to deal with a toxic brew of productivity hindering emotions and need to feel authorized to talk about them. Employees would much rather have managers tell them that they don’t know something as opposed to having them not say anything or make something up.  rks. 
5. Attract employees by nutritious work. The best strategy for organizational survival in the new reality is to attract employees because of the work. The most talented employees will have options; they will choose their employers because they want to be there, not because they have to be there.  Employees will be loyal to their profession and motivated more by the work itself rather than the organization where they perform that work.  Successful organizations will help employees self-motivate by finding nutritious work and an inner sense of purpose rather than relying on contrived external motivational techniques. 

The difference between those organizations that make it in the new millennium and those that don’t will be leaders with the ability to facilitate transitions:  their own, the organization’s and those of their fellow employees.  What follows are ten very specific and prescriptive activities that will facilitate the development of these essential skills.

• Get involved in the leadership of a volunteer organization.  Pick one that does not receive funding or support from your organization.  Helping manage a volunteer organization is a powerful feedback and developmental experience.  It removes you from your positional power base and allows you to assess your true impact.  It is very different when people don’t have to listen to you or tell you what you want to hear.  Many volunteer organizations are fractionated, political, and made up of conflicting special interest groups,  Yet they have to accomplish something.  What better way to learn how to manage singles interests into the collective good.
• Take evening courses or sign up for special programs that teach helping skills..  The macro-leadership competency of the future will be the ability to help yourself, your organization, and your employees facilitate change and transition.  The so called soft-skills are really the hard-skills, and certainly the relevant skills!  Management will become a helping profession and managers will need the same kind of helping skills as other professionals in the field.  The bad news, at least for the validity of their curricula, is that these kinds of offerings are not often found in business schools.  The good news is that they can be found in other schools and departments such as psychology, sociology, counseling, organization development, and educational psychology.  There are also one-time seminars and special programs put on by universities and consulting organizations.
• Complete a professional 360-degree feedback instrument.  By professional, I mean that you should use an instrument that has a history, validity standards, and norms.  Have the results interpreted by someone trained in helping you understand what it means and dosen’t mean.  Some organizations have their own 360-degree instruments and others use instrument licensed and certified by external vendors.  There are also some excellent external organizations you can hire to administer such instruments. 
• Attend a professional leadership training program.  This type of training is different from a program on marketing, quality, or performance management.  It should focus on intra-personal insight, inter-personal skills, and the systems perspective necessary to develop a culture that leads to organizational learning.  There are some very good in-house programs and many excellent external offerings.
• Find a Truth Teller.  It is particularly important for top managers to cultivate and use truth tellers.  A truth teller is someone in the organization you can rely on to, as is said in baseball “call them they way they see them.”  Truth tellers provide unfiltered feedback.  They have three characteristics: they are tuned in to what is going on at all levels of the organization;  they are secure and have no personal ax to grind; and you trust them.
• Attend Laboratory Training.  These sessions used to be called T-groups. Yes, this is sensitivity training, and yes, it is “feely” – but it probably won’t be “touchy.”  The bottom line is that this kind of laboratory training is a very powerful way to get the depth of feedback that will lead to self-awareness.  It is important to assure yourself that the facilitators are professional and the organization sponsoring the session has a track record with organizational managers.
• Become familiar with the evolving future search technology.  There is a whole new movement out there, using labels such as “future search,” and speaking of “getting the whole system in a room.”  These large system-change processes go for the jugular in stimulating the learning organization.  If you want to jump-start your understanding of learning in the collective, you need to get on the bandwagon;  the technology is growing faster than it can be codified.
• Learn how to have a dialogue.  A dialogue is different from a discussion, an argument, a debate, or a business meeting.  The dialogue process is very important in developing learning organizations and is central to collective learning.  There are seminars and workshops.  You can also find some consultants who can teach you and your organization dialogue skills.
• Get active in your professional association.  Don’t just attend the national meeting – become a worker, serve on committees, pass out the literature, do time in the information booth, set up the chairs!  The higher up you are, the more the value of the grunt work.  It forces you to see an organizational system from a different perspective and helps you rethink your own skills and assumptions as to what constitutes value-added.
• Set up an intensive personal feedback project.  One option involves retaining an  external consultant to nearly overwhelm you with feedback from a wide range of data points.  This is a very powerful process.  You can’t escape valid data, and a skilled consultant will help you understand it and do something about it.

