We are going to place this week’s blog entry in the “Did not know, and had no idea, how did I miss that one” file. Health care reform legislation and how it affects business has been a common topic over the past few months. Much of the conversation has been a one way street it seems with Washington calling the shots, our legislators arguing for or against the changes, and then the changes coming down anyway. The business population has worked to impact and influence with calls, letters and emails to Washington, and I would submit that now is the time to trust and verify that the needs of business with regard to health care costs are truly being addressed.
Robert Goldberg writing for The American Spectator relates that the House Republicans plan to cut $360 million in health reform funding in this year's budget as part of the retooling of the health care legislation. What was a light bulb moment in reading the article is that Goldberg writes that the current Obama Administration will be spending $100 million to run an ad campaign and hire a sales team to push the health reform legislation to thousands of doctors. Very interesting. It is one thing when private industry hires a sales force to market, PR, and sell a product, but now we have the US Government using a sales force (with cars and expense accounts) to convince doctors that government health guidelines are the way to go. Time will tell, but I am certain this will not be a simple “Buy War Bonds” message as was seen in World War II.
The most expensive part of the roll out of a product as you know is the sales and marketing component. I find this idea very compelling, as I work in the detail representative world and I know firsthand how challenging it can be to develop a credible support relationship with busy physicians. Access in many groups is not only limited but closed due to regulations with industry and research. Will the government sales representative adhere to those same guidelines? Even more telling will be the understanding of the monitoring of the Government Health care representatives. Will Government sales reps be tied to the same messaging, regulation and liability that private industry subscribes too? Will these healthcare representatives receive the same high level of technical training, sensitivity and diversity training, training on product and disease state management, and will they be required to sign detailed codes of conduct? What will the customer service and quality management goals look like? If recommendations are adhered to, and the patient suffers some adverse effect, will the company behind the message, in this case the US Government, be held accountable? After all, it is the US Government, not a publicly traded company, so what is the planned process for checks and balance?
According to the article, the home of this marketing machine is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). It has a planned budget of nearly $1 billion. AHRQ is mentioned in the health reform legislation frequently, is responsible for determining what preventive services we get, what health care "quality" is, what should be cut from Medicare and what new technologies should be paid for. According to Dr. Carolyn Clancy, AHRQ’s director, consideration will be given to directives, guidelines, and placement of reminders into electronic health records. An additional 50 million will be spent on comparative effectiveness research (CER). Dr. Clancy has been the director of AHRQ since 2003, almost as long as AHRQ has been in existence.
CER is promoted as information about what are the most medically and cost-effective treatments, drugs, and medical devices. Pharmacoeconomics research is not new to the healthcare industry, but again, time will tell if the government research is held to the same standards as that in the public sector. And how do you manage the FDA in this conversation? Should another government agency validate the work of another government agency, or should there be some element of input from private business?
If healthcare is a component of the bottom line of your business, or if you receive healthcare coverage support from your employer, I would suggest that you keep a sharpened eye on these developing conversations.
AdVISE
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Board and Committee Appointments through the Prism of Customer Service
Board appointments and development committees for communities such as ours provide wonderful opportunities for leadership and civic growth. These roles are not only important, but critical to how a community moves forward, and appointments need to be taken very seriously. This is not the time for a Cinderella appointment, or a full blown exhibition of the Peter Principle. Real Leadership is needed, and strong opinions are welcome. But to quote an anonymous thought, “Action without study is fatal. Study without action is futile.” Once a person has been tapped, volunteered or pushed into a position of leadership, serious reflection tempered with a strong dose of humility is suggested.
These considerations are important as a brief read of the business headlines can leave you feeling overwhelmed with the challenges of managing an organization, team, or running a business. It can seem that sometimes all there is to be found is a bleak and dire view. Take the personal challenge to look at the things that you can control, and one by one, make those changes.
For example, a big “item of control” is Customer Service, whether it is your customer service or the customer service of your employees or team. Challenge yourself to take great customer service to heart, lead by example, and coach those around you to raise their level of expectation of what great customer service should look like.
