November 7th, 2009
Promising news this week that the US is out of recession, manufacturing output is on the rise and durable goods orders were up in October 2009 was contradicted by unemployment climbing above 10% for the first time since 1983. Indeed, unemployment slowed to one-sixth the rate of January 2009 and looks like it is heading in the direction of jobs growth in early 2010.
How employment expands is really what matters. As several stimulus attempts that worked reach an end or are already over, the US government and states should do more of those things that created good jobs, especially in 21st Century, energy- and planet-saving manufacturing. The future of US economic and jobs recovery lies, in part, in manufacturing. At a time when the rules are being re-written, so can the industries that emerge. America must move from 70% of its economy driven by consumption and retail to high-demand goods that will be bought by domestic and foreign consumers and their governments.
The US government and the states have an opportunity to show leadership by choosing where to invest in manufacturing stimulus. Cash For Clunkers worked. So do more of that. Stimulate purchases of energy efficient large appliances - I’ve read where that is in the works but have seen nothing. The stimulus around energy efficiency in buildings - municipal, state and private should find a way to grow - it means jobs and lower energy costs for cash-strapped cities, towns and states. But look outside our borders.
The Chinese are pumping billions into rail transportation - compete for that market. The Scandinavians are investing in alternative fuels and geothermal technologies to heat homes and buildings. The Indians are seeking ways to improve housing for its underemployed hundreds of millions. These are but three areas where manufacturers and the public sector should collaborate to manufacture things others will buy. The weak dollar is an asset in late 2009 that can be exploited by selling US goods competitively on global markets if America is agile enough.
Investment in small enterprises as well in those “too big to fail” is necessary with an outward view of the world while the US continues to stimulate the kind of consumption that puts people to work, reduces energy consumption and aids in lowering personal and public debt.
Tags: leadership, recession, Stimulus, strategic, Workforce Development
Posted in Resilience and Recovery | No Comments »
October 31st, 2009
In talking with a number of top-flight fund raising pros in recent weeks, I’ve heard some strategic ways to adapt to these unprecedented times.
Awareness is high of the increased need of those most vulnerable among those who give and care. Demand for services to help those who’ve lost their jobs is a reality and a solid platform on which to appeal for support. For those in the human services business, making the case is the easy part.
Rational non-profit leaders understand that confidence and giving are down. For fund raisers it means setting and insisting on reasonable goals and sharpening the brand and promise of what a donation will deliver in these times. Platitudes about excellence and high quality are not meaningful right now. What the dollar will do in plain language is what is what is needed. Donors want to know that their gift will make a difference today for a person in need.
One other comment I have heard repeatedly is how the wealthy have suffered along with the middle class and the poor. People with means have watched money vanish, participated in laying off workers, closed businesses and worry along with the rest of us about the future. That uncertainty and worry is a good thing. It decreases arrogance and helps in any discussion of helping people through hard times. For fund raisers, it is important to acknowledge the need and uncertainty of these times and appeal to the sense that we are all in this together.
One last thing I am hearing is how “gala” event fund raising may be a poor tactic right now. The haves are not all that excited about celebrating their success in public and sponsors are looking at every expense through the lens of what is core to their business and what is not. Sponsoring tables or holes at a golf tournament are extras in these times but business owners feel bad about saying no. Events should be simple, not ostentatious and fun in a modest way. Events should bring constituents together in a thoughtful, cautious way.
Tags: events, fund raising, recession, strategic
Posted in Fund Raising, Resilience and Recovery | No Comments »
September 26th, 2009
It really made me think. About leadership. About group dynamics. About myself. About the arc of everyone’s lives.
The two-day Leadership MetroWest Academy that began with a two-day retreat this past week was, for me, extraordinary. The process made me feel like I’d known for a long time the 25 strangers that gathered for coffee or cranberry juice on Thursday morning at the Garden In The Woods.
Each person shared a five minute snapshot of their life stories, made us laugh or cry or think. They generously told stories of love and loss, triumph and defeat. It’s humbling to ponder that the stories they told were only snippets of the fuller arc of their lives and labors.
