"The maples are nice, but it's effing cold." --picture and quote courtesy of GSavidge

Dear Banana Tree,

I didn’t know that your leaves would fray, tear, and turn color along the edges.

Now you bleed green into yellow into brown, tattered remnants of a giant unwieldy fan.

This– this?– is my sign of fall this year? That it is November? I am at once grateful for the continued warm weather and inherently, imperatively, body-confused. Where are the maple trees? The rain-lashed bus windows? The slick, gray sidewalks? Where are the rainboots in every store window and the turkey-colored landscape? The sky that is bluer than blue when it is cold, when it is startling in its sudden appearance after hiding for days?

This year, I go to fall rather than fall arriving with the start of the school year. Rain, I’ll meet you in Seattle…

MM

This post is (mostly) strictly for the ladies, unless you men want to read about SCARY lady stuff.  You know what I mean!

For everyone else…

A miniature red banana tree! A little worse for the wear for being in a box for two day and shipped, but should recover quickly!

Since I’ve started this blog, I’ve been looking at different aspects of my life and trying to figure out how to be nicer to the environment as well as save myself some money.  One of the things I’ve looked at is birth control.  You may have seen some recent articles concerned about the effects of birth control pills on our ecosystem.  Women on birth control pills excrete progestins, sythentic versions of natural progestogens, with their urine.  These eventually make their way out into our water systems, and are making the male fish…well, less male.

Artificial Progestins in Women’s Drugs Affect Fish Reproduction

Male Bass in Many US Rivers Feminized by Birth Control and Hormone Treatments

Just look up “birth control” and “fish”.  Now, I’m not advocating no birth control (yikes!).  But rather, an inspection of available choices.  I did some research, and besides the effect birth control pills have on the environment, it’s a pain to remember to take them every day at the same day.  The cost for me is fortunately not significant ($5 for 3-month supply).  I know it’s not always so cheap for everyone.  I finally decided on getting a Paragard IUD.  An IUD (Intrauterine Device) is a little thing that’s inserted into your uterus to prevent pregnancy.  Here in the US there are two main kinds – the Paragard and the Mirena.  The Paragard is T-shaped, and relies on copper wire to prevent pregnancy.  The Mirena is likewise T-shaped, and releases a small amount of localized hormones.  Much smaller than with birth control pills.  I’m not entirely sure, but I think it does not cause hormone to be excreted in the urine, since it is localized and not going through the digestive system.

Both IUDs are over 99% effective.  The Mirena is effective for 5 years, and the Paragard is effective for 10 years.  Without insurance, it costs ~$300.  With my insurance, the appointment and IUD cost me $15.

So…the birth control pills were $20/year for me.  The Paragard will cost me $1.50/year.

As a disclaimer, everyone’s experience with the Paragard will differ.  However, mine has been very pleasant so far!  I won’t lie, the insertion was fairly painful, but well within the realm of bearable.  It lasts a few seconds, at most.  I felt it poking me a bit once in a while for a couple weeks.  It does tend to make your period heavier and/or longer.  At this point, I don’t even know it’s there.  Worry-free birth control that I don’t even know is there?  Love it!

Another thing I wanted to address – menstrual cycles.  I’ve recently become converted to menstrual cups.  I purchased the Moon Cup – Size B MoonCup.  There’s the Keeper and the DivaCup as well.

The Moon Cup is made out of medical-grade silicone.  You won’t need to throw out tampons or pads.  It’s comfy once inserted.  You can keep it in longer, and there’s no risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.  It’s non-absorbent, so it won’t dry you out.  You won’t need to keep BUYING tampons and pads.  The Moon Cup is about $30 with shipping.  It’s medical-grade silicone, so it’s reusable until you break it.  It can save you a lot of money and garbage!

This video explains this well.

A video showing different folding techniques.

Hope this helps you ladies!

It’s not only monkeys that love bananas – humans do, too.

Although I have never been a great fan of it, the banana is a wonderful fruit in terms of the benefits it offers.

Containing Vitamins C, A1, B6, and B12, bananas are also a good source for the body’s potassium and magnesium needs. The fruit offers a virtually instant energy boost, making it popular amongst sportsmen. It is an inexpensive meal of sorts. It also offers numerous health benefits for ailments and conditions as diverse as blood pressure, constipation, hangovers, heartburn, morning sickness, mosquito bites, PMS, stress, strokes, ulcers etc.