Here is my March News & Record column:

Gays, guns, and god: three alliterative words that are guaranteed to hook our emotions, define our world view, and cause us to draw lines in the sand.  In an election year with a conservatively biased state legislature and a deep rooted, Bible-belted cultural heritage, the lines in North Carolina seem more etched in thick, unyielding Carolina clay than in malleable sand.

We have the unique human ability to both be in the picture while backing away and concurrently seeing ourselves in the picture. If we try, we can learn a lot about ourselves by observing our reaction to others and different ideas. It’s even possible to erase some of the deeply entrenched lines of clay and replace them with more tolerant and respectful lines of sand.  Here’s my take on three current gay, gun, and god issues.   

Gays.  On May 8^th we will have the opportunity to vote on a state “Defense of Marriage Amendment.”   We already have a state law that bans same sex marriage but passing a constitutional amendment will prevent the courts from overruling this law and allow us to join our Southeastern neighbors (Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida) with our very own, prejudicial constitutional ban.

Why would we want to do this?  Neither the existing law, nor the proposed amendment accomplish anything except to legitimize discrimination against a segment of our society.  There is no public danger. It’s not as though gay men and women are out there, going door-to-door, proselytizing, handing out tracts, and attempting to convert their straight neighbors. 

Religious organizations are all over the ballpark in regard to same sex marriage, divided by denomination, sub-denomination, and individual congregation. For those who understand and support the first amendment to the United States Constitution, religious considerations have no place in the logic path that leads to legal deliberation in the first place.

The reality is that gay men and women are individuals, not types, and we have no more right to control, regulate, or judge them than any of our other fellow citizens. There is no moral, ethical, or legal purpose in supporting a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage.  Let’s not do it.

Guns. Al Capone is quoted as saying, “You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.”  Our state legislature – a group with a chronic deficit of kind words – favors Al’s approach.  As of last December it’s legal to carry concealed handguns in our city parks, greenways, and public spaces. 

Our city council does have the authority to override the state law and ban guns in parks with playgrounds, swimming pools and athletic facilities but they can’t seem to get their collective act together and make that happen.  Our police chief supports the ban and who is better qualified to assess the risks and rewards?

We don’t need concealed handguns in our city parks.  They serve no purpose.  Let’s listen to the law enforcement professionals and help our city council muster up the courage to override Al’s henchmen in Raleigh.  

God. In 1924 journalist and social commentator H. L. Mencken coined the term Bible belt to describe a socially conservative, heavily protestant, evangelical Christian cultural region in the southeastern and south-central United States.  Demographically, the Bible belt “R” us!  

Little wonder that we sometimes forget that Christianity is not the only religion, Atheists are entitled to their beliefs, and that we live in a multi-cultural, multi-belief democracy protected by the first amendment and what Thomas Jefferson called a “wall of separation between church and state.”

It is understandable that commissioners in Salisbury have recently vowed to continue praying in “Jesus’ name.”  It’s understandable, but not acceptable.  It’s not only offensive to those religions where Jesus is not a central figure; it’s contrary to the letter and spirit of the law. This does not diminish the centrality of Christ in Christianity; it puts the emphasis where it belongs in the religious context of the church, not in the administration of public office.   

Our reaction to issues concerning gays, guns, and god tells us a great deal about ourselves and our ability to function in a multi-cultural, complex society.  Let’s use our gift for self-analysis to become more tolerant and responsible citizens.

I’ve posted this previously, but it’s worth another look.  I do that because of a recent visit to an organization struggling to recover but caught up in “Kerr’s folly.”  It’s a good team exercise to have a group fill in the list of hopes and rewards.  They are usually quite surprised.

