The Joy of Shopping

At the half-way point of my 4-week journey, I find myself in Bangkok, Thailand. If you read my previous post on the "Stress of Travel", you know that I was pointedly challenged on this trip to bring home meaningful and substantial souvenirs and gifts for the family. After multiple failed attempts to overcome my shopping "mental block", I found resounding success in the night time street markets of Kuala Lumpur. With the help of our local agent, Ng Kee Oei, and his fine negotiating capabilities, I was able to secure a nice collection of casual shirts for the boys and designer-looking handbags for Shelley.

Then I got stupid....and overconfident. The right course of action at this point would have been to neatly tuck the loot into my checked baggage, make no mention of it to the family, carry on with the business at hand during the rest of my trip and just surprise everyone when I get home. Yep, that would have done just fine - everyone would be happy, and quite surprised to receive something other than airline toiletry kits and coal.

Nope, I wasn't that smart. In retrospect, I'm not sure if I could have really controlled what happened next. I think there is probably a chemical explanation, perhaps it will be explored in Daniel Goleman's next book. Now, when Shelley goes on a shopping spree, she invariably comes home and rethinks her purchasing decisions, experiencing remarkable self-doubt. I think the term for this phenomena is "shoppers remorse".

Conversely, after a long morning run, the endorphins released in my system, give me a euphoric sensation, commonly referred to as a "runners' high". Maybe it was the release of stress and fear of failure - but I returned to my room with an unmistakable "Shoppers' High" that night. I will blame this chemical imbalance for my actions over the subsequent 24 hours.

Mistake #1: Immediately sharing descriptions (and pictures) of the purchased items with my family. Had I just maintained a secret and presented the gifts upon my arrival, everyone would have been happy. By reporting 'in situ', I created the opportunity for increased expectations. Seeing the types of goods available, the family's "wish list" turned into a shopping list.

Mistake #2: Admitting that I enjoyed the shopping experience. I no longer could collect 'hardship points' for subjecting myself to such an arduous and unpleasant experience.

Mistake #3: Actually enjoying the shopping experience. The human brain is a remarkable organ. It works on a complex series of pattern recognitions and electrochemical reactions. Once the pleasure centers in the brain are activated, there is an inherent (and uncontrollable) motivation to replicate the experience. Drug dealers know this "the first hit is free".

Having experienced this "shoppers' high", I undertook the singular mission of replicating the experience. Sitting at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, I research the shopping scene in Bangkok. I discovered that the largest, and most famous, of the markets in Bangkok is the weekend market; Chatuchak Market. Since the market is only open on the weekends and Sunday would be occupied with setting up our trade show booth and meeting with the local agents, I had no choice but to shop immediately upon arrival on Saturday afternoon. At 2pm I arrived at my hotel. So intent on stimulating the pleasure centers in my brain, I skipped my unpacking and set-up ritual altogether. Tossing the bags on the bed, applying a liberal amount of sunscreen to my exposed skin, I rushed out the door to the train station two blocks away.

During the 25 minute ride on the "sky train", I felt my internal anticipation building. Maybe it was the "standing-room only" crowd on the train - all heading to the same destination at the end of the line. As the train slowed approaching Mo Chit station, we passed the market below. It was HUGE! Does anyone really appreciate how big 35 acres really is? No, that wasn't a typo - I was gazing across a 35 acre outdoor shopping bazaar - and with great anticipation.

I scurried off the train amongst the masses, eager to dive headlong into the sea of bargains. As I turned down the first aisle, picking my way through the 15,000 vendors, a familiar feeling overcame me....gone was the happy feeling from serotonin release in the brain's pleasure centers. This place was WAY out of my league. Looking at the wares available for sale, fear engulfed me. None of the clothes seemed big enough to fit anyone in my family, all of the handbags looked cheap and gawdy, the articles morphed before my eyes - nothing would possibly fit in my luggage. The old feelings were coming back. Determined to beat these demons, I pressed on, determined to find that shoppers' high again. I was breaking into a sweat. (OK, maybe I'm being dramatic, I was sweating because it was 90 degrees and humid outside).

After almost two hours, (one of which was devoted to finding my way out of the labyrinth and back to the train station), I found myself carrying 2 t-shirts for the boys, quite certain they would be too big for Timothy and too small for Tyler. Slumping into a seat on the train, I came to grips with what I already knew - I am not, and never will be, a good shopper.