Great stuff.

And, it is not the flesh of the fruit alone that offers benefits.

The leaves of the banana tree are used as “plates” in some parts of the world, and the inner trunk is edible and is used like a vegetable. The flower makes a tasty dish, too.

What of the banana peel? Well, it can be put to several interesting uses. In India, the peels are fed to cattle that you see munching ruminatively by the roadside. They can also be used in various other interesting ways such as :

• A face mask
• A fertilizer
• A houseplant cleaner
• An ointment
• A curative for warts

What’s more, the humble peel can, I am told, be used to polish silverware and leather – an excellent alternative to shoe polish.

Quite apart from, of course, providing a source of mirth when some unfortunate soul treads on it.

I’ll warn you in advance, this post is long. But if you hang in there you will find a veggie creature that gave me a chuckle. I think it’s worth the read.

I don’t know how I’d ever keep up with this if anything really happened. Every time I step outside I want to take more pictures, then I have another post on my hands. Now that I have some readers (thanks to all of you), I feel the push to keep it going. Special thanks this week goes to my dear old friend, Dori. Your comments tell me that you are just the same thoughtful, encouraging, beautiful person who took me under her wing that first day of school in a new and frightening place. Thanks for still being there!

I’m ready for a change from the garden doom and gloom and happy to say that I have some verdant hope to offer. Most of the past two weeks has been spent problem solving. AJ is working like a full-time mechanic to keep us on the road with our “pre-owned” vehicles. Personally, we prefer to think of them as “future classics”. We like the older cars because…no car payment; also because they are more durable and easier for him to work on. When he takes a break from fixing and maintaining, he isn’t happy unless they are also clean. I know it sounds obsessive, but it’s essential to keep us rolling.

Yesterday, as I did more garden triage, he washed the car. Lookin’ good! (and the car ain’t half bad, either)

Yesterday was “Atomic Grow™ Sunday”. This is the first season that I’ve had a substantial garden. I could have taken a class or read some books and done it right from the start; but that is too easy and I would certainly have lost interest. I’m more of the “test the water by jumping in” type person, so I just planted anything and everything I could squeeze into the small space, with little regard to planting or growing season guidelines. As I am learning, summer in Central Florida is a challenging time for gardeners. Most of what I am trying to grow is supposed to be done or winding down. Heat, and insects become overwhelming for most gardeners this time of year.

Well, as long as a green leaf survives, I’m not giving up on these plants. It sounds kind of crazy to say it, but I feel as though I know them personally. Yes, I even talk to them! I know the feel and texture of each plant. I think that if you blindfolded me and handed me a cutting, I could identify most of them by touch. I know where to look for the most troublesome pests, and spend a good deal of time exposing and eradicating them. I imagine that I can hear a soft whisper of “Thank you” from my green friends.

The pickleworms, cabbage loopers, squash bugs and aphids are causing me the most grief. Atomic Grow™ is not a pesticide. Although it is said that insects can’t handle the sugars created by the plants, the aforementioned critters seem to have no problem munching on mine. I have resigned myself to my twice daily “critter patrol”, but the aphids are the most troublesome. Fortunately, Atomic Grow™ works wonders when directly applied to aphids.

You’ve got to respect ants. They are brilliantly designed and organized. I’m in awe of the “Rancher Ants” in my garden. I don’t know what kind they are, really; but they are bonafide ranchers; and they are raising herds of sweet, juicy aphids on my vegetable plants! The ants drink the aphid excretions or “honeydew”, sometimes actually milking them. They carry their livestock from plant to plant and protect them from predators; even going so far as to destroy ladybird eggs. In the winter, the ants carry aphid eggs into their nests where they are nurtured in optimal temperatures.

These ranchers have been doing a fine job on my cucumber plant. I know that when a plant is swarming with ants there will be plenty of aphids sucking the life out of it. Yesterday I shut down the Cucumber Ranch.

Here is a shot of the underside of a typical cucumber leaf, yesterday (minus the ants, which scurried away):

Here is a closeup, showing the adults and babies. They look so cute and fresh. I almost wish I were an ant so I could enjoy some aphid honeydew; but since I’m not, they must die.