But do you know what great customer service looks like? Here are a few steps to ponder to get you on your way.
The first step is to develop what you define as great customer service. Develop your own specific vision of what great looks like working with the customer’s perspective in mind. Creating a vision of customer service taps into your heart and spirit of excellence, and will allow you to uncover embedded concerns and needs that you may have overlooked. For example, what would happen if you really take the time to make your customer feel like he or she is your most important priority of the day?
It is very important to appreciate the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Satisfied customers are not necessarily loyal customers. According to a Gallup Survey (2002) of 36 companies in 21 industries, the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty lies in creating an emotional bond with your customer. How do you do this? Pay attention to your customer contact people. Train them as to how you want them to interact with your customers. According to this same Gallup Survey, customer contact people are 4 times more important in generating customer loyalty than the product or service itself.
How do you measure customer loyalty? Ask your customers. Were you satisfied? Will you come again? Will you RECOMMEND me to someone else? Simple, direct questions will reveal much about how you conduct your business. Be prepared to change how you connect with your customers. Learn what your customers want, and don’t expect that what you did last year will still hold up. Develop a deep understanding of the customer’s needs and expectations. This close connection with your customers will foster an environment where your customer will come to depend on you. And for goodness sake, learn what your competition is offering!
Lastly be thoughtful and systematic about any change the you create. Decide if your change will hold up to your Vision, your environment, and your strategy.
In today’s competitive environment, you often don’t get a second chance. Make the first one count, and give it your best customer service first. For those assuming leadership roles, for goodness sake, remember who brought you to the dance, AND who will take you home. In the spirit of transparency and required ethics, it is important to recognize that the two are not always the same, but both deserve your integrity.
These considerations are important as a brief read of the business headlines can leave you feeling overwhelmed with the challenges of managing an organization, team, or running a business. It can seem that sometimes all there is to be found is a bleak and dire view. Take the personal challenge to look at the things that you can control, and one by one, make those changes.
For example, a big “item of control” is Customer Service, whether it is your customer service or the customer service of your employees or team. Challenge yourself to take great customer service to heart, lead by example, and coach those around you to raise their level of expectation of what great customer service should look like.
But do you know what great customer service looks like? Here are a few steps to ponder to get you on your way.
The first step is to develop what you define as great customer service. Develop your own specific vision of what great looks like working with the customer’s perspective in mind. Creating a vision of customer service taps into your heart and spirit of excellence, and will allow you to uncover embedded concerns and needs that you may have overlooked. For example, what would happen if you really take the time to make your customer feel like he or she is your most important priority of the day?
It is very important to appreciate the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Satisfied customers are not necessarily loyal customers. According to a Gallup Survey (2002) of 36 companies in 21 industries, the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty lies in creating an emotional bond with your customer. How do you do this? Pay attention to your customer contact people. Train them as to how you want them to interact with your customers. According to this same Gallup Survey, customer contact people are 4 times more important in generating customer loyalty than the product or service itself.
How do you measure customer loyalty? Ask your customers. Were you satisfied? Will you come again? Will you RECOMMEND me to someone else? Simple, direct questions will reveal much about how you conduct your business. Be prepared to change how you connect with your customers. Learn what your customers want, and don’t expect that what you did last year will still hold up. Develop a deep understanding of the customer’s needs and expectations. This close connection with your customers will foster an environment where your customer will come to depend on you. And for goodness sake, learn what your competition is offering!
Lastly be thoughtful and systematic about any change the you create. Decide if your change will hold up to your Vision, your environment, and your strategy.
In today’s competitive environment, you often don’t get a second chance. Make the first one count, and give it your best customer service first. For those assuming leadership roles, for goodness sake, remember who brought you to the dance, AND who will take you home. In the spirit of transparency and required ethics, it is important to recognize that the two are not always the same, but both deserve your integrity.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Closed Loop Marketing, Data Capture and Value Creation
The new economy requires us to think differently - to anticipate, react to, and exploit business opportunities at lightning speed. According to Myriad Marketing, Inc. , you can't afford to leave marketing successes to chance. To that end, companies are working to develop and evolve a powerful customer-centric solution for the digital age. Called Closed Loop Marketing, its strength is predicting and fulfilling customer needs while accurately measuring the return on investment of marketing. Ultimately the goal is to assess and quantify the effect marketing efforts have on sales in a feedback loop of information enhancement.
