America’s Gun Violence, When does it stop?

Why Americans can learn from the facts of the American Civil war to divine a better future

Everybody has being shocked and outraged at the needless deaths of African Americans at supposedly routine police stops along with the deaths of the Police Officers by a deranged killer in Dallas, TX over most of last week.

I wondered at why such instant rage was tapped into so immediately when the girlfriend of the first man killed by police in Louisiana released the footage of the incident on Facebook? How can so many people be so ‘instantly’ angry underneath the calm demeanour of everyday American life? It would reason soundly that should it be the case, then the general public is segregated into two main groups, those who are affected by injustice (majority) and those who are not (privileged) making for an unbalanced and volatile nation. Yet, following that line of thought, it’s hard not to think about the injustices of 19th century autocratic Europe and how we moved on after learning very difficult lessons. Europe has many social and political problems but is a fairer place to live in today than at any time in its history! Surely, progressivism is alive and well in America with a well oiled legal system that can address such injustice? Isn’t the American dream still alive and coming true for many Americans as it has done in the past?? Afterall, isn’t America the land of opportunity for all?

I did not have to search too far before I realised America does not get instantly angry, America is always angry! The poverty gap pushes the 99% further away from the 1% who are elevated to ridiculous levels of personal wealth. Also, the 1% has a 1% who elevate again well beyond what is considered reasonable in terms of being wealthy. Wealth distribution has become very narrow in America and the inequality its breeding is getting people killed. Many in the 1% donate generously to charity which saves lives in reality, yet it does not stop the cultural disembowelment of a great nation! It would appear the status quo comes at great cost! So, this thought been a little obvious and put to one side, what of the nasty undercurrent of racism that apparently has not gone from America despite considerable efforts by many parties since the 1960s and the civil rights movement?

One might think the issue lay with the bottom feeders of the KKK weigh laying the US nation with racially fuelled violence and oppression in the 1960s as the sole source of racial tension. Over the years, such tension boils over into murders and recrimination to remind everybody why Black, White, Asian, Christian, Muslim and Jew matters more than just being ‘American!’ It’s at this juncture that I came across a very interesting article in the Washington Post by James W. Loewen addressing this issue and tracing its origins all the way back to the 1870s.

Those years were post civil war America and the vanquished pro slavery Confederacy apparently decided to fight on with the pen rather than the sword poisoning the accuracy of American History with more than misinformation. They used this misinformation to create a mirage of injustice forced upon them by the Union as denying their freedoms as States. A cruel and ridiculous lie transformed the pro slavery Confederacy into a pro state Confederacy. To keep the Confederate fires alive and the United States divided culturally from the inside, they successfully managed to:

Succession - Create the illusion that the Confederate cause for succession was based in the pursuits of freedom for individual States when they in fact succeeded due to their stubborn intent to persist with Slavery and have it vigorously enforced without any Union interference.

Trust - Create a cause that pitted those who believed in it against everybody else. If they can divide and conquer making sure others did not trust each other because of race and/or religion, then the cause of the confederacy shall remain alive and develop with the times in the cracks of ignorance that separated ego driven Americans from each other based on these kernel partitioning criteria.

Fast forward to today and apparently the fantastical glorification of the Confederacy can be found in current US School books, which paints a violent, oppressive and racist movement as folk heroes striving for what is just against the big bad old Union Government. As this is untrue and brazen to say the least, why does America want to make its people ignorant of their own immediate past? Its down to this in my view. A powerful yet dark hearted and malevolent group of Americans have a neofascist worldview that has its origins in Confederate misinformation post Civil war. They see it as their seat of power, which they will fight to maintain and grow through transformational leadership of people already intellectually and emotionally weakened by the lies, innuendo and mistrust that traces its lineage to Confederate America. Nobody wants to confront it yet everybody feels it everyday when they size a stranger up by race, gender, religion and/or net worth.

It’s my belief that when Americans face up to their past shedding misinformation for hard historical truth on the Confederacy, then and only then can they discern who they are as a people! Americans need to embrace their civil war demons as part of what it means to be American and with it, plan a better future with cool heads and wise insight gained from all lessons learned. Until then, the pattern of ebb and flow will continue as new generations of Americans are depleted of their future by a misinformed past that refuses to stay in the history books!

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

www.bcnn2.com

www.reddit.com

https://stocksnap.io/photo/B09CE159C8

Credits;

Prof. James W Loewen in a Washington Post Article

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/07/01/why-do-people-believe-myths-about-the-confederacy-because-our-textbooks-and-monuments-are-wrong/

Independent Thinking - Making Waves or Just Making Trouble?