We tackled group projects that on their face were silly but quickly became the most important thing in the world. The projects made us think about how we fit in and how we lead. Winning became important but only for a moment when what was really important was how each person’s gifts can be used toward accomplishment and how we can lead, follow or contribute.
As a consultant, I admire the exercises for what they were and what they were not. They were not lectures. They were well-paced - never boring, rarely rushed. They were interactive - group members had ample opportunity to speak and be heard. Just right.
I cannot wait for the October 2009 breakfast and meeting. I wil add more as thoughts on the Leadership MetroWest Academy emerge. Please visit: www.leadershipmetrowest.org
Tags: Academy, accomplishment, contribute, follow, lead, leadership, Leadership Metrowest
Posted in leadership | No Comments »
September 12th, 2009
Over the past week, I’ve had to think long and hard about what it is that I’m doing for clients as the national economy grinds along and opportunities remain scarce for all of us.
The work in the area of literacy, lifelong learning and a comprehensive educational pipeline is, I believe, so very important. But what is the ultimate goal? I believe it is helping people have the tools to be resilient, versatile and adaptable. These words are not synonymous entirely but pretty close. In a changing world where employers come and go in the blink of an eye and technology changes just about the time we figure out how to use it, we must all be constant learners and know when to move on from old ways.
I worry about so many of my generation and colleagues I work with who seem to be stuck in a way of working that does not adapt, is not versatile and leads to defeats or disappointments that require resiliency that is being used up in enormous chunks to the point of exasperation.
We must all learn from the British-led invasion of Gallipoli in 1915 where the British figured out how to crush the Germans by hitting its soft underbelly through southern Turkey. The disaster was brought on by attempting a brilliant strategy using outdated, rigid tactics that doomed 20,000 men. The book “Military Misfortunes” by Cohen & Gooch is a great description of the worst that can happen when leaders are not versatile, adaptable and resilient.
The pace of change is so rapid that we must all strive to find and nurture the skills needed to be adaptable, versatile and resilient. If we can help others do that, we are making a sound contribution. All the while we must nurture our own skills and be ready to embrace the need to adapt and change.
Tags: educational pipeline, lifelong learning, literacy
Posted in Resilience and Recovery, Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 28th, 2009
We join the community and the nation in mourning the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy this week. He truly was a great legislator and champion for the little guy.
He and his staff were everything that the remembrances of the past few days claim. See http://www.tedkennedy.org/tributes for the thoughts of dignitaries and residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
My own experiences with Senator Kennedy were professional and personal:
- uncommon responsiveness and help with the Immigration & Naturalization Service to obtain the paperwork needed to adopt our daughter in 1994,
- Senator Kennedy’s tremendous personal time, money and thoughtfulness for the nursing care he received in 1964 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in the four years I served as director of community relations and development, and
- delivering on his word in helping shepherd through the Pediatric AIDS Grant to the Boston VNA in 1988 when the Reagan Administration was still resisting the need to acknowledge, protect and invest in care and research for HIV.
Senator Kennedy was an imperfect man in many ways, a but a tremendous person and special public servant.
He personally contributed to my professional success, to helping my family have the blessing of our daughter, Joanna, and to teaching me the lesson of the importance of remembering those who showed care and kindness.
We’ll miss Senator Kennedy and the many things he did for those in need.
Tags: Cooley Dickinson, HIV, Pediatric AIDS, Senator Kennedy, VNA of Boston
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 23rd, 2009
One of the great privileges I’ve had in the past 25 years was working with the dedicated people at Unicef, the US Fund for Unicef, Becton Dickinson (BD), the Gates Foundation and others to establish systems, forge partnerships and assemble resources necessary to end one of the most terrible killers of newborns and their mothers - Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus or MNT.