Will New Media change the course of the elections?

General Election, 2008

Tomorrow is election day, and it's what everyone is talking about. This is only the 12th general election held in Malaysia, so it's still a really big deal. Tyreal will not be able to accompany me to Bangkok tomorrow, he will fly out on Sunday instead. Tomorrow, he needs to drive 3 hours to his home town to cast his ballot, then turn around and drive 3 hours back to Kuala Lumpur. All to support the "illusion of democracy" as my dinner companions put it.

Malaysian TV and Radio are state owned. The ruling party decided years ago that it was not in its best interest to allocate air time to opposition parties trying to deliver their manifesto to the masses. According to some people in this city, districts who elect and support opposition candidates suddenly find their government-provided services lacking - or even absent altogether. No wonder the ruling party won over 90% of the Parliament seats in the last election - with a record number of candidates running unopposed.

Some believe that this year's election will be different. What the government in Malaysia can not control is the Internet, blogs, YouTube and SMS messages. Can this make a difference? Perhaps. In 2000, only 15% of Malaysia's 25 million people had Internet access - today, that number is almost 50%! (By comparison, roughly 50% of U.S. households had access in 2000, and 71% have access today.)

So, do Google and YouTube have the power to change the world? Guess we'll have to see.

By the way - how many people were aware that the Malaysian Parliament was dissolved earlier this year, forcing a general election one year ahead of schedule? Who thought the Florida democratic primary in the U.S. would even matter?

The stress of travel

I don't know how to shop really. Sure - I'm plenty good at buying stuff. Shopping is something of a transactional mission - head out with the target item in mind, grab the first one you see, grab a couple of other shiny objects that look like you might need some day, pay for it and get out! Stereotypically, men shop this way.


So, in the midst of a 4-week long trip that takes me to Napa, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jacksonville; I'm feeling a bit of stress. It's not based on figuring out how to pack for multiple climates and still limit my self to no checked baggage. It's not the high level government meetings in Canberra, or my presentations in front of oil and gas executives. It's not even the fact that I'm heading to the airport at home with a ticket to Sydney and a ticket home from Bangkok two weeks later, and nothing figured out in between. Nope - those are all just aspects of business travel, especially when you're trying to link a lot of activities and meetings into a single trip.


No, the stress began as I was saying my good-byes to the kids. "Bring us back something really neat, dad," was the request...and they really meant it. Now, I haven't really been much of an overachiever in terms of bringing back souvenirs for the boys. For international trips, their standard loot is the 'ditty bag' filled with personal care items, ear plugs and sleeping blinds that is issued when you fly in international business class. Conveniently, I receive one on the way out of the U.S. and one on the way home, perfect for the two boys. I think they have run out of creative things to do with foam ear plugs and aren't as into the taste of the generic toothpaste. On a trip to a power plant in West Virginia, I did bring Tyler back a lump of coal. He had been reading the "Magic School Bus" series, one book in the series was a journey through a power plant, showing how coal was converted to electricity...so having an actual piece of coal on his shelf was kinda cool at the time.

But the family was making it quite clear this time that I was not going to get off the hook by bringing home freebies from the airlines or coal. Besides, between Australia, Malaysia and Thailand, there should be some pretty worthy trinkets and gadgets to be had. Problem is: I don't know how to shop for trinkets and gadgets. Have you ever walked into a souvenir shop? I think my brain shifts into shopping overload. Suddenly, everything on the shelf starts to morph...it all starts looking like piles of useless junk...and it all seems to look really, really big - like something I would NEVER fit into my one, already overstuffed carry-on bag.


OK, maybe it's not ALL bad. Shelley's mom is easy to shop for. She collects those little silver spoons (although, after putting up that new bookshelf in her basement last month, I'm not sure where she's keeping her rack of souvenir spoons anymore) Souvenir spoons are universal - and simple. I almost always bring my mother-in-law a new silver spoon....

I've also learned that consistently picking up souvenirs for the mother-in-law while getting nothing for the wife is not particularly good form either.

So, the challenge looms before me - what makes a suitable take-home gift for the wife and kids - I'm open for suggestions. (oh yeah, I did check bags this time - with a small duffel bag with plenty of extra room to bring stuff back.)