I mixed up a batch of Atomic Grow™ and went to work. Atomic Grow™ affects their chitin layer (skin), and causes them to dry up. In order for it to work, you must apply it to all areas of the plant; with special attention to the leaf bottoms and new tips, where aphids congregate. The ants went crazy and took off. The spray has an effect on ants, too; but there are so many that it doesn’t take long for them to return. Jim Shellenback from Atomic Grow™ recommends spraying every five days when pests are so active. I can see why, because it is a constant battle.

The good news is that it works! Here are some shots of the same plant this morning:

Most of the aphids are gone. Of the ones remaining, most are dead and drop off with the brush of a finger. I did find a couple still alive, and I suspect that the ants have begun bringing them back. Still, a huge difference! I think that a couple of applications is all it will take to deplete the ants’ backup stock. I have used Atomic Grow™ to eliminate aphids on my peas and beans with great success.

In addition to aphid control on the cucumbers, I applied Atomic Grow™ to the entire garden. I also watered everything with a vinegar solution to work towards balancing the soil pH. Looking back at the abuse I have given this garden, I am more and more convinced that Atomic Grow™ is a main factor in keeping most of it alive. As always, I awoke to find things looking better after the spray. Take a look.

This celery was croaking two weeks ago. The pale leaves you see were much worse, and many were actually white from chlorosis. The foliar applications of Manganese Sulfate, Iron Sulfate and Atomic Grow™ have made a marked improvement. The color is starting to seep back into the leaves.

Here is a closeup of a celery plant. The mottled leaves were white before the treatments.

Ditto for this red pepper plant. Still showing chlorosis, but many times better than before.

The Italian parsley never got very pale, but it has sent out a swath of new growth this week.

Attention: Veggie Creature coming up!

The Poblano plants are responding especially well. See that dark green? That’s all new.

Boo!

Does it remind you of this?

or this? 

OK, enough of that silliness. Check out the watermelon vine!

Two weeks ago this thing was completely yellow and brittle without a hint of a surviving female flower, let alone a fruit. I was seriously planning to scrap this plant and wait for next season. If you recall, it was the watermelon symptoms which ultimately led me to the Manganese deficiency diagnosis; and it is the same vine that is now responding the best of all. The new growth is lush and green, and even the old (once hopeless) sections are showing improvement. What is pale green in the upper section of this image was once whitish yellow and so brittle as to crack in your hands. And the best part…

Baby watermelons! After the spray treatments, the watermelon sent out spurts of new growth, covered in male and female flowers. I have learned that it takes an average of eight visits by a bee to pollinate a female watermelon flower. Because they are nondescript and only open for a single day, the chances of pollination are very limited. I have recently begun experimenting with hand pollination by picking a male flower, removing the petals and rubbing the pollen onto the female flower. It really works. In addition to this little beauty, I have two more which I believe may come to fruition.

The carrots are much greener and putting out new growth.

At the seed swap I heard it told that tomato season is coming to an end. Apparently it is too hot. Please don’t say this out loud in my garden. I just counted 55 tomatoes on these plants in The Oasis, and upwards of 100 cherry tomatoes on the plant in O2. Stepping outside to count them was like walking into a pizza oven, but I’m keeping them watered and crossing my fingers.

Oh, and by the way…the leaf spot fungus is all but gone; thanks to Atomic Grow™.

Here is my latest project: “Tomato Alley”. Eight heirloom plants (two each of Cherokee Purple, Indian Stripe, Black Krim and Brandywine ) from seeds given to me by Suzanne Malone. The end bucket has two Okra seeds (again, fingers crossed). This is an experiment in growing delicate tomatoes under the worst of conditions. I have chosen the smallest of each type to treat with Atomic Grow™. It will be interesting to see the difference between the treated and control plants, and if any of them survive at all.

Smokey now accompanies me on my morning and afternoon rounds.

Here is the papaya that Mike Whitlow gave us. It is also responding well to the treatments.

I was happy to discover a new predator on the Cherry Tomato plant. I moved in for a closeup and didn’t see this Green Lynx Spider, Peucetia viridans (Hentz) until I was very close. Trusting her camouflage, she didn’t budge, as I grabbed the camera for a couple quick shots. The wind was blowing, so I’ll have to find her on a calm day and get some better photos. These spiders are a mixed blessing, as they eat destructive moths and beneficial bees and wasps, alike.

Here is how The Oasis looks today (overgrown and somewhat messy).

And here is O2.

The muskmelon vines are barely hanging on. It’s a race to ripeness for these three melons. And then I wonder if they will taste OK. Time will tell.

Remember the baby bananas? They are slowly growing.