Closed Loop Transfer Theory in mathematics is the birthplace of this idea and enables the driver to control the outcome: The tighter the system, the more predictable the outcome.
The Closed Loop Marketing approach measures the results of marketing and communication initiatives by tracking the response of targeted groups. The results of responses, such as completed surveys, promotional entries, coupon redemptions and purchase behavior, are added to a database for tracking and evaluation to improve future marketing decisions. Real time feedback of likes and dislikes by the customer can be entered in to the marketing plan, and immediately considered for improvement. Marketing campaigns can then continuously adapt to the customers' wants and needs, creating a true relationship. Simply put: It allows marketers to develop, and monitor highly targeted strategic campaigns based on a wide variety of customer histories and behaviors.
When it works, ultimately there will be a higher level of delivered information that will continuously evolve to a higher level of product understanding and utilization.
Think about Netflix and Roku for your television. As you view movies and shows, the system uses a type of artificial intelligence to recommend other items that you may like to view. If the system gets it right, you keep paying your monthly fee. If the system gets it wrong, you get tired of the same old offering and move on to Direct TV, or Red Box or some other form of entertainment.
This style of messaging and conversation enhancement is finding use in a variety of industries, and may be coming to an industry near you soon. The pharmaceutical industry is embracing this method of messaging at a very high level as it works to recreate value in the physician office. Look out sales reps! Just when you thought you had mastered the spreadsheet and PowerPoint, now you have electronic messaging systems, and detail aids that time signature and learns from every conversation.
Fear not, there is a place for this type of change. Keep in mind that we all learn in different and evolving ways and that includes our customers. The caution is to keep the end result in mind, and insure that once the novelty of electronic detailing with a real person and a computer and a customer wears off, we still have a message that is worth giving a listen.
Closed Loop Transfer Theory in mathematics is the birthplace of this idea and enables the driver to control the outcome: The tighter the system, the more predictable the outcome.
The Closed Loop Marketing approach measures the results of marketing and communication initiatives by tracking the response of targeted groups. The results of responses, such as completed surveys, promotional entries, coupon redemptions and purchase behavior, are added to a database for tracking and evaluation to improve future marketing decisions. Real time feedback of likes and dislikes by the customer can be entered in to the marketing plan, and immediately considered for improvement. Marketing campaigns can then continuously adapt to the customers' wants and needs, creating a true relationship. Simply put: It allows marketers to develop, and monitor highly targeted strategic campaigns based on a wide variety of customer histories and behaviors.
When it works, ultimately there will be a higher level of delivered information that will continuously evolve to a higher level of product understanding and utilization.
Think about Netflix and Roku for your television. As you view movies and shows, the system uses a type of artificial intelligence to recommend other items that you may like to view. If the system gets it right, you keep paying your monthly fee. If the system gets it wrong, you get tired of the same old offering and move on to Direct TV, or Red Box or some other form of entertainment.
This style of messaging and conversation enhancement is finding use in a variety of industries, and may be coming to an industry near you soon. The pharmaceutical industry is embracing this method of messaging at a very high level as it works to recreate value in the physician office. Look out sales reps! Just when you thought you had mastered the spreadsheet and PowerPoint, now you have electronic messaging systems, and detail aids that time signature and learns from every conversation.
Fear not, there is a place for this type of change. Keep in mind that we all learn in different and evolving ways and that includes our customers. The caution is to keep the end result in mind, and insure that once the novelty of electronic detailing with a real person and a computer and a customer wears off, we still have a message that is worth giving a listen.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Birmingham Business Journal and 2011 Forecast
The Birmingham Business Journal and several key corporate sponsors played host to the Economic Forecast update this week held at the Harbert Center. Noted speakers included Dr. Sam Addy of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, Dr. Andrea Rauterkus, Assistant Professor of Finance at UAB, Dr. Chris Westley, Associate Professor at Jacksonville, and Tom Nelson, economic analyst for Vulcan Materials. Scholarly leaders they are, and let me share with you some of their insight for what 2011 holds for us.