 In 1975 Stephen Kerr wrote an article for the Academy of Management titled “On the Folly of Rewarding A, while Hoping for B.”  It was updated in 1995 and remains a classic.

 When it comes to revitalizing downsized organizations, organizations too often hope for enhanced creativity and innovation while rewarding command and control managerial behavior.  If a person is “commanded” and “controlled” he will shut down, become passively compliant, and never venture outside the box.  This is a current manifestation of Kerr’s “folly.” 

 Here are some others from the 1995 Academy of Management Executive article:

Here is my February News & Record column:          

            Personalization of conflict as in “if you think that way, there’s not just something wrong with your ideas, there’s something wrong with you,” and one dimensional, “I’m right – you’re wrong,” unyielding, take no prisoners argument, seem to be the political and social currency of the realm these days.

            Be it a North Carolina constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the right to carry concealed handguns in our city and state parks, or needing a photo ID to vote, we don’t wont for issues that can form the grist for dysfunctional, divisive polarization.  The pot is further stirred because it is an election year. 

            As supposedly rational Americans, we should be embarrassed by the personal attacks and irrelevant sniping by candidates Romney and Gingrich in the recent Florida “debate.”  Members of the media should be even more embarrassed by the performance of the “moderator,” Wolf Blitzer, who steered the event away from an examination of pertinent national issues into a reality TV-like sideshow.  It may have increased the network’s ratings but it was much more show business than debate.

             Even though Governor Purdue’s withdrawal has complicated matters, this contentious, mean-spirited, environment does not augur well for our forthcoming gubernatorial contest, or for that matter, for this year’s edition of our County Commissioners election.  Something’s wrong.  We need to stop, look at the process, and find a better way. 

            What goes around comes around, and we can go back to the ferment of the 60’s to find a mirror.  In 1966 Steven Stills wrote a song that was performed by Buffalo Springfield called “For What it’s Worth.”  The lyrics will be familiar to anyone who has seen the movie “Forrest Gump” or likes protest music. Here’s a telling excerpt: “There’s battle lines being drawn, nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong.”  Another that fits: “A thousand people in the street, singing songs and carrying signs, mostly saying ‘hurray for our side’.”  The 60’s refrain “Stop children, what’s that sound, everybody look what’s goin’ down,” provides instruction for the political climate of 2012.

            We need to stop personalizing differences, separate people’s ideas from their individual value, and honor the opinions of those who hold a different world view.  It may seem a tall order, but it is the essence of civilized discourse and fundamental to our unifying concept of democracy.

             A simple, but very powerful way to start is to stop putting people down and belittling them for their beliefs.  A familiar example is the disparaging comment, “I live in the real world.” This is usually delivered in a condescending, reproachful, manner during an argument.  What it communicates is that the other person’s world view is “unreal” and they are, therefore, irrelevant.  It is guaranteed to result in defensive resistance and is not a foundation for productive engagement, be the venue Greensboro, Gilford County, North Carolina, or the United States. 

            We need to select public leaders who understand the difference between task oriented, productive conflict, and interpersonally focused, destructive conflict. They must find ways to overcome the current epidemic of destructive conflict and promote healthy dissention. The traditional view that conflict must be avoided is a myth.  Without conflict, groups and organizations drift into what behavioral scientists call “groupthink,” and are more concerned with getting along than rocking the boat, thus, shutting down innovation and risk taking. 

           We need to return to the philosophy of pragmatism that underlies our unique and spectacular American success story.  Pragmatism, like all philosophical concepts can become complex and conceptually fragmented but, reduced to its essence; it liberates us from the tyranny of theory and frees us up to get things done.  The incredible power of our system is that we find ways to not fall on the sword of irreconcilable differences, but have the ability to compromise and accomplish great things. 

            In Still’s prophetic lyrics, we here in Greensboro and in this great nation need to “stop,” hear “that sound,” and “look what’s goin’ down.”  What’s goin’ down is we must stop personalizing conflict and devaluating differences.

