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Posts Tagged ‘leadership’

Peace Corps, Nukes & Unemployment

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

Great to learn that President Obama and Dimitry Medvedev of Russia signed the “new START” treaty this week in an effort to reduce the number of nukes by one-third. It is just a start but a solid one with proliferation and a complete breakdown between US and Russian relations during the previous administration. Is the world safer? Not really, but at least the big boys are talking, agreeing to keep a lid on things and and an eye on new entrants into the nuclear bomb family of nations.

Simultaneously, a bill is coursing through Congress to put some more money into creating Peace Corps jobs that I believe should have a Department of Labor contribution in it. Is the “More Peace Corps” bill a State Department activity? Of course. But isn’t also a smart way to boost unemployment in a small but meaningful way.  A couple of thousand PCV jobs are always welcome and these kinds of jobs are just what is needed. They build new skills, meet national security interests if deployed properly and send the signal that the US is investing in its people in creative ways.

The confluence of national security interests and reducing unemployment should not be a novel concept. I do not believe there is any linkage of this sort between the Departments of State and Labor. There certainly are linkages between the Departments of State and Defense but one more player at the table is needed.

Until we see foreign aid, the crippled economy and unemployment as national security issues, the kinds of action needed by Congress and the bureaucracies will be harder to come by and a signature of the way the US leads through creativity and innovation.

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Gary Indiana’s Response to High Dropout Rates

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

 

Gary, Indiana’s leaders share profound concern and inspiring commitment to their young people, many of whom are being left behind by the 21st Century.  Over the past three years, Gary’s leaders produced their Multiple Education Pathway Blueprint. The blueprint may serve as a catalyst for  education attainment that leads to employment and supports economic development in Gary and NW Indiana.

In-School Portfolio of Options: In 2008, the Gary Community Schools unveiled a set of ten specific strategies known as the “The New Secondary Experience.” The objective was to implement best practices from work being done in other cities that were possible with limited resources.

The ten components include:

  1. Collecting and utilizing school-based data to provide early indicators of students at-risk of dropping out by: a) identifying all students falling behind, b) classifying students by credits earned, and c) using KidTrax data systems to foster connectedness between community and in-school activities,
  2. Transforming schools to allow students to pursue interests, talents and abilities
  3. Eliminating all social promotions and engage students and their parents in developing a plan for credit recovery and intensive remedial education
  4. Implementing “Double Dose” classes for students falling behind in mathematics and language arts
  5. Implementing extended day strategies supported by existing Title XX and remediation funds
  6. Engaging employers and workforce specialists to provide career and job awareness, exploration, mentoring and employment
  7. Implementing immediate instructional interventions and exploring the use of technology options to support teachers and counselors
  8. Implementing reading and literacy classes at the high school level to provide remediation for those students not reading English at grade level
  9. Providing credit recovery and acquisition opportunities for all students classified as behind their grade level in credits earned after regular school day, and
  10. Developing an individual Career Pathway Plan for all Gary students

New Pathways Options through “Magnet Schools”: In the winter of 2008, faced with a $22 million budget shortfall, the Gary Community Schools Board designed and passed a sweeping secondary school re-organization built on principles of “The New Secondary Experience.” The strategy, “Magnet Schools,” requires students, parents and faculty to choose where their talent and interests lie in selecting one of four schools that will offer choice of 1) Leadership/Military Academy & Gifted/Talented Focus, 2) Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM),  3) Career and Technical options, and 4)Visual & Performing Arts.

“Oldest and Closest”: An immediate strategy to arise from MEP Blueprint planning process is for the Gary Community Schools and its partners to rapidly identify its 2008-2009 students missing the least number of credits and who were oldest students at risk of “aging out” for immediate interventions. It was estimated that roughly 10% of the students most likely to drop out were in this category. Intensive time and resources for students in need of assistance to secure credits or a satisfactory ISTEP score to graduate could produce momentum and early success.

 

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The Power of Getting Not Out Of Your Life

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

In a few shevelopmentort days of presenting the Get Not Out of Your Life campaign to various partners, leaders showed through their reactions the power of looking differently upon one’s condition.

Remaining open to possibilities and taking a step to strengthen skills, literacy and credentials are essential to overcoming fear, hopelessness and loss of control in one’s life. It is not easy to adapt or overcome limitations, but doing so is very often more self-imposed than merely one’s fate.  Get Not Out of Your Life is focused on older adults, pregnant teens, kids who have dropped out, the working poor in search of family-supporting  jobs, Spanish-speakers looking to succeed in high-skill jobs and those who struggle with reading. 

From a social marketing perspective, the Get Not Out Of Your Life campaign is special in that it places the emotional needs of displaced adult workers and off-track youth and young adults first.  Institutions and there products are a distant second.  It has the potential, if implemented thoughtfully, of branding a region or organization as one that puts those in need first.

Getting Not Out Of Your Lifecampaign materials is designed for those who undestand and value servant leadership.  It is not for self-promoters or those wishing to place their organization’s name out in front.  That, they will have to on their own.  What will be interesting to see is if elected officials see the power of Getting Not Out Of Your Life as an expression of their commitment to public service.

As further reactions and suggestions emerge, I will try to capture them here.

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Revenue Diversification

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

The economic downturn that began officially in the Fall of 2007 is slowly coming out of its two-plus year grind in the US.  Among those I’ve had the honor to serve, there are winners and losers during this time. Some clients are stronger and in a better market position and some in weakened positions or gone altogether.

The winners are invariably those with the most diversified revenue streams and a strong commitment to keeping revenues in a balanced proportion.

The best example is Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America or CADCA .  CADCA was a creation of the George HW Bush administration with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the James S. & John L. Knight Foundations and operated for several years almost exclusively on foundation grants of significant size.  CADCA has grown from a $1.5 million operation in the mid-1990s when I first began working with them to a $9 million national leader in substance abuse prevention and community problem solving.

Led by a team of very capable and experienced senior managers (also a deliberate choice of its Board and Chairman/CEO), CADCA  has seen its reliance on foundation funding drop from 90% of its revenues in 1997 to around 8%. Its unrestricted support is greater than its foundation supports and 80% of its funding comes from training fees, events, state contracts, federal contracts, corporate donations and membership dues.  International programming, new to CADCA at the beginning of the recession in late 2007 is now generating more than 10% of revenues.

Any one of these could diminish and the others are positioned to pick up the slack.  As CADCA re-invests revenues in continually improving its offerings to community leaders, states, federal agencies and supporters, its revenues grow as they sponsor or purchase services.

This financial strength was due to deliberate planning, consistent and focused leadership, experienced and patient senior staff and Board members.  Major General Arthur T. Dean earned much of the credit for his leadership as CEO and Chairman of the last ten years, but it was also the commitment and dedication of several senior managers building their individual units simultaneously that made CADCA’s market leadership possible.

Other organizations can do the same if they commit to an optimal revenue mix and stay true to achieving that mix.  Over-reliance on any one source of revenue in non-profits as in business can lead to very tough times when that one source weakens.

For help in thinking through a plan to achieve optimal revenue mix, please contact Bauler Consulting at 508-405-0308.

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Stimulus That Works in Global Markets

Saturday, 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.

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Leadership MetroWest

Saturday, 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

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