I am into the seventh day of my trip, and have actually walked in to several stores with the intention of purchasing souvenirs - but the trinket-shopping paralysis is still there....I wonder if there is medication available for my calamity....or maybe men just can't shop.

Birth of a Political Activist

Tevis.net › At the Kansas Caucuses

After reading Sean's most recent blog, I suddenly feel like I have nothing interesting or amusing to talk about. Funny how your life can seem so interesting and adventurous until you peek over the cubicle and see what the next guy is doing....I really gotta get out more often!

I just started a new book last night - "There's no Such Thing as Public Speaking". So far, it's a really good read focusing on the "physics" of public speaking and the similarities between one-to-one and one-to-many conversations. The basic premise is that there should be no difference between speaking in public and public speaking. Which, not surprisingly, is a simply stated observation made by one of the fifth graders in my son's class last month (refer to my "Signals of Change" entry). I'm pretty sure I'll use this book as a reference in my future presentation skills courses - it covers many of the exact points. More to follow on that - I need to work all the way through it and make sure it doesn't do anything ridiculous like advise you to "imagine that the whole audience is in there underwear" as a tactic for overcoming nerves. I don't know about you, but an audience full of business associates in their skivvies is not an image that conjures up feelings of relaxation! Not sure if you've ever tried that tactic, but I just don't see it working for me.

I - It :: I - You

In the early 90's, Daniel Goleman published the best-selling book "Emotional Intelligence". As an officer in the military, facing frustrations with the limitations of stereotypical military leadership styles and attitudes, reading this book gave me great hope and insight. At least I wasn't the only person that believed that being in touch with human emotions was critical to success - especially in a leadership role. Have you taken an emotional intelligence lately? I did OK on mine - although I obviously have room for improvement in a couple of areas...Goleman's latest book - "Social Intelligence" is equally eye opening. One theme he explores in his latest work is the personal versus impersonal mode of human interaction. He introduces the I-It concept as a common behavior in which we overlook the human aspect of people we meet in certain settings. This is especially prevalent in the medical and service industries. How many times have you treated another person as an "it"? I see it every week when I travel - so many airline employees, from ticket agents to flight attendants, passengers and customers showing utter disregard for the fact that they are interacting with another human being. The alternative approach - the I-You interaction, involves an awareness of the other person, including sensitivity to their emotional state. The I-it is certainly more convenient in many situations, and it requires a whole lot less stress and effort - when I stop at Starbucks, I just want a cup of coffee, I’m usually not prepared to hear the latest emotional ills of my neighborhood barista... But how often do we choose the I-it style when we really don't have to? Try this - next time you're out for a meal at a restaurant and the waiter/waitress refills your water glass, take the time to look them in the eye, smile and extend a warm "thank you". Hold the gaze long enough to measure their reaction. At the same time, assess your own internal reaction to the 2-second gesture - you may be surprised. The brain responds to this sort of social interaction in milliseconds - you'll be amazed at what that 2-second pause will do for you. Invest about 3 minutes in a day, in two-second increments, to these random acts of I-you and let me know how it turns out...

The Blue-Green Message

My favorite Blue Man Group skit is "internet cafe". It's a commentary on today's cyber connected society who stays in touch electronically with people all over the world while failing to acknowledge the human being occupying the seat right next to them. I've taken this philosphy into account when I travel - or even go out in public for that matter. Ever notice the competitive nature in which people board airplanes? I fly a lot (almost every week), and I've taken to people watching and social observation. Observe yourself next time you travel - what do you see? It's amazing how much better the trip can be when you travel compassionately and not competitively. I caught myself a couple of weeks ago:

I travel so much that I even know which 3 or 4 seats I can comfortably occupy on any given aircraft. In a way, I've become a bit of a seat snob - I insist on having a seat where my legs are not bruised by the seat in front of me...I like to have my elbows clear of other peoples' rib cage as well. (Apparently, when airline seats were designed, they chose not to use my frame as the design point.) On a recent flight from Houston to Kansas City I was booked on a Continental Airlines regional jet. Now, on a Continental (or Express Air) regional jet, there are exactly two seats that can reasonably accommodate me - 1A and 12A. My alternate choices are 3B and 12B, with hopes that 3C or 12C are not occupied by a large individual. On this particular flight, I had to fall back to my alternative - 12B. Sitting in the departure gate of the airport, I noticed another man, about my size, preparing to board. I chuckled to myself thinking - "just my luck, he'll be in 12C". As he walked by, I noticed the boarding pass protruding from his shirt pocket - you guessed it - 12C. I immediately was overcome with a burst of negative energy, anticipating a cramped ride with little room to even hold a book open.