Why independent thinking should not be confused with negativity or just plain trouble-making

We all love the thought of an easy life; one where we don’t worry about bills, money in our pocket or why we have to (v ‘want to’) use the bus to work in the morning! Our career journeys are often primed to identify “independent thinkers” that are destined in our eyes to interfere with our plans for a domestic utopia; with us taking remedial action at the earliest possible opportunity. This phenomenon is more common then one might think and in enough numbers can often lead to a malformed clan culture in companies where protectionism rather than visionary insight dominate the company culture and arguably its destiny…

So, in walks the fear of losing one’s job, being relegated in career progression to the guy with deeper insights and/or just not succeeding like one feels they should ‘cos that guy is just doing better…’ It may sound like a case of jealousy, but it is a herald for more serious organisational issues especially in a company(s) where leadership tends to be weak and reactive in nature.  

Needless to say, this if unchecked ends ups a management issue that can often lead to a rounding on the ‘trouble maker’ to suppress his or her “performance” or even expel them from the organisation in the name of employee satisfaction. A direct chase to the finish line of bad management practice is obviously not the way to go, which is why I would recommend to any manager the following:

Is the person in question a balanced independent thinker, a whiner/neigh-sayer or an out and out trouble maker??? You will find such issues always boil down to the initial person of interest been accused of being one or more of the three. So quick definitions of the three and what to do:

Independent thinker: Articulate, outspoken, creatively intelligent, passionate about topics and can exude an air of confidence that at times may intimidate some. Issues often arise due to misunderstandings and/or folks becoming threatened by their willingness to think and step outside of the corporate box on issues. Defying conventions can lead to ‘witch hunts’ so beware of folks trying to manipulate events to paint a person like this in a bad light. If there is ever a need for creative types, it’s in this information era where innovation happens at an ever faster rate. Direct such engagements towards mutual accepting of each other’s value to the organisation and to each other. After all, absent one, the other will be eventually be out of job when the company fails. Creative and process driven employees make a successful company in partnership with well rounded leadership of both!  

Negativity: Negative, passive aggressively forward in meetings and backbiting anybody they feel like behind closed doors. Such personalities often seek to deflect attention from themselves by targeting an outspoken independent thinker with the traits they actually display. They are arguably the master of ‘dirty politics’ and most difficult to spot as they “seem to be liked” more by the silence of others then by direct compliment. They are socially active in groups spreading gossip and an innuendo in an apparently gleeful manner. They are the proverbial ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.’ If the person you are informed about is charged with such transgression, I recommend you evaluate the complainant as much as the initial person of interest for signs of deception and follow up for signs of social interactivity that indicate narcissism and a sense of grandiose. Getting them talking about their correctness in an issue at an appropriate time can be revealing in this regard. Be sure that after completing your investigation, the results are impartial and the real narcissist is identified as an issue, which should be symptomatically addressed in a firm manner as they will raise issues due to their inevitable (future) infractions, which affords you remedial reproach. That said, always be impartial but never forget who you are dealing with.

  

Trouble Makers: The need to see how a bad employee behaves can be subtle like the negative employee or down right threatening like the argument makers. I had a crazy guy work for me who at a team meeting in an open space with our team and two senior managers in guest attendance told me to “lay off the drugs” in a loud disrespectful manner when I talking. The counselling session afterwards lead to more verbal abuse on his part where a verbal warning was his prize. If someone makes a claim about someone you know to be like that, then be sure to not jump to conclusions but be ready to follow the prescribed disciplinary process of your company after your initial investigation is complete. The results from the investigation can start the disciplinary process. People like that are not worth the effort and arrogantly detract from a team’s effectiveness and longevity in a real way. They need to be removed and if management don’t support you on it, then find a new job!

So, you can see that independent thinkers are the lifeblood of any company's longevity but if you let bad ones in that carry the traits of negativity and/or trouble maker, then be prepared to act for everybody’s benefit and future. A “good cultural fit” often misses this at selection letting in the bad ones and keeping the good ones out. As a manager, it then becomes your problem to fix it and fix it we must!

About the author: John Mulhall is a Community Manager and newly Minted Software Developer. John is also a committed blogger and from February 2016 onwards, will be publishing blogs every second week on topics around Technology, Leadership and Sustainable Capitalism.

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

https://stocksnap.io/photo/VJF8BWGNNW

www.positivethinkingseminars.com

www.123rf.com

Credits:

Welcome to 2016 - The 1st Centenary of the Irish Rebellion, but are we keeping up with the Times?

Bringing the best and leaving the rest at the door of 2016, the lessons from the Irish experience, which can be of benefit to all… 

When I thought of 2016 as a year to come, the lotto gave way to wider thoughts about Irish society; past, present and future. Given 2016 is the 1st centenary year of the 1916 Irish rebellion that started a chain of events leading to partial Independence from the United Kingdom in 1921 and full independence as an Irish Republic in 1937, the lessons learnt from Irish tragedies and triumphs over the last 100 years came into focus.