Firstly, while optimistic, the group remains cautious and warned to take improvements in the market in the proper context. The recession was in fact a long time coming, and due to our behaviors. The slow structural change has been frustrating, and corrections have been slowing due to incessant government interventions. There was a collective agreement that the corrections need to occur to right the wrongs of the past and move us toward sustainable growth.
Since the recession, saving has increased and borrowers are starting to behave. (I am talking individual here, certainly not US Government.) This is the true heart of wealth creation and it is really just that simple. It does take the hard work of self discipline and the high need for self control and delayed gratification. Unfortunately, these are not common terms at the average American dinner table. The Business Cycle is built from the simple notion that sustainable growth is born in a person who saves so that they can invest in a company. That company then builds more stuff that we can buy. Buy more of our stuff, and they can hire more people.
Wealth has become valued more realistically of late, and we are moving into a new normal. The GDP is expected to grow at about 3.5% and employment at only 1.4% or 2 million jobs nationally. The public sector is starting to realize that it needs to contribute, and not just consume to get us back on track. This is a key realization as policy makers search for what is optimal and sustainable to address what we see as a decline of the middle class. The need to address and support small business was a message laced through all four presenters’ comments. Dr. Addy was keen to remind the audience that all large companies were indeed at once a small business. He gave the challenge to the audience to look at the system which creates the dynamic that allows the growth of small business.
So which sector will lead us into this growth? According to the group certainly healthcare will continue to grow both locally and nationally, and it will add jobs. Education will continue to be challenged by the limits of state financial revenues, and interestingly manufacturing will grow about 5%, but not add any measurable amount of jobs. Manufacturing is learning to do its work better, and as the daily reports of downsizing show, they are doing it with fewer workers.
The banking sector will continue to compete for a smaller group of potential borrowers, and market indicators are pointing to a continued rise in interest rates. Many countries are attempting growth by currency devaluation, and they all agreed that this will prolong any recovery in the market place. On a more local level, all discussed the need for a community bank that takes on a personal banker role to small business. This will open the door to loans based on tangible business models, not just credit models, and a keep a needed check on the veracity of loan access and payback.
What about the debt? According to the US Debt Clock (www.usdebtclock.org) we are 14 Trillion in debt with 1 Trillion owed to China. We owe Japan nearly that same amount, and the United Kingdom half a Trillion. This is clearly a very big number, and the debt clock is pretty scary let me tell you. I am really a bit sorry that I found it, and it is truly mesmerizing to sit and watch these astronomical numbers click away glibly before your very eyes. It is truly stunning to see in real time our debt, and how it breaks down to a per tax payer burden of about $45,000. By the way, only 1 in 3 pay taxes, and you can see that on the debt clock too. Next time you hear someone talking about “spreading the responsibility” or “everyone doing their fair share” to support this bail out or that bail out, remember that fine point.
All in all, better to know the facts as you make decisions going forward. Yes, 2010 was a disappointing year, but the trough occurred in June of 2009 actually. Our pick up will sputter, and our speakers maintained that the outlook should improve by the second half of this year. So hang in and hang on as we are not out of the woods just yet.
Firstly, while optimistic, the group remains cautious and warned to take improvements in the market in the proper context. The recession was in fact a long time coming, and due to our behaviors. The slow structural change has been frustrating, and corrections have been slowing due to incessant government interventions. There was a collective agreement that the corrections need to occur to right the wrongs of the past and move us toward sustainable growth.
Since the recession, saving has increased and borrowers are starting to behave. (I am talking individual here, certainly not US Government.) This is the true heart of wealth creation and it is really just that simple. It does take the hard work of self discipline and the high need for self control and delayed gratification. Unfortunately, these are not common terms at the average American dinner table. The Business Cycle is built from the simple notion that sustainable growth is born in a person who saves so that they can invest in a company. That company then builds more stuff that we can buy. Buy more of our stuff, and they can hire more people.