That's when I caught myself and decided to take contol of the situation and steer it in a different direction. As we boarded the plane, I settled in and assisted my seat-mate in stowing his bags, with a warm smile and friendly gesture. Rather than comment on the small size of the seats, I focused on the generous amount of leg room we had in the exit row. We struck up a conversation about the books we were reading, consultatative selling and public speaking. It was one of the more pleasant flights I have had in a while. Just to think - it all could have been different, if I chose to maintain the status quo and remain disconnected with the human being sitting next to me....fly compassionately - not competitively.

I really like Blue Man Group, by the way.

Influence without Authority

I remember my first major matrix management project. In 1993, still a Lieutenant in the US Navy, I found myself leading a volunteer effort to design and build a catapult to launch a 450 lb pumpkin. Sponsored by a local radio station in Los Angeles, it really started out as a joke. Listening to the morning show (Kevin & Bean), Scott Wilson & I heard a caller suggest that he could build a catapult to replace the crane that they had used at the annual Oingo Boingo Halloween Concert pumpkin drop. This launched a slew of rebuttals from so-called experts claiming that a pumpkin of that size could not handle the forces required to launch it. Naturally, Scott and I had to perform a couple of quick calculations on our own and decided that it could be done. Not expecting to get through, I picked up the phone to call the radio station - when an intern actually answered the phone, I was shocked..and felt somewhat obligated to go through with it...




The video above includes dubs of some of the radio conversations over the one month period before the event. The video below is a highlight reel just showing the three launches of the catapult:

The Crystal Ball

"Crystal Ball" is actually a software program that is quite useful at analyzing future events. Keep in mind that "useful" does not necessarily mean "accurate". It's actually a statistical and analytics package, using mathematical methods to predict the probability of certain outcomes based on prior system behavior. Getting back to yesterday's conversation - I can't say that I would use a computer program to assess the potential success or failure of a potential candidate, but the underlying methodology is the same. The big question is this: are you an interpolator or an extrapolator?

An Interpolator only predicts future data that is within the bounds of historical observances. For example, if an interpolator were predicting the exact hour of sunrise, he would need observations from the begining of a month and the end of a month to predict the time of sunrise on, say, the 15th of the month. An extrapolator, however, recognizes trends and patterns and makes a few assumptions. So he may observe the time of sunrise on the first few days of the month and, based on this, predict the time of sunrise later in the month. From an uncertainty or "risk" standpoint, the interpolator is more certain of the correct answer.

So, what does this have to do with predicting success of a new leader? The primary data available to assess the future success of a leader is past experiences. The assumption is that the individual will perform under a similar pattern (interpolators can't be bothered assuming improvements or learning on the part of the leader). So, if I can find someone who has performed a similar or identical job function in a similar or identical company with a level of success, it doesn't take much analytical power to predict a high potential for success in the new job. Interpolators look for the "been there, done that" candidate.

Extrapolating, however, takes a bit of work and gets decision-makers a lot more nervous. Just like in statistical modeling and prediction, extrapolating human performance requires a thorough understanding of the inner workings of human motivation and team dynamics. It takes as much intuition as analytics to come up with a reasonable estimate. Going back to yesterday's conversation, this is where the discussion of learning from mistakes versus never making mistakes comes into play. What does the extrapolator use as a modeling assumption? Do you assume that the person has learned a lot from their mistakes and will be effective at avoiding similar mistakes in the future? Do you assume that someone who has made mistakes in the past is more likely to make mistakes in the future? Do you prefer someone who has a seemingly unblemished record, assuming that they are smart enough to never make a major mistake? It's always a lively discussion.

Fill a room with a combination of interpolators and extrapolators, each with a different set of experiences. Have them all interview a candidate for a newly created position in a unique matrix organization (one that has few, if any, direct parallels in peer companies), and sit in the room and listen to the debate about who is the best candidate. You don't need a crystal ball to determine the outcome of that exercise....