Michael Collins was a true Irish Patriot and a warrior for doing what is right both in war and in peace. He had a vision for Ireland that certainly has not being realised to date given the recently uncovered corruption and collusion between partners best kept apart. This at times has risen to outrageous exploitation of the ordinary citizen trying to put food on the table, maybe find a little happiness and live their lives with a fair ounce of common decency. 10 days before he died in 1923, Michael Collins said of the economy: “Our object in building up the country economically must not be lost sight of. That object is not to be able to boast of enormous wealth or of a great volume of trade for their own sake. It is not to see our country covered with smoking chimneys and factories. It is not to show a great national balance sheet, nor to point to a people producing wealth with the self-obliteration of a hive of bees. The real riches of the Irish nation will be the men and women of the Irish nation the extent to which they are rich in body and mind and character."

This oratory hit home at what it means to be Irish. He embraced our relationship based society for its strengths and harnessed the protection of the longer term future even at the expense of short term gain so that our children’s children may enjoy a sustainable elevation in lifestyle, income, and quality of life in context to the Irish nation. His views had a strong socialist orientation but were sharply prudent in fiscal matters along with a mastery of economics that was not lost on his fellow Founders nor his other contemporaries of the day. Fairness, equality, literacy, art, exploration of knowledge through the sciences and international trade strongly featured in the vision Michael Collins had for the the new Irish state and its future.

So, if that was the past, it’s now fair to say we live in a present where many rightly highlight the growing gap between rich and poor along with the slowing migration to the middle class that would otherwise make our nation complete. They highlight the catastrophic failures over the last two decades in particular that make 2016 a year of remembrance of what our forefathers went through to make us custodians of our own house. It also sets a challenge for us in the present to restore the founder’s spirit and fair intent so that we all may see that fair future coming down the tracks for our children to enjoy.

My own thoughts draw many conclusions that are useful for the future ranging from learnt lessons at a national and local level to a personal level. Here are my top 5 that all could use wherever they are in the world:

• Integrity - Governments should recognise people as people, companies as companies and never ever mix the two when it comes to politics. As custodians of the public trust, lobbying companies need to take second place to the welfare of the people in all cases. ‘In the public interest’ needs to be reconstituted in this light so it rightously regains public trust
• Separation of Concerns - Private industry needs to remain private noting it must protect itself through 1st party means from market downturns and not rely on public money to “bail them out” ever again
• Productivity - Public industry needs to become owners of their own future and self motivated drivers of improvements from within so that in-house expertise is developed. This expertise then creates value so that every action at the very least negates waste
• Fairness - Those who give the most should not get the most, but get what is due. There is no point in being the richest man in the cemetery, especially when it is at the unnecessary expense of our fellow citizen. We need to accept the honour of creating value for our people that when we put food on our table, the fruits of our labour are efficiently redistributed to our kin who have not being as lucky as we have. If tweaked until done right, our public services can become a hand up and not a hand out for those down on their luck and in need of mother Ireland’s help.
• Culture - Our departure from socially conscious culture towards an ego centric culture is something we must reverse. The credit crises of 2007/08+ was not the shock, but an escalation of the shock that our fellow countrymen felt in the early 1990s when real money often in the form of credit was visited upon the real Irish citizen. Those in power need to protect those not able to do anything for them and ensure that they are not preyed upon by unscrupulous captains of villainy that hail from the four corners of Ireland and the globe. The ability of our culture to march forward with honour depends on a reassertion of our socially orientated culture. We need to do what is right bearing in mind the consequences for all in every decision.

I have passed many homeless guys over the year just gone and apologised for not being able to afford a few pennies to give to them knowing that the act of directly donating such monies would not make a difference. However, the respect of apologising to them may just may make a difference in their lives. Who is to say that the guy begging may not connect with this real self and re-find his humanity through my own by simply paying him the respect of talking to him? If our society moves in that direction, we all can reconnect with our clan roots and just maybe that guy begging could become something new and influence a positive change in our future that no-one ever saw coming. If I have learnt anything in this life, it’s that our future is not pre-ordained, its chiselled out by the characters of those in the present. This fact can make the next 100 years a golden age for Ireland, a nation that in 2016 is celebrating 100 years, yet going on 7000 years old. I think it’s time we acted our age! What do you think.. do you agree??...

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

www.politics.ie

www.limerick.com

www.derryjournal.com

https://stocksnap.io/photo/AD3F4A9C35

Credits;

Michael Collins Quote at Rare Irish Stuff: http://www.rareirishstuff.com/collins-collection-limited-edition/michael-collins-portrait.5433.html

Quality of Life Definition at: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/quality-of-life

Technology & Culture… A RSVP with Disaster or Greatness?