It is thrilling to report that MNT has been proven to be eliminated in 14 of 57 countries and five states in India. Dr. Francois Gasse reports in August 2009 that WHO is validating elimination in an additional 12 countries and five more state in India. In ten years, roughly half the countries in the world will no longer have to say that MNT is killer of newborns and/or their mothers if they keep up their immunization efforts. A new partnership with Pampers helps keep the project moving forward.
Led by Dr. Francois Gasse who was brought to Unicef from WHO by Chip Lyons of the US Fund for Unicef in 1998, the challenge was to eliminate the infection as a public health problem by immunizing women of child bearing age with the cheap, readily available Tetanus vaccine. The spread of Hepatitis and HIV from injections, tremendous cultural resistance to immunizing women, misinformation and little to no public health infrastructure stood in the way.
Dr. Gasse and his small staff, leadership from BD who donated funds and auto-destruct syringes, Chip Lyons and Dianne Whitty from the US Fund for Unicef and funders including the Gates Foundation, Ronald McDonald Charities, ZontaInternational, other Committees of Unicef and others overcame great odds. People at all levels of the partnership did critically important work - Michelle Chiola Petronio at DCA, Charlie Adams, Meg Gardinier and Jim Coney at the US Fund, Dr. Zeil Rosenberg at BD and Katherine Winter at Unicef all did so much.
They deserve to be recognized and celebrated.
Francois reports this week that 60,000 deaths still occur every year from this wholly preventable infection and $63 million is needed to keep the effort going and get the job done.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the great success of the MNT campaign and thank you for the honor to have played an instrumental role from 1999 to 2002 in setting the program in motion that has saved so many lives.
- Brad Bauler
Tags: BD, Becton Dickinson, Gasse, Gate Foundation, Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus, MNT, Tetanus, Unicef
Posted in Global public health | No Comments »
August 16th, 2009
The disappointing debate about “health care” reform in the summer of 2009 is not about reforming “care” at all - it is about reforming reimbursement - by whom and for what services. The media and everyone involved, including President Obama, continue to talk about things that inflame the discussion, not the core problem.
President Obama speaking about surgeons amputating feet and “pulling the plug on Grandma,” former Governor Palin talking about “Death Panels” and all the rhetoric about nationalizing health care is not what this is about.
It is about a public option for non-insured and small business to health insurance. President Obama’s personal physician advocates making Medicare available at affordable rates to anyone who wants to opt for that plan. The reimbursement and approval system is in place, physicians, hospitals, therapists and home health providers have billing systems in place to get paid, and like Massachusetts, it could be offered at a fraction of the price of private insurance.
Medicare is far from perfect - especially the oddly crafted prescription drug benefit. But it works for seniors and the disabled - something they and AARP fight to preserve every time a change is proposed.
The frame of the debate needs to change to a discussion of a public health insurance option for those that want a cheaper, comprehensive plan. The major dogs in the fight would be the health insurance companies, PPOs and HMOs versus the federal government. The health insurance companies, PPOs and HMOs shouldn’t care all that much since they are doing nothing to provide affordable, comprehensive care for the 45 million Americans without health insurance.
The Massachusetts example is a success on many levels - especially the mandatory nature of it and the rates of enrollment. A public health insurance option is do-able and that is what the conversation should be about.
Tags: health care, public insurance option, reform
Posted in health care | No Comments »
August 9th, 2009
It was thrilling to learn from Jack Blanks recently that the Gaucher Initiative lives on 10 years after we brokered the deal that created the partnership between Project Hope and Genzyme. Genzyme CEO Henri Termeer and Gaucher Initiative manager Tomye Tierney and the dedicated physicians who choose to devote their careers to rare disorders deserve credit and recognition.
Genzyme has long been questioned for the cost of Cerezyme and pilloried for starting patients on treatments with no funding in place to sustain care. It’s been questioned for asking governments to pay for care for a few residents at costs out of proportion with public health needs.
These are very complex issues. Who decides to deny a person - child or adult - treatment for a life-threatening illness? What ethical responsibility do we have to provide treatment? How do you sustain and deliver shareholder value for a business whose mission is to discover, manufacture, sell and distribute life saving therapies? If not Genzyme, then who?