Wealth has become valued more realistically of late, and we are moving into a new normal. The GDP is expected to grow at about 3.5% and employment at only 1.4% or 2 million jobs nationally. The public sector is starting to realize that it needs to contribute, and not just consume to get us back on track. This is a key realization as policy makers search for what is optimal and sustainable to address what we see as a decline of the middle class. The need to address and support small business was a message laced through all four presenters’ comments. Dr. Addy was keen to remind the audience that all large companies were indeed at once a small business. He gave the challenge to the audience to look at the system which creates the dynamic that allows the growth of small business.
So which sector will lead us into this growth? According to the group certainly healthcare will continue to grow both locally and nationally, and it will add jobs. Education will continue to be challenged by the limits of state financial revenues, and interestingly manufacturing will grow about 5%, but not add any measurable amount of jobs. Manufacturing is learning to do its work better, and as the daily reports of downsizing show, they are doing it with fewer workers.
The banking sector will continue to compete for a smaller group of potential borrowers, and market indicators are pointing to a continued rise in interest rates. Many countries are attempting growth by currency devaluation, and they all agreed that this will prolong any recovery in the market place. On a more local level, all discussed the need for a community bank that takes on a personal banker role to small business. This will open the door to loans based on tangible business models, not just credit models, and a keep a needed check on the veracity of loan access and payback.
What about the debt? According to the US Debt Clock (www.usdebtclock.org) we are 14 Trillion in debt with 1 Trillion owed to China. We owe Japan nearly that same amount, and the United Kingdom half a Trillion. This is clearly a very big number, and the debt clock is pretty scary let me tell you. I am really a bit sorry that I found it, and it is truly mesmerizing to sit and watch these astronomical numbers click away glibly before your very eyes. It is truly stunning to see in real time our debt, and how it breaks down to a per tax payer burden of about $45,000. By the way, only 1 in 3 pay taxes, and you can see that on the debt clock too. Next time you hear someone talking about “spreading the responsibility” or “everyone doing their fair share” to support this bail out or that bail out, remember that fine point.
All in all, better to know the facts as you make decisions going forward. Yes, 2010 was a disappointing year, but the trough occurred in June of 2009 actually. Our pick up will sputter, and our speakers maintained that the outlook should improve by the second half of this year. So hang in and hang on as we are not out of the woods just yet.
Chaos Theory and Business Management
“Welcome to the Jungle” goes the beginning of a song that I’ll bet your kids know and you probably air guitar along with also. Which brings us to Chaos Theory which, when applied to business and organizations, may help us see through the uncertainty of our times. Chaos Theory is a scientific principle describing the unpredictability of systems. Recognized in the 1980’s it has actually been around since the mid 1800’s. The premise is that systems reside in chaos. A System generates energy, but without predictability or direction. This idea of chaos theory can be applied to everything from weather to water flow to the management of organizations.
Edward Lorenz of MIT is credited with discovering one of chaos theory's fundamental principles—the Butterfly Effect. The Butterfly Effect is named for its assertion that a butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo can impact weather patterns in Chicago
In a business world where innovation, change, competitive advantage and the impact on strategy are discussed daily, why is this idea of chaos and embracing the uniqueness of “the New” so difficult? I believe it is because we confuse order with control. If your company is like most, it probably looks very different than it did even just 6 months ago. How you now compete and survive in the jungle of business will be driven at a high level on how you let your company and team members self-organize, grow and evolve. This type of management style is critical in today’s competitive environment where we sometimes need to break it to make it better.
As long as the change occurs within the boundaries of your company’s overall vision and culture, you should strongly benefit from the resulting creativity and innovation. Chaos theory shows the need for effective leadership, a guiding vision, strong values, organizational beliefs, and most importantly open communication.