Celebrating Failure

Our lunchtime question of the day (Bill Wurtz contributing): which candidate would you hire; (1) the candidate with no business failures listed on her record, only a string of successes, (2) the candidate that has a mixture of failures and successes on his record, but has a good explanation for the external factors that led to the failures, none of which were his own mistakes, or (3) the candidate with a mixture of success and failures, admittedly having made mistakes along the way that contributed to the lack of success? Be careful asking this question in public - it can lead to a long and unfriendly lunch time conversation, depending on the personal experiences of the group. Personally, I think there is a right and a wrong answer on this one, and the answer "it depends" can't be used in this game. Of course, how you rationalize the right and wrong answer depends upon your understanding of human learning, self awareness, integrity and conflict management.

In the Navy, there always seemed to be those "golden boys" - the ones who somehow managed to be assigned to the perennial top-performing organizations. They were leaders in high performing and successful organizations that were high performing and successful before they arrived for their 2-year tour and long after they departed. Then there were others that somehow managed to draw all of the turn-around situations, continuously assigned to organizations with poor performance, with the assignment of turning them around. In which of these two groups would you expect to "learn" more about leadership? As a 12-year member of the latter group, I certainly have a strong opinion on the subject...

Does anyone actually "celebrate" their mistakes? What about "celebrating" their failures? To be sure, let's isolate our discussion of mistakes and failures to those that came out of honest efforts to succeed. Obvious illegal or unethical activities are excluded from this category - that's a different level of learning. Let's assume, for a minute, that after the fact, we are able to analyze and understand the faults in our logic and decision-making that led to the failure. Let's also assume that we have the insight to use this analysis to drive our decision-making in future situations with similar circumstances. We've just accomplished something called "learning" - couldn't this be cause for celebration?

I know, I know...you can learn just as much by making the correct decision the first time, right? Well, think about it...how much time to you spend dissecting the every move when the outcome was a success? I'll bet you do a lot more thorough post-mortem analysis if things did not turn out the way you expected. No one likes to be wrong - and you're much more motivated to prevent this situation in the future.

So, back to our candidates and my pointedly unfair question. Candidate #1 (aka "golden boy") has fewer learning opportunities - or alternatively, is not being forthright about his mis-steps. Not admitting to mistakes rarely works in a corporate setting. Candidate #2 (aka "the blamestormer") has everyone but himself to blame for his mistakes. While uncontrollable circumstances have a lot to do with success, the pattern of placing fault elsewhere can be very disruptive. So, in the absence of any other information - my preference is for candidate #3.


Of course, I would never hire anyone based on what they have already done. A new leader is brought in based on what they are going to do after they arrive. Which leads to the next emotionally debated topice: how do you predict success when choosing the "new guy"???

Boarding School

I have officially graduated from "boarding school". That's the marketing pitch that Southwest Airlines is using for their new and improved boarding process. If you haven't flown Southwest lately, you can see what it's all about by clicking on their "boarding school" page. This can be a good thing or a bad thing or not a thing at all, depending on your point of view. For someone like me, who at 75 inches long can only comfortably fit in one of 6 seats on the plane, it means that I get to reserve my place in line when I check in the day before the flight. Of course, if I fail to check in 24 hours before the flight, or I get stuck behind the folks with connecting flights who got a head start, I have no recourse to make sure I get one of the few seats that is made for someone my size. Not to fear - for an extra $20 above the full fare, I can now buy a "business select" ticket - which guarantees front of line privileges and includes a coupon for a free drink. (too bad I don't drink) Bottom line: I'll probably fly Southwest a little less than before...I actually didn't mind getting to the airport a little early and securing my spot in the front of the line, I met a lot of really fun people along the way....

Of course, I will certainly miss the Southwest flight attendants. What a genuinely fun, unruly and irreverent bunch! Today's crew included Reba and Cosmin based in Birmingham. They tried their best to put on a serious face for the camera, but serious, deadpan flight attendants and Southwest Airlines uniforms just don't seem to go together.

Got a minute?

Does an elevator speech really have anything to do with elevators? How long is an elevator speech supposed to be? How long is a typical elevator ride? Has anyone ever actually had a situation where they had an unexpected opportunity to deliver a short speech to an executive who suddenly stepped into an elevator with them? I know at least one believer - Patrick Kershaw.

On the plane en route to a technology summit at corporate headquarters, I advised Pat that he should have an elevator speech ready to quickly convey the status of his high visibility project - just in case we had a casual encounter with the CEO of our company. Pat had never heard of an elevator speech, so I explained the premise - you step into the elevator on the way to your destination and find yourself eyeball to eyeball with a high level executive in your company (or of a customer's or prospective customer's organization). You have less than a minute to concisely convey your message - whatever it may be - about yourself, your value proposition, your project, whatever.

