BCA: Looking Forward to the Business of Business

I was able to attend the 2010 Governmental Affairs Conference hosted by the Business Council of Alabama. With the title of “Looking Forward to the Business of Business,” I knew that it would be time well spent. I was not disappointed, and the opportunity to meet many of our Alabama Legislatures up close and personal was a rare opportunity. Many of our representatives were present, and please know that they are hard at work for all of us here in the North Jefferson area.

BCA remains committed to a pro-business legislative agenda, and the content of this event maintained that position. While key information filtered through multiple conversations, one point was loud and clear, the business community must take a lead in the political arena. The members of the business community create the jobs, not the government anyway, so why would you not step up to the plate. The bottom-line challenge here is to remind business leaders that it is our responsibility to drive the synergy of post-election leadership and stridently remind them of their need to support business now.

The event moved quickly forward with Governor Riley presenting at the breakfast event on Saturday morning. The Honorable Bob Riley reminded the audience of his consistent platforms to seek funding and support for economic development, to reform education needed to prepare the work force, and to seek ethics reform laws which foster healthy, sustainable partnership and growth. The Governor also reminded the group that economic development is grounded in the creation of a product, adding value to that product and then selling it. Making his point that economic development is not gambling, he received strong applause.

I have always been told to begin with the end in mind, and sharing insight into that effort were key note speakers Peter Hart and Frank Luntz. As a leading pollster and public policy expert, Mr. Hart has a legacy of shaping trends and is noted for representing 40 United States Senators and 30 governors. Frank Luntz has been named the “Nostradamus of Polls” and is one of the most honored communications professionals in the country. The end that we should have in mind here is having our chosen candidate win the election. To insure that outcome, we must first step back and understand the mood of the country. As I have written here before, you can not lead where you will not go, and you need to know where you want to end up. According to Hart and Luntz, there are some important feelings a float out here, and now is the time to take note.

Turning on the news you are certain to hear about the oil spill, health reform and the occasional story about Lindsey Lohan, but polls show that the issues of importance are really jobs at 55%, energy and oil at 38%, and a big desire to cut government spending at 29%. Healthcare only hits the radar with 19% stating that it is a key issue, and 44% of those are not happy that Healthcare Legislation has passed. There are a multitude of concerns floating out there that have the attention of the voter base. Think about the 36% that feel the recession will persist another 2 years, or the 33% that are concerned that they may loose their job. If you factor in immigration issues, it begins to get tough to see the end at all.

The mood is very anti-incumbent with 57% favoring someone, anyone, new. About 50% just want a third party and to start up fresh. So many issues, so little time, but one thing is certain, the needle on the magnet is starting to polarize in a big way toward the independents. Just who are these 23% of party neutral new voters? The Holy Grail of voter this year is the highly coveted disenchanted independent voter. Is that you? Even more key, are you the coveted disenchanted independent who is pro-business? Not sure what good pro-business policy looks like? You can find some strong pro-business direction by going to www.bcatoday.org where they weigh in on tax policy, right-to-work, public education, environmental and energy legislation, and common sense health reform that will take care of current problems and not create new ones.

Where is Paul Revere when you need him for a call to action? What we need now is a call to become an informed voter for once and for all. Don’t mark that box or pull that lever or hang that chad until you do a little open minded research on your candidates. And if you don’t vote, for goodness sake, don’t complain.

Remember, stay informed to better take care of your customers, or someone else will.

The next meeting of the Fultondale Chamber will be held for lunch on August 24th with Logan Hinkle, Attorney with Burr and Forman presenting on Health Reform Legislation and how to prepare your business for the impact. Location and sponsorship by the Comfort Suites in Fultondale. Logan is an Adjunct Professor at Cumberland School of Law and teaches a course on ERISA and Employee Benefits. Good Stuff. Please join us. Email to visemedical@bellsouth.net

Data Deluge

I am starting to think it isn’t just me. I tried to synchronize my iphone again last night, and it locked up failing to update and save my contacts. If history repeats, I have probably lost all of my information that will require me to reenter and recollect all of it. Troublesome stuff, annoying stuff, set your hair on fire stuff, except that this is the third time it has happened, so this time, I calmly shut everything down, and simply went to bed. I have never thought about it before last night, but there is great power in the ability to simply reach over, flip a switch, and suddenly the lights are now out. No drama, no server needed, no download time, just simply off and on.

I am sure that I am not alone in the feelings of frustration that I have toward the technology that surrounds us. Our toolbox of family experts now seems to need to include, not just a doctor, an insurance agent, an accountant, maybe a lawyer, but also now a technology expert, aka Geek Squad, to help us manage our life needs. As stated so well by friendly Fultondale neighbor and attorney Greg Morris, “When we have a problem with the VCR, we call in the Tech Team.” He added, “You know, call in the teenager.” How true! Get the agile, not quite jaded young’ un in here. They will help us figure this out!

In many cases, a fresh look by a rested bright mind can work through the problem. But, here lately, the problems with technology can be downright insurmountable. We should take a note of caution here, and “Trust not completely the things that you do not understand.” How do we harness the genie and put her back in the bottle? I do not think that we can, but we can take a moment to remember that the technology is the tool, and like all tools they should be used correctly, with training, and HAVE A BACK UP. It is staggering to see the level of dependence that we have tied into systems that we do not fully understand. In my work in the pharmaceutical industry, I have seen a large physician office literally close down for a day because the power was out. The closure was not due to heating and air, but the computers. Without clean access to paper charts, it was next to impossible to retrieve accurate, up to date information easily. The office was left to only triaging difficult care, and scrambling to get the Tech guy, elevated now to superhuman status, in “stat” to get them back online. Fascinating, yes. Funny, maybe. Scary, you bet.