Genzyme’s choice was to confront these questions. Genzyme’s choice was to find a way to deliver care, train practitioners, build markets and keep searching for treatments for rare disorders while big pharma seeks products with huge markets. This is not to criticize big pharma’s business model - they are fundamentally in a different business. Where reasonable, they often step up as we see with Merck and Mectizan and with the HIV drugs for which the Clinton folks negotiate.
Congratulations to Genzyme, Project Hope and the experts running the program on ten years.
For more, see: http://harvardbusiness.org/product/genzyme-s-gaucher-initiative-henri-termeer-and-tomye-tierney-video/an/303809-VID-ENG
Tags: Blanks, Gaucher, Genzyme, Project Hope, Termeer, Tierney
Posted in Global public health, Rare Disorders, leadership | No Comments »
July 28th, 2009
Opening my recent issue of “Eye of the Eagle” - the Carter Center health newsletter, I became nostalgic for the days in the early 1990s and humbled by the work of my colleagues Dr. Frank Richards, Dr. Donald Hopkins and everyone at the Carter Center involved in its oncherciasis (River Blindness), guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis and other vector borne disease efforts.
They are the genuine embodiment of commitment, leadership and determination for the results they’re delivering in 2009, thirteen years after the Carter Center absorbed the work of the River Blindness Foundation.
In the 11 countries where it operates or oversees Mectizan distribution programs, including those in the Americas, the Carter Center reached 98% of the eligible population in 2008 - some 13.5 million people.
Over 198,000 community level health workers delivered those 13.5 million ivermectin treatments - a virtual army of trained health workers in some of the world’s most remote locations.
When I worked at the River Blindness Foundation in the early 1990s, we thought hitting the 1 million treatment mark was a big deal - and it was. Today with eonchoceriasis limination achieved in some places, programs ceasing due to no sign of disease and the end in sight for all six countries in the Western Hemisphere in 2012, a global success is at hand.
Commitment, leadership and bravery typify the work in these remote places including hostile areas in the Sudan and Nigeria are the quiet and humble hallmarks of the River Blindness story.
From a very obscure corner of the Internet, I congratulate the Carter Center and am grateful to Frank, Don, President Carter, John Moores and all who followed us at the River Blindness Foundation and continue the success today.
- Bradley C. Bauler, July 2009
Tags: Carter Center, Global public health, Mectizan, onchocerciasis, River Blindness
Posted in Global public health, Rare Disorders, health care, leadership | No Comments »
July 18th, 2009
There is so much conflicting information around that even in the midst of an economic recovery it is hard to feel confident about the next move any of us should make.
Oil prices are down, the US trade deficit is the lowest in a decade, companies are emerging from bankruptcy, the bankers are paying back billions they borrowed from the US taxpayers, housing starts are up, earnings and equities are stable and creeping up for many, etc. Looks good, right?
How then do we balance good news with the bad? Increasing unemployment (ten states now over 10%), states slashing services or frozen in budget crises (NC and CA are two with which I have some first-hand knowledge), real estate development continuing to crumble, consumer confidence still down seem to be daily themes.
One course of action was always the best one: pursue your dreams or “vision” with an eye to moderation, personal and professional growth, diversify revenues, look to cut costs and build relationships.
It was the lack of moderation and placing money or power before values that got us here. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, in his terrific blog, http://robertreich.blogspot.com says that the recovery will never begin in a way that resemble the crash of 2008-2009. Rather, it will be a long slow recovery made possible by consumers, workers, investors and policy makers making choices that result in long-term investment in people, infrastructure and innovation.
I agree and think that is what each of us must do - invest our time, creativity and dollars in knowledge, tools, skills and technology that will make us more resilient and valuable.
- Bradley Bauler - 07-18-2009
Tags: Add new tag, Workforce Development
Posted in Resilience and Recovery | No Comments »
RSS Feeds