Oil and Water

After 75 days we do not appear to be any closer to “plugging up that hole.” Every day I watch the news and see the live video feed of the oil leak, I feel sick. People who live and work along the Gulf Coast continue to be on pins and needles as they contemplate their future. I heard one resident of the Gulf say “I go to bed every night thinking about what I am going to do if the problem is not resolved soon.”

Recently the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) closed approximately 90 thousand square miles of water from fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. This leak promises to be the greatest U.S. ecological disaster of our lifetime.

What is going on? Why is it that the leak is still spewing out thousands of gallons of oil with no end in sight? I believe it is due to a lack of leadership. When the leak first occurred there should have been a call for “all hands on deck.” We needed to make sure we had the best and brightest minds in the room. We know that did not happen. Nations with experience with major oil spills were rebuffed when they offered their help. The leak continues. The people of the United States of America are looking for leadership in the midst of this crisis.

Here is my idea of how to address the problem and inspire confidence;

Both BP and the government should develop a national communication plan.

• As part of the communication plan, leaders need to outline the current and long-term strategy for addressing the crisis in detail.

• They need to explain to the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the disaster how they are going to be compensated for their losses.

All this seems to be a no brainer, but it seems as though when I listen to the news or read about the catastrophe in the Gulf there is no consistency in the communication.

This calamity must be resolved soon; I hate to think about what another 75 days of leaking oil will have on the Gulf and other waterways. To quote one of the Gulf coast residents “It’s not about the money; it’s about a way of life”.

If you were asked to provide a solution, what would it be?

We...

With the primary elections over, let the mudslinging begin. In an article in the SF Chronicle, Saturday, June 12, 2010, just four days after the election, former California Governor Jerry Brown was said to have compared Meg Whitman, his republican opponent, to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister for Hitler. However, according to Brown’s campaign spokesman, his words were taken out of context. Here is the problem as I see it--with California at 12% unemployment, teachers and policemen being laid off, and cities throughout the country facing tremendous budget shortfalls, we have already begun to see the nasty campaign rhetoric rear its ugly head.

Is this what we have to look forward to over the next few months? While many Americans struggle to make ends meet, it is disheartening to sit on the sidelines and see candidates go after each other like we do not matter.

This is not the time for casting aspersions at one another; it is time for authentic servant leadership. Are we, as Americans, getting what we asked for? Do we demand the best of our leaders? Too often we allow them to make promises on the campaign trail but do not hold them accountable when they do not keep those promises. It should not be a surprise then when they do not live up to their commitments.

I believe we can emerge out of the current economic difficulties, but only if our leadership focuses on working through the issues with mutual goals in mind, and that is to stabilize our economy and create a sustainable job market.

As we move closer to the November elections it is going to be critical that we demand that the candidates stay focused on the issues that matter to most Americans, jobs. We must demand that they bring real solutions to the problems we face. We must not allow them to distract us with name calling and made up accusations.

Currently we are not the UNITED States of America, but are divided on so many issues and ideologies, e.g. illegal immigration, gay marriage, abortion, Republican vs. Democrat, etc. This election must be different if we are to overcome the challenges we face as a nation. Unless we hold our candidates to a higher standard we will continue to elect mediocre, self-serving individuals concerned only with their own agenda. Moreover, we will again be left frustrated and angry at the lack of results. We must demand that our candidates focus on what is good and right for all Americans.

You may have noticed that throughout this post I have used the word we frequently. Why? Because we are all in this together.

A Different Kind of Leadership

With all of the cheating and lying done by Wall Street bankers, investment houses and the lack of integrity by our politicians, the world demands a different type of leader.

Many Americans are frustrated, angry and afraid because of the problems we are facing as a nation: joblessness, healthcare, the debate over global warming, Republicans vs. Democrats…the list can go on and on. Although I hear the word leadership a lot, I see very little evidence of it in the political arena. Special interest groups, lobbyists, and power grabbing politicians seem to rule the day. Many will say that is just the way things are done and it will not change. However, if we are to return to the great nation we once were it is going to take a new kind of leadership.

We need a leader who does not look back and place the blame on someone else, but accepts the challenge in front of him or her and is committed to representing the interests of all people, not just the ones who agree with them. We need a leader who is able to gain consensus by acknowledging different viewpoints and finding common ground to bring about a win-win.

As a national operations leader of an organization of over 1200 employees, it was important that I be open to all points of view. It was amazing how many times great ideas came out of conversations with team members who brought a different perspective to an initiative that I for which I thought I had considered all the angles. In order for this to work, my team had to feel safe to express their opinions without fear of retaliation. As a result we were able to achieve great business success.

We need a new kind of leadership to revive the entrepreneurial spirit that made our nation great. I am not talking about an individual, but leaders at every level of our society, leaders who are willing to stand up and be counted, leaders who are not just thinking about themselves and their place in history, but the good of all people.

Are you willing to stand up and be counted?