            We need to find ways to eliminate the polarizing gridlock caused by our inability to create practical options for compromise.  We need to select leaders who understand the power and promise of pragmatism as articulated by the uniquely American philosophers John Dewy and William James.  The stakes are high and if we don’t stand back, hear that sound, and look what’s goin’ down, our collective future is at risk

I was once asked for three quick, clear, and concise bits of advice for a person who just got word that she or he would be laid off.  I have had another request so here they are again:

 Take a mental and physical time out.  Get away from your desk and your work space.  Do something physical take a walk, do some stretching, go to the gym for an hour.  You need to gain physical and emotional space.

 Bargain.  Take an inventory of your current projects and priorities.  Calmly and objectively meet with your boss and let her or him know how important these tasks are and how qualified you are to do them.  There is no downside but there could be an upside in terms of pushing out your actual termination date, potential consulting work, or working part time.

 Vent.  Keep your emotions in check until the day ends but as soon as it does, find someone to talk to.  You badly need emotional support and the best kind is not someone with gratuitous advice, but simply someone who can engage in empathetic listing. This can be a spouse, a significant other, a friend, or a helping professional.  Given the epidemic of layoffs you can intellectually understand what just happened, but you can’t get through the emotional impact without opening out to someone else.  You don’t need to wallow in it, but you do need to find someone to lean on.  This is something everyone should do.

Here is my January 22nd Greensboro News & Record column:

It’s a long way culturally and historically from nineteenth century Germany to 2012 Greensboro.  However, after reflecting on a recent lunch with our new mayor, Robbie Perkins, I was reminded of the political insight of Otto von Bismarck, First Chancellor of Germany from 1871 to 1890.  He is quoted as saying, “Politics is not a science, as the professors are apt to suppose. It is an art.”  I left that lunch with the impression that our mayor is, indeed, an artist.

His art form is one-on-one relationships.  His technique is what he describes as “touching.”  Only time will tell if his political art will stabilize the political proclivities of his fellow council members or resonate with our citizens.  One thing is certain: Mayor Perkins is very different in style and substance than his predecessor.

Contrasting his approach with that of former Mayor Knight, Perkins indicated that while Knight preferred to conduct the city’s business “inside” formal meetings, he liked to individually “touch” others – including council members – outside the constraints of formal sessions.  By “touch” he means asking their opinions, searching for compromise, and smoothing potentially rough edges. 

Leadership research supports a “touching” style. Open, trusting, one-on-one, relationships between leaders and followers, increase individual motivation and group commitment.  Despite the media’s tendency to glorify charismatic leaders making galvanizing speeches to adoring crowds, the reality is that most effective leadership behavior occurs in the trenches of day-to-day, one-on-one relationships.

If there is a downside to Perkin’s “touching” strategy, it has to do with the notion that strengths over-used become weaknesses.  With 16 years of council experience, he comes across as an articulate, widely networked, and persuasive “toucher.”  It’s impossible to be all things to all people and an overdose of pleasing, touching, and compromising, can result in the perception of being slick, manipulative, and insincere. 

Leadership research also indicates that, despite the positive benefits of strong one-on-one relationships, a potential hazard is the creation of “in-groups” and “out-groups” such as those that contributed to the dysfunctional fragmentation of the past regime.  Although he was a member of one of these groups in the past, Mayor Perkins now seems to be aware of the need to avoid the perception of playing favorites and creating non-productive factions.  He needs to work hard to keep his “touching” non-partisan.

At stake is the ability of the council to, as Perkins advocates, function as a true board of directors.  A well functioning board articulates and assures compliance with a limited number of strategic objectives – Perkins states them as job creation, adequate infrastructure, and increasing the tax base.  Aside from monitoring the performance of the city manager, that’s all they should do.  Uniquely, this council has the additional initial task of hiring their only two employees: the city manager and the city attorney. 