And here are their counterparts from the other stand. This flower is much larger, and appeared immediately after the spray treatments. This first hand has eight bananas and we hope there are more to come.

Well, there it is! I’m finally caught up on my regular posts. The next thing you see from me will be all about Atomic Grow™ and how you can get some for your own garden, lawn or even house plants.

For now I leave you with Silly Cat:

See ya’ very soon!

OK, maybe he’s really more of a teenager. But isn’t he adorable?!

This afternoon AJ came running in to tell me that he had cornered a baby opossum. I grabbed the camera, raced over to the cottage and saw this little guy. We started to rescue him but decided to let him go. After checking the internet I found out that opossums this size are just fine on their own. We brought him over to our place and let him go, so now we will have one more midnight visitor to the cat food dish.

Found this baby muskmelon hiding under the vines today. More like another teenager, really. I’m guessing 30 days ’til melon time.

Here are the new guests to the garden. Anybody want to make a stab at an ID? Here’s a hint…that’s the mammoth dill. These little critters are one of my favorite photographic models, so you will get to watch them grow up; provided the invasive lizards don’t eat them up.

Baby collard didn’t take well to the transplant. It was so happy in the nice Miracle Grow soil of the nursery; but I decided it was time to graduate to the garden. I think it will be fine and soon on its way to becoming a Collard Tree.

Perhaps I’m overdoing it on the bananas, but isn’t this thing gorgeous? I have been standing underneath it, mentally willing the bananas to ripen. AJ tells me that he expects it to be even bigger than previously stated. If it is one of his grandma’s trees then the clump of fruit could end up weighing 150+ pounds. We’ll see, soon enough, if that is an exaggeration.

I harvested a couple pounds of tomatoes this afternoon. Sorry, the photos were too blurry to post. Next, I sprayed everything with Atomic Grow™.

I was working towards rolling out some news about Atomic Grow™, and my part in the company; but I haven’t gotten my ducks in a row just yet. I’m sure that you can tell that I’m very thrilled with this product and am anxious to be a part of its ascent in the world of gardening!

And finally…If AJ would make himself a blog these things would get better coverage. Of course he went about fixing things again today. This project started out as a simple truck wash. His eagle eye caught the clouded headlights, so he dropped what he was doing and sanded and buffed the headlights and tail lights. They look great, don’t they? If you want to see more of this stuff leave a comment and tell him to get on that blog!

Everything is green. The yard is packed with baby grass, and the garden is growing fast.

If you read Things are a bit Spotty, you may recall that I was having a fungal issue with the tomatoes. I’m calling it Grey Leaf Spot until someone tells me otherwise. Last year this stuff completely ravaged my tomato plant to the point that I had very little yield.

Last week I treated the plant with Atomic Grow™ and trimmed off the terminal branches. I left a few of the branches with the initial stages of yellowing to see what would happen. One week later, the leaves are virtually unchanged and it appears that the fungal invasion has been stopped in its tracks. The new growth is green and healthy. I’m not going to go overboard with excitement, but things look promising!

I know I said I would make my next Atomic Grow™ application yesterday. I reserve the right to change my mind, and so I have declared Sundays to be “Atomic Sunday”. I will make the application this afternoon and post some quick photos. There are some new guests in the garden (one for which I have planted a specific herb), and I will not be spraying that plant because I want to encourage the guests. Sorry for the vagueness, but I think I’ll let you watch them progress and see who can guess what they are. Their momma dropped them off on Friday, so stay tuned for some baby pictures this afternoon.

Here is the Oasis this weekend. Doesn’t everything look happy?

A closer shot of some of the herbs. This is my first year with celery. I’m learning about self-blanching and how celery needs to be grouped together. I had thinned out the clump and moved some plants to outside areas. They are easily identified because they turned pale yellow. The central clump is still green. I guess we will wait and watch to see how they turn out.

The cherry tomato plant has officially reached tree status in my book. It is upwards of 5′ tall and growing by leaps and bounds. If it didn’t make those yummy tomatoes I’d think it were a weed.

Time for a salad.

The succulent garden is doing great. Notice that green grass in front?

Over the course of the week our banana flower has opened up and exposed the first hand of six bananas.

AJ explained to me that this is only the beginning. Each layer of the pod will open up in succession and reveal another hand. He estimates five or six more to come. This has been the highlight of my week.