Later that afternoon, Pat and I were in the elevator at corporate headquarters, on our way to the kick-off session of our conference - and who do you think stepped into the elevator with us? Yep, as if on queue - the CEO....I didn't think that stuff actually happened.

I heard someone last year describe the elevator speech as a 2 minute segment. Have you ever actually timed yourself talking for two minutes? That's really a long time. Have you ever been in an elevator for two minutes? Naturally, empirical data gathering was in order - so I started timing elevator rides. Now, the premise being that the CEO is probably travelling to the top floor of the building, and you've probably boarded at the lobby level. So every time I get in an elevator, I time the non-stop trip from bottom to top. (notice I said "non-stop", when you start adding stops, it's gets too variable, and all those extra people stepping in and out of the elevator really bust the mood) First, I started with the building where I work - SPX Cooling Technologies World Headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. Granted, I wouldn't expect much of a ride to the towering third floor - but I timed it nonetheless - 35 seconds. (I usually take the stairs, which is about a 29 second trip).

So, just to test the outer bounds - my next timed trip was to the observation deck of the world's tallest building - Taipei 101. Thanks to the world's fastest elevator, this trip only took 37 seconds. The next week, I was at the Crystal City Hyatt in Washington D.C. The ride to the 12th floor....37 seconds. I've continued the data gathering for the better part of 6 months - regardless of building size, It always seems to take 35-40 seconds. Perhaps I have uncovered the underlying design criteria for commercial elevators - get to the top in 35 to 40 seconds.

So, I think it's safe to assume that the target time for an elevator speech is 35 seconds. That will pretty much carry you to the top floor in any building. Add some time for Q&A and you can stretch it to a minute. Got a story to tell - I'll give you a minute...

Signals of Change

Have you noticed the growing abyss between the communication standards of the younger generation? (what are they called, generation "Y" ? - Why ask "Y"?) As a father of two young boys, I become more and more aware of this every year. I feel funny trying to relate to them what life was like before the internet and email. ("wow, that was a lonnnng time ago, wasn't it dad!) Online social networking is no longer a curious fad for pubescent teens, it's moving with this generation right into the mainstream. The gap was illustrated graphically for me about a year ago at the SPX Leadership conference. One of the guest speakers polled the audience (a hundred and something corporate executives) to see how many had a "myspace" account. One hand sheepishly went up.

While myspace might not be the preferred gathering space for today's executive, it looks like the corporate world social network sites are popping up like mushrooms! Several years ago, a colleague (and networker extraordinaire), sent me a link to a site called "LinkedIn", an upstart business networking site. Seemed like a bit of a novelty at the time, but I went ahead and registered and basically forgot about it. Today, practically every person on my personal address book is on LinkedIn, and I seem to get invitations to join other networking sites every month. Just like our kids, we grown-ups are finally finding efficient ways to keep up with an ever growing network of social contacts. I love LinkedIn. Especially when I travel (which is almost weekly). Now I can quickly fill in those dead spots on the travel itinerary by having a coffee with an old friend or classmate, some whom I haven't seen in 20 years. Check it out, it's a good thing...

Speaking of generation gaps. During lunch break on Thursday, I had the pleasure of visiting my son's 5th grade gifted education class. I was introducing them to a technique of using storyboards to organize and prepare presentations, papers and speeches. During part of the class, I asked the class to explain the steps that are necessary when preparing a presentation. As I was writing the kids' answers on the whiteboard, an amazingly complete list emerged, including all of the textbook stuff; determine your topic and timeline, research, collect your thoughts, write your presentation, etc. One step that was conspicuously missing (and, from my corporate experience, the very FIRST step most adult students list) was "create visual aids" or "open powerpoint". In years of facilitating corporate communications training courses, this was the first time I had a class that failed to mention visual aids. These kids, by the way, are all proficient at powerpoint - they learn that in 3rd grade.

Puzzled (and pleased) I asked them where this step belongs in the process. Many in the class shot me odd looks, "why do you need visual aids, Mr. Dendy. Doesn't that just detract attention from the speaker. After all, the whole point of doing a presentation is to hear the speaker talk, isn't it?" Being only a week after MLK day, I also got the self-assured response "When Martin Luther King gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech, he didn't need visual aids, did he? What's the point?!"