There are three phases to the way a leader begins a new job: a honeymoon stage, a make-or-break stage, and a stage of sustained performance.  Initially, the leader is given much latitude and the benefit of the doubt; the key, make-or-break phase, involves major decisions and leadership processes that either positively or negatively impact performance and follower acceptance for the remainder of his tenure.  With expenses up, tax revenues down, two key hires to be made, and the great Greensboro garbage grope still unresolved, it will be a very short honeymoon phase for our new mayor.

In the finial analysis, the leader we have is the leader we should support.  Mayor Perkins is optimistic and proud of past accomplishments such as helping secure the aquatic center and the revitalization efforts for the High Point Road – Lee Street corridor.  Regardless of whether we voted for him or agree with his style, he seems to be doing a lot of things right.

Hopefully, our new mayor can personally remain, and keep our city council on the high road.  We have too much at stake to have a city council in non-productive conflict with each other and our citizens.  Back to nineteenth century Germany: Otto von Bismarck is also quoted as saying, “The truth is that with a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and when I have to do with a pirate, I try to be a pirate and a half.”  We want our mayor and council members to be gentlewomen and gentlemen; we don’t need any more pirates in Greensboro.  

 Here is my January News & Record Column:

            We’re just one week into 2012 and if the statisticians have it right, many of us have already broken our well intended resolutions.  The primary reason is that most New Year’s vows are negative; we resolve to stop doing things like smoking and over-eating that we find pleasurable even though they’re bad for us.  We increase the odds of compliance when we resolve to start or keep doing things that are positive and enjoyable.

 Greensboro and the Triad Region are great places to live and it’s not too late to make some positive resolutions that will increase our appreciation and enjoyment of our exceptional community and environment. Here are ten suggestions:

1. Resolve to experience our greenway and watershed trail system.  Our city has over 90 miles of trails and paved greenways.  One can walk, run, bike, or stroll in an exceptional environment of peace, solitude, and beauty.  It is an extraordinary asset for a city our size.
2. Visit the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.  Located in downtown Greensboro, the Center & Museum experienced a long and sometimes painful birth but is now fully operational.  A trip to the museum and the Woolworth lunch counter where four A&T freshman sat down to stand up for civil rights is both humbling and inspirational. 
3. Meander through the campuses of our region’s colleges and universities.  We are blessed with many and it’s hard not to live or work close to one.  Stroll the walkways, have coffee in the union, talk to the students.  Students brighten and our community and interacting with them is a sure antidote to pessimism.  
4. Turn off the phony, laugh track manipulated TV sit-coms, get off the couch, and experience live theatre.  Greensboro has an exceptional variety. Examples include the award winning Triad Stage, the venerable Barn Dinner Theatre, the quirkily humorous Broach, the classic Carolina, and the intimate Open Space Café.   
5. Resolve to visit The Greensboro Public Library. There are very good branches, but to get the full effect go to the central library on North Church Street.  You will feel good about the commitment to serve all segments of our community with a variety of programs and services.  You will be impressed by the polite, knowledgeable staff, the modern facility, and you will have the opportunity to learn something new.
6. Stroll down Elm Street on a Friday night.  The best time is in the spring, about twilight, before the colleges go on summer break.  You will experience a sense of pride at the resurgence, ambiance and bustle of this urban area.  You will emerge with increased optimism both about the future of our downtown, and the behavior and prospects of our young adults. 
7. Explore the Natural Science Center of Greensboro.  With so much negative publicity about government mismanagement, this visit will provide an alternative perspective: it’s been a smashing success.  The Center has experienced record attendance, sponsored two highly successful exhibits – “Bodies Revealed” and “Titanic” – and has plans for expansion including a “SciQuarium.”  A visit to the Natural Science Center will result in both an enjoyable educational experience and renewed optimism over public/private cooperation.
8. Check out the changes at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. With a new aquatic center, amphitheatre, and an ACC hall of champions, we’ve moved into the entertainment big leagues.    
9. Spend time at the Greensboro Historical Museum.  The Historical Museum is much more than an air conditioned refuge from the heat of the city’s Fourth of July celebration, although many people discover it that way.  It’s not a musty old museum; it’s a 17,000 square foot gem.  The exhibits are professional, compelling, and of value to anyone interested in the history of our city and region.
10. Resolve to take in a Greensboro Grasshoppers game.  It’s the essence of all that’s great about the minor leagues: sunshine, beer, hotdogs, kids, even dogs that retrieve bats and chase balls.  Above all, it is a community building devise.  People of all ages, occupations, and proclivities come together to have fun and cheer for the team from Greensboro.