The poblano peppers got off to a rocky start, but now they are loaded with babies.

Can I have more than one highlight? The Marketmore 76 cucumber has exploded in size.

And I found three new babies on a single branch. I’ve got to keep my eye out for those pickleworms. They are not allowed to eat our cucumbers.

The muskmelon took a beating from the winds this week. The older leaves are fairly shredded, but there is so much new growth that it hardly matters. This plant is loaded with babies.

Dead frog walking. Yes, here is another Cuban Tree Frog. This one has set up housekeeping inside one of the bamboo stakes. The stake has filled with water, thus forcing froggie to poke out of the top in the daylight. These are nocturnal frogs, so you can see its determination to stay home. I was able to get extremely close and the frog didn’t budge. I’m still building the fortitude to round up and kill these invasives. I even bought some Benzocaine to put them gently to sleep before popping them into the freezer. AJ is promoting the idea of just stomping on them. Is he mean or what? Actually, it would probably be the most humane way. I just don’t think I could do it.

For now I am building a collection of photographs for their memorial. Eat up little froggie; your days are numbered!

Mr. Fix It is still at it. This week the rains exposed another problem with the car: leaking tail lights, which allowed water to get into the trunk. AJ took them apart and found that they were both crazed and that one was cracked in various places. Here he is trying to salvage the blasted thing until we can afford a replacement part. Anybody want to buy a 1985 Mercedes 300D?

I’ll leave you with “Gravel Cat”, Jorgi.

Check back later for a harvest update and some shots of the baby guests.

I think there have been a lot of useful things that can be taken from the course.  However, my biggest complaint is having students pay for Harvard case studies and then never integrating that into the class discussion or having specific case reviews.  Granted, its not a lot of money, but I think with the high amount of reading required in this class, if there are things that won’t be part of the class discussion, that they can be edited out of the curriculum.

I also think it would be good to add a couple of local guest speakers who can talk about their experiences and what it takes to keep a strong moral compass in the business community.  They don’t have to talk long, maybe just 30-45 minutes worth of class, and maybe have some Q&A.

What about doing some kind of class tour or field trip of something relevant?  I know this seems difficult to come up with an example off the top of my head, but I think this could be very insightful.  Maybe an in depth exploration of a local business person who gets arrested for some unethical practices, follow through with what the consequences for them were?  Stephen Hilbert’s story might be good, and seeing the fall of the former Conseco CEO might help hit home with what is at stake.

I think it has been very helpful to use tools like the LPI360 feedback and the IOPT Advanced Leadership Report.  I know for myself, I have a difficult time getting an objective view of some of my strengths and vulnerabilities (as stated in IOPT) and in knowing how others view my leadership style (provided by the 360).

What I found really interesting where the differences and similarities in what I thought the results would be, and what I actually got in the form of feedback.

I’ve always been my own biggest critic.  I set the bar high for myself, because I want to reach for great things.  Unfortunately, I think sometimes this is counter-productive.  I find sometimes I have a lower opinion of myself than others do, and that I will actually discourage myself sometimes when I should be self-motivated by setting a high standard.  The LPI 360 report kind of confirmed this, and surprised me a bit.  There were generally a lot of scores that the other people scored me much higher on than I scored myself.  Thankfully it doesn’t look like these people were just high-number inclined, as you have to watch out for, because they were also able to pick out some of my weaker points and the scores reflected this.  I just think its nice to see that maybe the hard work and self-effacing characteristics I display in turn reveal how hard I do try.  I think I just need to gain a greater sense of self-confidence and use these tools to really keep a watchful eye on my own development.

I thought the IOPT did a fairly accurate job of describing some of my leadership characteristics and styles.  It was a little wild to read portions of the report and say, “Gee, this really does sound like somebody is writing about me.”  I’ve always been a skeptic of some of these tools, like Meyers-Briggs and the like.  I like to feel like I’m in control of being who I am, and if I feel I need to change that through self-improvement, that some psychiatrists tests won’t pigeon-hole me with some 4 letter designator.  I want to control my own destiny as much as I can, and I like being able to find areas to work on improving.  I think this course has helped me realize that good leaders share this kind of mindset, that its important to be cognizant  of my leadership skills and continually find ways to reach for improved knowledge and sharper skills.

I was driving home from a visit to the campus library one evening this week and I was thinking about the Hedgehog Concept.  I think it is very easy for people to oversimplify the concept and say that it is simply, “Find the thing that you can do best in the world, and do that.”  We talk about these various corporate examples and how they focused on figuring out a simple plan for focusing their operations.  However, this alone won’t work.