What a Technologist actually is.. and how approach matters for successful outcomes

We all love our iPhones, iPads, Computers and Laptops as do we love to work in an office that has multi coloured beanbags as the conference room for all “official” meetings. If software is eating the world, technology is its master transforming industries, cultures and even professions into something more relevant in today’s world.

In a few short years, technology has changed the world with software in a leading role making lives better and more things possible that were previously out of reach! As a Technologist, I find there are two types of technology user, the deeply skilled who believe in it and those who are happy to be an end user of technology.

So what makes up a Technologist and are they the backbone of the Technology Industry building a culture and a legacy for others to follow? The free dictionary defines a Technologist as a “Specialist in Technology”. I think a Technologist brings more to the world and thus argue a true Technologist can be described as follows:

Believer in the power of technology to do good in the world

Giver by personality disposition always looking to collaborate and discerningly help others who share a positive attitude to community and helping out

Community is paramount to successful outcomes as technology depends on people collaborating over processes to develop progressively effective technologies

Creativity is wrapped in technical aptitude and knowhow

Commitment is not an issue for the Technologist who is committed to doing great things in technology

Enthusiasm never fades for technology in the right circumstances. A good Technologist if in the wrong circumstances will move to the right circumstances so the exploration of technology may continue

Continuous learner is a hallmark of a good Technologist who never stops learning, innovating and producing effective Technology that paves the way forward for society

The list is longer but the above gives a more detailed description of a Technologist in my view. Business often does not recognise the cultural gap between Technologist and the rest of the business. In various ways, business tends to be disapproving of anybody who cannot focus on profitability and the other management metrics that makes the business a viable venture. This has a core logic to it BUT if a Technologist’s focus is diverted from the core business of great technology, then the related outputs will be correspondingly below par and ultimately detract from the viability of the business. It technology cannot be great, then it will not unlock value for the customer which feeds into the bottom line of the business.

So bearing in mind the above description of a Technologist, how can this description bridge the culture gap between business and technology?

My first thought lies in the wider business culture that underpins business practice, leadership style and acceptable “people behaviour” on a daily basis. There is one way to do great technology but many ways to do good to great business.  In business; ok is acceptable, in technology nothing less then great will do!

So picture a business culture that is hierarchical and a Technologist working there that defines himself by the above highlighted keywords of:

Believer - Giver - Community - Creativity - technical aptitude - knowhow Commitment  - Enthusiasm - Continuous learner

The very fact that the Technologist maybe at staffer level in the company hierarchy relegates him/her to insignificant status within the company and thus open to all kind of interference from other (taker) business peers, untalented (taker) technical peers, leaders, managers and higher that may want something done and expect EXACTLY what they ordered from the Technologist. To keep his or her job, the Technologist will ensure they will get EXACTLY what they asked for. The real result is a talented employee disengaging from the company, who by culture considers the employee contribution to be insignificant in nature. As said above, if they cannot find a collaborative culture to grow in, they will migrate to one. Some companies lose allot of Technological talent down to this fundamental misunderstanding.

Companies in such a case may try to create/engineer a consultative technology sub culture, which may work in the short term. However, it is not sustainable even with a great technology manager as by design; culture clash mitigation lies with the Technology manager, not on the organisational design around him/her. Politics will find a way to reverse any stability and gains in the name of progress. The answer for hierarchical companies lies in overarching change to refocus the company's organizational design to better protect its elements by functional segment (V functional silo). If operations and technology cannot interact as one, then design a model where they can interact as two bodies. If agile project management risks a culture clash, then augment agile with silo deliverables and more reporting managed by very good project managers who have good organisational understanding and management skills.

The bottom line is that Technology already has a defined adhocracy culture that works well with the above description of a Technologist and thus an ideal setting for us Technologists to thrive in. It’s never a good idea from experience to think an Adhocracy Sub-Culture is sustainable when nested in a Hierarchical Culture. Also, thinking of finding a happy medium between the two means moving the expectations, practices and behaviours from the top down to a new hybrid culture that will ultimately fail due to the Giver Taker model where natural givers become victims of natural takers especially in conflict. As with all workplace conflict, productivity suffers alongside the victims of the dispute.

In my opinion, companies who cannot move to an adhocracy and/or clan culture should think about divisionalisation (i.e. create a technology company and an adhocracy culture) or outsourcing.  A company who gets it right, will become a technology company, not because their commercial product range is necessarily Technological. They will become a Technology company because they have made a home for Technologists who will guide them through the Technological age that we now live, grow, innovate and compete in.

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

https://stocksnap.io/photo/POB2Y8A2NU

https://stocksnap.io/photo/75VJAZIQQL

https://stocksnap.io/photo/RLC58MRIX8

https://stocksnap.io/photo/ZMLBPIOGTD

Credits:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/technologist

http://artsfwd.org/4-types-org-culture/

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/givers_take_all_the_hidden_dimension_of_corporate_culture