Oh, to have the enlightened mind of a 5th grader!! I wish I had a video camera with me that day - I would play that video in every "Presentation Skills" workshop that I facilitate. When was the last time you actually sat through a corporate presentation and said "wow, what a dynamic speaker!" ? Presentations have somehow morphed away from being an exercise in interpersonal communication and are becoming a form of entertainment, where the focus is on the media and away from the speaker. In a way, it's easier now for anyone to give a corporate presentation. With such a low standard, the dynamic and talented speakers no longer stand out so much - unless they make a concerted effort to do so. Once again, the challenge remains: "Are YOU smarter than a 5th grader?"

A Lack of Scarcity

"There is always more...that's what more means." - Earl Sinclair (Dinosaurs circa 1992)

You might not remember the short-live TV sitcom "Dinosaurs" (ABC Television 1991-1994). I recall the irreverent manner in which modern American society was satirized by over-sized muppets. Strikingly, the dinosaur society embraced all things irresponsible - conservatism and environmentalism were mocked by the mainstream. In the episode on conservatism, the question was posed about what happens when the society consumes all of a precious resource and there is no more - hence the memorable quote above - a battle cry for consumerism.


Remember how absurd it seemed the first time you were forced to pay 40 cents for a gallon of gas?!?! Of course, that was before my own driving days, but I was old enough to recognize what was going on. Living in Houston Texas, and spending my Sundays watching a football team called the "Oilers", I could not understand how oil and gasoline could suddenly be in short supply! Over the last 30 years, the world has started to realize the finite nature of oil and petro reserves - this doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a solution in sight, but at least we understand that there is NOT "always more".


Much like the 1970's, I sense the dawn of a new reality in the civilized world - one that is even harder to swallow. What if there is not always more water? In 2003, a power utility executive in the Southeast informed me that southeast states such as Florida expected to have extreme water shortages within the next five years - that was five years ago. I wonder if the economics of water will soon follow the economics of gas and oil. (Of course, you may argue that, for the average consumer of bottled drinking water, the economic shift is in place). Go to a gas station, fill up the car with unleaded and buy yourself a cold bottle of water - which was more expensive?


But for the really large consumers of water, the price isn't moving very fast. When other commodity costs shot through the roof (oil, steel, gas), industry responded by finding more efficient alternatives that reduced their consumption of these precious commodities. Even with the epic drought conditions in many parts of the world - the price of water is not tracking with supply - removing the financial incentive to conservation. So, despite the lowering lake and river levels, financially speaking - there is a lack of scarcity.

(On the other hand - Sean Tevis seems to have come up with his own conservation solution.)

The Air Out There

Recently, I had a unique opportunity to participate in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperative Clean Fossil Energy Conference in Xi'an, China. It was my third trip to China in as many months (OK, one of those three was to Taiwan). This was a first hand look at the real world conflict that grips the world's most populous nation - environmental responsibility versus economic development. My myriad of observations and reflections could keep me blogging for weeks, so I'll focus on just a single impact - air quality. Spending time living in both Houston and Los Angeles, I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of pollution, smog, and poor air quality. It just took a single morning's run in the not-so-crisp autumn air of Xi'an to recalibrate my senses. I had previously experienced the smog and haze in Beijing, but this cool October day had a completely different feel - and smell. Distinctive in the air was the odor of burning coal, like at a power plant with no emissions controls. Dr. Ting later explained to me that most houses in this region still use coal heating in their homes, with no pollution control furnaces. The result was a continuous haze and stench over the entire city that never subsided.

The good news is - there are a whole lot of people working towards a solution. While it could take decades or longer for the entire Chinese infrastructure to adopt modern day pollution controls, everyone agrees on the urgency and impact of the issue. I can't say that this 3-day workshop equipped me with any particular insight as to the likelihood of strict environmental controls taking root in China (and other APEC countries), but at least I am satisfied that the problem is well understood and at least something is being done to improve the situation. But when you are dealing with the China-type numbers, you quickly realize that the environmental efforts of rest of the industrialized world could be easily countered by the irresponsibility of a single country. For this reason, we should continue to do whatever we can to help deploy best in class pollution controls in the world's oldest and largest civilization.