I think people can say to themselves that they’re going to develop a hedgehog concept, but its very difficult to do, especially when trying to find the overlapping area of the three circles.  If I went home and said to myself that I’d be the best person in the world to make some new consumer product, it won’t be enough to create a great business, or let alone a successful business.

I think two of the circles are very hard to find a good overlap in the strategy, which are finding out  what you can do that you’ll be the best in the world at, and how you can drive your economic engine with that business.  I tend to think that the third circle will most likely take care of itself (being deeply passionate) as if you’re spending the time to develop a business strategy at which you will do well economically and you can be the best in the world at it, it’s likely you’re already deeply passionate about it too.

I think it will be interesting to try and look at future employers and competitors and see how well they fit into this hedgehog concept, and see how it affects their success rates.

In class last night we watched a video, although a bit dated, about a gentleman who came into a blue collar, small precision machined parts company in the Bay Area in California.  He talked about how he had reached to connect with the hearts of his employees and bring out the best in them.

One of his big points was about being “bone honest” with them, because these people are used to being conned and tricked and lied to.  He said that if he was going to maintain his credibility and connection with them, that he had to be truthful with them… always.

I think this is a policy that people have a very difficult time dealing with and upholding.  It’s great to strive for this, but I think it is very difficult to do.  Some people say that being dishonest is only when you say something that is misleading or false.  Other people also point out that you can be dishonest through omission (failing to say something that the other person should hear or needs to know).  If you include both sides of dishonesty, I think it becomes a real challenge to be “bone honest” with people all of the time.

Honesty simply isn’t easy, for numerous reason.  We don’t want somebody to have their feelings hurt, so we lie when they seek feedback.  We want people to have a good opinion of us and our abilities, so we exaggerate or slant the way we describe our accomplishments.  What if your boss tells you about upcoming corporate changes and asks you to remain silent until the formal announcement?  What do you do if you feel conflicted about the way things are being handled, or perhaps an employee asks you point-blank if there will be layoffs upcoming?  Is it best to be honest and possibly be fired for disclosing the information when your boss instructed you to be silent?  What is our obligation to be truthful and candid and what is our obligation to keep quiet in certain circumstances?

I think candor is very important and I prefer when people are open and honest with me.  Yes, I don’t like bad news any more than anybody else, but I prefer to know about it as soon as possible so that I can plan accordingly.  It seems like a very fine line of ethics and word-smithing must take place, especially around certain conversation topics.  I hope I can find a way in the future to always treat people with respect and integrity and provided them with valuable candid conversation.  I hope that future bosses with have these values as well and find ways to handle tough situations appropriately.

We completed the GlobalTech change management simulation today in class.  I went back after class and tried out a few things on my own, and found it to be very beneficial.  Afterall, on just my 2nd solo effort, I landed the 3rd highest score in the class (behind team 8 & 9) with an 834/1000.  But it wasn’t just about getting a high score.

I found the simulation very intriguing because it wasn’t just a matter of picking the right and the wrong actions to take, but it was a lot about timing and selecting the most suitable individuals for specific roles to play.  I thought the wrap-up section was the most interesting when it showed the graph and then under-laid the shaded area that told you the ideal timing and effectiveness of each action.

I thought it was really important to make sure there was clear communication.  First, the problem had to be identified, and the management team had to understand what was going on.  I thought it was very important that the dire situation be revealed on all levels and this seemed to help build buy-in to the team-concept.  I was surprised, however, that I implemented the team process too soon, and instead should have run a couple pilot teams first before the role-out.  The clear communication got the union on board, which prior to the simulation was being depicted as impossible to deal with.

I think there is a shade of truth there.  I’ve never worked in a union shop, so I can’t speak from experience, but my impressions are that people in unions can understand common sense as well as non-union folks.  If you are clear and candid with them, showing them facts, figures, and honestly present to them a dire situation, they’re going to be onboard for trying to save the company.  Afterall, what good is the union doing if it runs the company out of business?  I guess it’s in dire times that this works, but when times are profitable and everyone is trying to come out the winner, is when negotiations are tough.

