In my ongoing effort to remember what I have read, some notes on an excellent, although time-warped, book: Winning Decisions: Getting It Right the First Time; J. Edward Russo, Paul J.H. Schoemaker.
Continue readingWhat exactly does government do? No, this is not the start of a Libertarian rant, this is a question of what are some of the big building blocks of a modern government as it pertains to education. My first pass suggests that there are eight, as listed below. It will be interesting to do some research on each of the blocks in sequence and see if I missed any or included too much in my first pass.
By way of clarity, this is not a discussion about the philosophy of government, the degree the state should interfere in the economy or the affairs of its citizens or the programs it should (not) provide. Also, this focuses exclusively on education although I consider education starting at birth and ending with working. In addition, there is a continuous exit and entry process. A high school student gets their first job or a middle-age person is laid off and returns to school for re-training. To this end, I am proposing that there are 8 core functions or enablers of education:
Each of the above functions transcend the Education government-function and are found more or less through out the rest of government. Conversely, there are functions that are absent or implied in the above list that are more prominent in other areas of government. For example, taxation exists in the Education function, at least in Canada, through property assessments. However, I will de-emphasize this function mostly because other areas of government perform these tasks on behalf of education (e.g. a ministry of finance).
As a straw dog and 50,000-foot view, what do you think? Have I missed a function noting the focus on education or would you remove an element? Next stop on the school bus, curriculum.
Two previous blogs* about the Experience-database (Ex-db) discussed how individuals use this tool to track what they have done to respond to job ads or consulting opportunities. Can the value be increased with the employer being part of the tracking effort? For organizations thinking of implementing a talent management tool, creating an interim one based on this thought-exercise can be a useful proof of concept in understanding what information and processes are useful before buying.
Continue readingDiscusses utilizing the Experience Database (Ex-db) to record and analyze experiences. It guides users on populating four key tables with their information and introduces job application statuses. Users can generate reports to compare their capabilities with job requirements, enhancing their resume and job application process.
Continue readingI am 50-[COUGH] years old meaning that I have been working since the 80’s or about 30+ years. If you are like me, remembering what you had for breakfast is challenging enough as compared to what you were working on years ago.
Continue readingIn a previous blog I introduced the concept of the 4 Cs: Communication, Coordination, Control & Command. These are management and organizational tools to achieve short- and long-term objectives. They also have their own individual costs, benefits and effectiveness. In this thought exercise I want to focus on the impact the above have on organizational trust.
Continue readingIn my ongoing effort to remember what I have read, some notes on Stephen M.R. Covey’s book ‘The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything‘.
Not THAT Stephen Covey but the son who is continuing the family tradition of writing. To be honest, this Covey is a better writer than his dad and the Speed of Trust is a good read. The examples are relevant and his personal experiences applying the concepts makes the book very genuine.
There is a lot to the trust model: Trust Taxes and Dividends, Five Waves (starting with the self), 4 Cores of Credibility and 13 Behaviors, whew!
The good news is that the book can be distilled down to a few key messages:
If you don’t want to read the book but want more details, the following document courtesy of Soundview Executive Book Summaries provides the highlights of the book. A Google search will lead to results and other summaries.
Although I think there are too many moving parts in the model for it to be practical the underlying principles are sound. Trust saves money, generates income, supports efficient and effective people/family/organizations/ societies and quite frankly is always preferable to a non-trusting environment.
The 1 sentence summary: trust greases the wheels of organizations, families and societies; it is a function of Character and Competence ; trust is built up over a lifetime and can be lost in an instant.
I have a very vague recollection that the 4C’s concept was taught to me in my very brief stint in the Canadian Navy by a Chief Warrant Office. Unfortunately, I cannot find anything to collaborate this so I guess I may not owe a debt to that old sea-dog.
Continue readingOn my bike club’s Facebook group a discussion ensued about the merits of allowing e-bikes on club rides. It should be noted that the club is a touring rather than a racing club so speed and winning is not a factor.
Continue readingHere is a hack to save a few minutes of time during your day, use your signature file (particularly in MS Outlook) as a template for emails. Of course MS Outlook has an email template and it can be the basis for very consistent and very sophisticated content – and that is the problem.
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Organizational Biology 