The technology clearly can work for the good of business as through timely daily management of details, and data mining for opportunities. According to this weeks Economist there is actually a lot that we can expect from what is called the Data Deluge. In fact, Business Intelligence is one of the fastest growing parts of the software industry. Also, known as data mining, retailers are Masters of this. Supermarkets analyze “basket data” and tailor promotions to their customers. Online advertising is far more accurate than offline advertising, and is capable of great personalization. Government is slow to come around to using the technology to their advantage, but they do have that ability. Governor Riley has championed greater transparency in government whereby pay, contracts, and specific services provided would be public domain. Use of the data in this way would go far in building businesses as well as holding elected officials accountable.

This reality of the presence and demand of technology in our daily lives does predispose us to risk though. Stolen data, privacy breaches, theft and fraud examples abound. Rather than owning and controlling your own data, you may find that you have lost control over it.

The answer to addressing this issue according to the Economist lies in a great paradox. To have greater control of the data, you must make the data more transparent. By making the data more transparent, you by nature increase personal accountability. Market incentives will then come into play as organizations that manage data well will be favored over those that do not. Greater transparency in these areas will give people more control over their data without intricate regulation. We know that regulation stifles innovation and creativity, and creativity is what brought us to this dance anyway.

As you move into your week, take some time to fireproof your technology. You may wish to check out some recommended sources on http://ready.gov. Go to the business link for information on protecting your people, your business and your investment.

And remember, take care of your customers, or someone else will. You can find additional readings on my blog at http://businessadvise4u.blogspot.com

Governor Riley, State of the State, a Perspective

I had the pleasure of attending the last State of the State Address by Governor Bob Riley this week in Montgomery, Alabama. What a privilege to be able to sit (or stand as it was standing room only) to hear how his leadership plans to continue into 2010. His platforms have remained consistent with a commitment to Charter Schools, Ethics Reform, Work Force Development and a removal of slot machines from Alabama. He remains committed to the Alabama prepaid tuition program as well. We have been discussing trends in the past few articles here for 2010 and beyond for Alabama, and it would seem that many of his ideas remain consistent in supporting the quiet undercurrent of change that will continue to take hold of our State. Our challenge is to seek out information about these opportunities and make informed decisions based on rational thinking and understanding. As State Senator Scott Beason has reminded us, Alabama is a legislatively driven state, and to that end, we should remain fiercely open to debate and discussion as we work to move some of these initiatives, and ultimately Alabama, forward.

One undercurrent of change is the growing presence of women in the work place and a trend toward more women working in general. According to The Economist (1/2/2010) it is truly a woman’s world, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. It seems that three of the four people who lost jobs during the recession were men; female unemployment runs at 8.6% which is measurably less than the 11.6% for men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up more than two-thirds of the employment in ten of the 15 job categories likely to grow fastest in the next few years. Consider this fact: by 2011, there will be 2.6 million more women than men studying in American Universities. It seems that much of this opportunity is born in accepting the challenge of finding ways to blend work and parenthood. Countries in other parts of the world manage this trend by placing a focus on preschool education. For example Norway places an emphasis on women returning to work and children getting started into kindergarten. Other countries such as Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and the Netherlands support mothers working part-time. It has been suggested that women who work will be the beneficiaries of the growing “war for talent”. An ageing workforce in a skill dependent economy will need to make better use of their female populations, especially since they seem to be the greater number pursuing higher education.

Here is another fact of interest for you: the number of privately held companies started by women has increased twice as fast as the number started by men. Women owned companies employ more people than the largest 500 companies combined. If these women are like many that we know, a proper education opportunity for their children is a high priority and they will be watching the Charter School debate.

It seems that women have a growing presence in the work force, are working more, and becoming increasingly more politically active. Consider what this means for schools, and the debate that we will see this legislative session with regard to Charter Schools. Millions of families in Alabama struggle with insufficient child care facilities and a school day that bears no resemblance of their working lives. Governor Riley suggests that there is merit in an open discussion about the Charter School option for Alabama. He reminded the audience during his State of the State this week that Charter Schools ARE public schools and that Charter Schools would not re-segregate schools because discrimination is prohibited. In addition, approving Charter School legislation would help to secure up to $200 Million in federal grant money for education as well. Take a moment to seek out information on Charter Schools as this will be a very significant discussion for the legislature, and has high impact potential on the education of our children and their ability to grow prepared future workers. The best distinction between Charter and Public schools that I can find as yet indicates that there is simply less bureaucracy and that has to be a good thing. Again, according to The Economist, governments are trying to adjust to the new world of work, and the working parent, specifically the female working parent. Charter schools for Alabama may hold some measure of promise as it has for other areas of the country. Some of the most popular American charter schools offer longer days, and shorter summer holidays which does match up more neatly with the lifestyle of working parents.

As we move into our work week, take some time to catch the headlines, or read a quick update of what Montgomery is doing for you. I am confident that if you are informed about the debates taking place on work force development, ethics reform and school initiatives, not to mention gambling, you will be better prepared to place a vote for leadership that will make pro-business decisions.

And remember, take care of your customers, or someone else will. You can find additional readings on my blog at http://businessadvise4u.blogspot.com