I wonder how a management team could balance that dynamic with a union.  For example.  The big 3 are getting concessions from the UAW now because the economy is in the tank.  But what happens in 5 years or 10 years when things are looking great and a restructured big 3 is pulling in big profits again?  How will the union and the management teams return to the table?  Will anybody have learned a lesson, or will the same problems resurface?

For those of you not in the J506 class, you probably have no idea what I am talking about.  So, sorry, but maybe next time my chosen topic will all make a bit more sense.  Keep tuning in.

Several weeks ago we were given the idea to write up a little something about the best and the worst characteristics of a manager/leader that we would want to emulate.  I think unless you’ve personally experienced the good and the bad and the mediocre, its difficult to know for sure what we’d want to be as we grow into becoming better leaders and effective managers.

I’ve had bosses that I’ve liked and disliked.  This is a reference point, but it surely doesn’t give me the best base of ideas to draw upon in my limited years in professional workplaces.  However, from some of what I’ve seen, here are things that I think are good & bad.

Good Stuff:

• Give praise and credit to those you lead or manage for the successes they accomplish.  It’s too easy to forget this or assume that they know you’re appreciative.  If you praise and give credit, it must be sincere and not as an afterthought or an obligatory action that isn’t heartfelt.  Insincerity will be immediately detected and will backfire.   However, ensuring that the people that put in the extra effort or come through in tough times get recognized by their peers and people who can influence their future will mean a lot to them.
• Give people who want it, a chance to grow.  Some people are content with staying put and doing the same thing for 20 years.  Other people yearn to learn new things, stretch themselves, and challenge their limits to become a stronger and more valuable employee.  These people need to be cultivated and given the opportunities they need to grow.  It’s like taking care of a plant though, because too little water & sunlight will kill it, surely as drowning it or letting it bake in the sun all day.  It’s about finding balance and providing the right environment.  However, I feel that this builds loyalty and a genuine desire to be at work, when people know you’re interested in their long term success and helping them achieve it.
• Provide people with a path or with milestones.  I suppose this depends on individual style, but my preference is to at least have a bit of an idea of both short term and long term plans/ideas/needs/goals.  It becomes to easy to lose focus on the big picture and get stuck in a routine without having some of these road-map type things to keep our eyes on the horizon.
• Keep people comfortable with their co-workers and their leadership.  Develop team chemistry and even have social events or team-building events so that people get to know each other a little better and can be at ease when they’re working together or need one another’s help.  Rarely can somebody sustain as an island unto themselves at work, and if a person tries, the rest of the team may isolate them due to human nature (“Oh he doesn’t eat lunch with us, he’s too important“, “She’s all business and gives us that look when we talk about anything social”, “He probably won’t help you, he never works with anybody”).  These things that people might say is what happens when a leader allows these walls to go up.  Keep that from happening wherever possible.

Bad Stuff:

• Taking all the credit for a success yourself and not sharing it with those who brought you there is surely a way to build resentment amongst a team and undermine your authority.  Similarly, spreading the blame and “throwing under the bus” will yield similar results. Take it on the chin for your team, deal with any individuals who need to be dealt with privately so as not to disrespect and embarrass them in front of their peers.
• Putting people that want to grow into one place and leaving them there because its easier than fostering their growth.  This will only develop a drain on a person’s energy and desire to be a fruitful employee.
• Turning people competitively against each other in the name of achieving a bonus.  Life can suck and is tough enough.  Don’t needlessly turn your group into a pool of sharks out to eat each other alive.  Nobody will benefit in the long run from this and will hurt many in the team along the way.
• Watch “The Office” and you’ll get a good idea of many things that shouldn’t be done as a manager or leader in a company   I love that show.

Well, as I mentioned in my opening commentary, this blog is grounded in a class activity.  The class is J506 at the KSBI.  So, I’m going to group all of these as a bunch of posts (those that are on assigned topics) under the “banana tree” category.

I’m looking forward to this class, as I’ve begun reading Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”, I see that there is going to be some interesting discussions about ways of providing leadership.  My learning objectives for this class are to be able to better identify and apply various leadership styles and techniques, and to be able to understand ways to appropriately handle various ethical dilemas that I will encounter in the business place (or just daily life).

My overall goal is to conduct internal inspection of my own leadership style and find ways to improve the inherent flaws with my novice techniques.  I also will try and apply a critical eye to the various topics we cover and see how maybe so of the old techniques may need to change as we enter a whole new economic situation in our world.

Banana tree leaves, by Jill

Layer upon layers of life, love and nature.