Have you ever worked for a group where you were told that you could not have a conversation with a higher up or express your ideas? Knowing a bit about Chaos Theory and Management may be some good food for thought for you. Chaos Theory is important here for business leaders because it is critical to embrace the idea, sometimes just for the sake of the idea. We would be wise to remember that order is in fact not control, and pulling in fresh ideas is the life blood of innovation and change.
Innovation and change are the pillars of developing a high-functioning team. Members of effective teams frequently change and recreate the role that each team member plays depending on the needs. While someone may not be the formal leader, an informal leader may emerge because they know just the right way to address the need of the group. The most successful leaders understand that it is not the organization or the individual who is most important, but the relationship between the two.
Tom Peters, one of the most influential business writers of our time, asserts that we live in "a world turned upside down," and survival depends on embracing "revolution." According to Peters, “We must learn to love change, as much as we have hated it in the past.”
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Spin, Marketing and PR
“Don’t believe everything that you hear, and half of what you see,” goes the old saying which brings me to something of interest this week: Spin. PR. Marketing. Call it what you will, how we feel about certain things, and the items that we buy and sell, have a lot of thought and energy behind the creation of an image.
In his new book Deadly Spin, Wendell Potter writes about corporate spin-manship and industry. In his previous role as chief of public relations for CIGNA, Potter pulls from vast experience with corporate culture and the ability to make the sausage of information into the Andouille of desire. More importantly, the book gives thought to the ethical considerations of public relations and the need for a bit of soul-searching.
The spin or the ruse has a rich history. Think about the Trojan Horse and the spin that some smooth talking Greek Soldier created as he left the gift of a giant wooden horse at the sealed gates of Troy. Deadly Spin reviews the history of spin, which he traces back to the Potemkin Villages of Catherine the Great. According to myth and legend there were fake settlements erected at the direction of the Russian Minister Potyomkin to fool Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea in 1787. According to this story Potyomkin had fake villages constructed along the desolate banks of the river in order to impress the monarch and her travel party. Seeing the value of her new conquests, his standing was enhanced in the empress' eyes.
There are many examples of this type of spin or what is now called “Potemkin Villages” many times in history from the Theresienstadt Ghetto in Nazi Germany also called the “paradise ghetto”, to the work supported by New York Mayor Ed Koch in 1982. Koch had a team affix decals with plants and venetian blinds over the windows of abandoned buildings in the Bronx to hide the blight. The contemporary urban shopping center has been called a Potemkin Village Shopping center as it works to mimic the feel of a village as opposed to a mall atmosphere.
Modern PR was greatly influenced by Edward Bernays, author of the 1923 book Crystallizing Public Opinion, the first book entirely dedicated to PR. Among his clients were the cigarette companies for whom he orchestrated a campaign equating cigarettes with “thinness, grace, and beauty.” An insufficient number of women were smoking, so he began an early PR project to encourage women to smoke.
Just a little bit of research has led me to some of these ideas today, and to ask you to please do one thing: Think. Take the time to consider why something is being said, and what it means to the speaker. Follow the economic trail to discover true motivation. Even great philanthropy, or health care, or politics or buying a particular type of milk, has had great effort placed into creating how you feel about the purchase or the contribution or the vote. Caveat emptor or Let the Buyer Beware.
In his new book Deadly Spin, Wendell Potter writes about corporate spin-manship and industry. In his previous role as chief of public relations for CIGNA, Potter pulls from vast experience with corporate culture and the ability to make the sausage of information into the Andouille of desire. More importantly, the book gives thought to the ethical considerations of public relations and the need for a bit of soul-searching.
The spin or the ruse has a rich history. Think about the Trojan Horse and the spin that some smooth talking Greek Soldier created as he left the gift of a giant wooden horse at the sealed gates of Troy. Deadly Spin reviews the history of spin, which he traces back to the Potemkin Villages of Catherine the Great. According to myth and legend there were fake settlements erected at the direction of the Russian Minister Potyomkin to fool Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea in 1787. According to this story Potyomkin had fake villages constructed along the desolate banks of the river in order to impress the monarch and her travel party. Seeing the value of her new conquests, his standing was enhanced in the empress' eyes.