Committing to some, if not all, of these resolutions will not only make 2012 more enjoyable, it will increase our civic pride.  Beyond that, it will stimulate a sense of gratitude that we have the opportunity to live here.

Here is my December Greensboro News & Record column:

As we move into 2012 there is a sign that ought to adorn the chambers of our Guilford County Commissioners and our Greensboro City Council. It should, in bold print, display the enduring wisdom of the swamp philosopher Pogo as penned by cartoonist Walt Kelly in 1971: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” 

In our county, Melvin “Skip” Alston will again, by virtue of his self-motivation and the lack of any challenge from his colleagues, remain as chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.  In our city, the newly elected mayor and Councilwoman Trudy Wade are sending a bad signal by repeating the initial dysfunctional days of mayor Knight’s reign by squabbling over who sits in what chair.

Although he now claims to no longer be an “agitator” but sees himself as a budding “mediator,” County Commission Chairman Alston will no doubt continue to support and protect the emissary of his dark side – County Manager Brenda Jones Fox – and obfuscation, intrigue, back room deal making, and veiled communication will continue.  

Commissioner Perkins is not a “fan” of Alston serving four years in a row, Commissioner Gibson thinks he is “a control freak,” and Commissioner Cashion says she doesn’t have time for the job.  Neither they, nor any of the other commissioners, seem to have the energy or backbone or to oppose Alston.

Alston is elected in a “safe” gerrymandered district.  Unless he either decides not to run in 2012 or sets his ego aside and relinquishes the chairman’s role, his spineless colleagues can complain as much as they desire but it won’t help. In our system the commissioners elect their own chair, and unless they muster up the courage to vote him out, nothing will change.

Fox is a long term county employee and was apparently an adequate financial officer but she is a poor leader and an even worse communicator. She lacks credibility with city officials, is seen as Chairman Alston’s puppet, and appears to be feared by her employees.  She should retire and, since she serves at the will of the commissioners, they have the power to make that happen. But, even though they have been publically critical of her, they seem to lack the fortitude to take action.     

City manager Rashad Young’s last day is this coming Friday.  He left after just two years and two months.  He did an outstanding job and didn’t get hooked by the council’s pettiness, even with the politically motivated insult of removing his hand picked city attorney from under his management. 

The city spent a lot of our tax money on a search agent, relocation fees, salary and benefits, and only got slightly more than two years of work out of him. That’s a very bad bargain. Comments by some council members seemed to basically accept the notion that Greensboro was just a stepping stone to a better job and two years tenure was par for the course. That’s wrong.  Most business organizations would see that as a failure and work to discover what could have been done to retain him and spread his recruiting and relocation costs over a longer time frame.

Where is it written that whenever a key city executive needs to be replaced an outside search is the best way to go?  Succession planning and individual development is a better process, rewards internal employee loyalty, and eliminates short term outside mercenaries. 

The council not only neglected to do any succession planning, but appointed Denise Turner Roth, a lightly experienced community affairs manager, as interim city manager.  They compounded the issue by giving her a whopping 30%, $31,000 salary increase.  If they think someone with her limited management experience can do the job, they should hire her and eliminate the cost and delay of a search process.  If not, such an irresponsibly high increase will have created unrealistic expectations and they will be faced with cutting her pay and it is doubtful they will have the will to take it all back.

All citizens of our city and county should heed Pogo, the swamp philosopher’s declaration.  In the final analysis our county commissioners and our city council representatives work for us.  If we don’t help them understand that and occasionally hold their feet to the fire, we too have met the enemy and they are, indeed, us!