There are many examples of this type of spin or what is now called “Potemkin Villages” many times in history from the Theresienstadt Ghetto in Nazi Germany also called the “paradise ghetto”, to the work supported by New York Mayor Ed Koch in 1982. Koch had a team affix decals with plants and venetian blinds over the windows of abandoned buildings in the Bronx to hide the blight. The contemporary urban shopping center has been called a Potemkin Village Shopping center as it works to mimic the feel of a village as opposed to a mall atmosphere.
Modern PR was greatly influenced by Edward Bernays, author of the 1923 book Crystallizing Public Opinion, the first book entirely dedicated to PR. Among his clients were the cigarette companies for whom he orchestrated a campaign equating cigarettes with “thinness, grace, and beauty.” An insufficient number of women were smoking, so he began an early PR project to encourage women to smoke.
Just a little bit of research has led me to some of these ideas today, and to ask you to please do one thing: Think. Take the time to consider why something is being said, and what it means to the speaker. Follow the economic trail to discover true motivation. Even great philanthropy, or health care, or politics or buying a particular type of milk, has had great effort placed into creating how you feel about the purchase or the contribution or the vote. Caveat emptor or Let the Buyer Beware.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Governor Elect Dr. Bentley, BBA, and the North Jefferson Area
Governor-Elect Robert Bentley is already working for the North Jefferson area. If you lodged your vote for a pro-business agenda, you would have been encouraged if you attended the Birmingham Business Alliance Annual luncheon this week at the Sheraton to hear Dr. Bentley, I mean Governor-Elect Dr. Robert Bentley, discuss his commitment to our area. An intricately woven quote by Lynard Skynard that “Birmingham Loves the Governor,” was an bright attempt to win hearts and minds. Bentley’s follow up that “You may not always love me, but we will have a good four years full of opportunity,” set the stage for anticipation of good ideas to come. Even this conservative skeptic is willing to give him a chance.
“I commit to you to make Birmingham Birmingham Northern Beltline and promised to make its construction a priority. In allegiance with our Senators Shelby and Sessions, he remains committed to work quickly and diligently to make our road access a reality. A quick turn down I65 South and you can see the fruits of all of our labors, that of our Legislators and that of our hard earned tax dollars. Sharing the luncheon table with me were Mayors McCondichie and Phillips from Brookside and Gardendale respectively, and we were all ears.
Not fading from the issues, Bentley stated that “the role of government is to create a fertile field for jobs to grow, not to create the actual jobs.” I like the sound of that. Bentley was humble to recognize that the strength of a leader will be measured by history by the minds that he surrounds himself with in the leadership challenge. To that end, University of Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Huntsville , Mobile and beyond, but UAB is alive and well and doing the job needed to keep Alabama
Bentley stands out front as one of the first to ask the question, “Did you create a job?” This is simple, poignant, and clearly significant thinking here. In an environment with 20% underemployed, and 9% real unemployment, we look to strong leadership on several fronts to include right to work legislation, improvements in our 2 year and 4 year colleges, decisions on tax requirements for business, and please oh please let us not overlook infrastructure improvements to attract business and industry to our area. Bentley will be well supported if he is a leader that makes strategic decisions, and does not “study the problem to death.”
Well, how do you do that, and can he? Echoing his training as a physician, his message was true in its simplicity. Dr. Tinsley Harrison was his professor in medical school, and a storied and respected physician indeed was Dr. Harrison. Dr. Harrison, ever the servant leader, would encourage his student to “listen to the patient.” The patient will tell you what is wrong if you are keen to listening. Your job then will be to not just examine, but to diagnose and MAKE A DECISION. When you make your decision, then your treatment will lead the way to strength and improvement.
It has been my experience that everyone has an opinion after someone makes a decision. I assess that we are mercifully entering into a time of great decisions and change here in our fair state. Now is the time to educate yourself, leverage your opinions and become involved in the diagnosis and ultimate treatment choice for healthy growth.
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