Cell phone etiquette

This is a photo of a gentleman who was seated at the head table at a function I attended yesterday. Guess what he is doing?

Yes, believe it or not, he was having a conversation on his cell phone!

I continue to be amazed at the way we use cell phones. For some reason, it is imperative that a cell phone is answered. No matter where the cell phone rings – workshops, meetings, weddings, funerals - it MUST be answered! My children will mindlessly ignore the ringing of the home phone, but will track me down wherever I am in the house or garden to insist that I answer my cell phone - NOW! It is so funny to observe people - answering just to say “Call you back”; ducking beneath tables and under tablecloths; cupping hands over the phone while talking in a mumbled whisper - that is quite loud. Don’t we know that voicemail exists? Don’t we know that the missed call shows up on the screen? When I ignore my cell phone, someone will invariably say to me in near panic “Aren’t you going to answer your phone”? And when I indicate not, they stare at me as if I am mad! On occasion, I have said to people “You don’t have to answer the phone you know” and have received the most dumbfounded looks – as if I was suggesting that God doesn’t exist, or the world isn’t round, or some such fundamental underpinning of humanity.

Then there are Blackberrys. I was amused to sit beside a woman at a classical music concert on Sunday who was checking and sending e-mail throughout. As was one of the performers, as he sat in the choral pew! And I can’t believe that people are at Carnival in Trinidad, in the middle of Panorama (steelband competition, which is just rapturous), posting to their Facebook account via Blackberry “Enjoying Panorama, think band #8 should win”!

Cell phones have driven us insane. So caught up in the technology are we that we are not even aware of how we are behaving. I have seen some crazy people in the supermarket talking to themselves – loudly – until I realised that they were using the Bluetooth technology. Speaking of loudly – notice how loud we speak on the cell phone? Does it occur to us that everyone around us is hearing our conversation? Or are we thinking that because we are speaking into the speaker, then only the person on the other end can hear?

Of course, I am guilty of all of the above. But the gentleman yesterday, who believe it or not was representing a Minister of Government at the function, made me stop and think about how I use my cell phone. I hope you do too. The next time your cell phone rings – think before you answer.

Minister Holness need to give principals authority

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, has instructed all schools to cap auxiliary fees in the face of difficult economic times. The Minister is once again showing his misunderstanding of the fundamentals of education transformation. The transfer of authority and autonomy from the Ministry to the schools is one of the hallmarks of the transformation process. Currently, the Ministry only contributes to teachers' salary, while school fees, auxiliary fees and fundraisers attempt to close the funding gap.

While schools need Ministry approval for school fees, there is no such requirement for auxiliary fees. In fact, auxiliary fees are not mandatory and in some cases are discouraged by the Ministry. It is at the school level where the decisions are made to set the level of auxiliary fees and which child/parent to target as they know best who can pay and who cannot pay. It is therefore ridiculous for the Minister to now undelegate the authority that schools have successfully exercised over the years. In fact, by taking no responsibility for the running of the schools and trying to take authority for setting auxiliary fees, shows a total misalignment between authority and accountability. The Minister needs to rethink this one and allow the school leadership to run the schools.

Accountability in West Indies cricket??? Howzat!

The recent cricket debacle in Antigua where a test match had to be suspended after bowling of only 10 balls is like a microcosm of the West Indies.

Here we have a great brand – West Indies Cricket – built on the backs of raw talent honed by the players themselves, despite, not because of the support and intervention of the official ruling body. The brand is not just about the players – it is the entire experience of cricket in the West Indies – the colour, the passion, the dancing and noise of the spectators; the entertaining characters like Gypsy; the party atmosphere interspersed with the concentrated attention of those who take the game seriously and can summon at a moment’s notice every statistic and event relevant to a particular moment in the game; the radio commentary which is an art in an of itself, narrative of each play interspersed with descriptions of the atmosphere, the breathtaking scenery that is the backdrop of each sun-nestled cricket ground in the West Indies and our history in this glorious game; the food, the beer, the rum, the pounding music – reggae, and soca and every rhythm in between. It is a compelling brand that rivets cricket fans throughout the world and causes many to travel to the West Indies just for the experience

One would think that with such a brand, there would be some strategy to build on and sustain it to the benefit and glory of the peoples of the region. Oh no …. it is taken for granted, those who build and are a part of the brand disrespected and sidelined, as peripheral to the business of cricket. The players hardly seem to have a voice. When they try to be heard they are disciplined, like some little recalcitrant schoolboys who don’t know their place. In the Cricket World Cup two years ago, our music was banned from the grounds, the game sterilised to resemble some disinfected version of something that the world actually loves – all in the name of someone’s idea of what “world class” and “first world” is. Truth is, West Indies cricket IS world class – but not because of the powers that be.

Nowhere was this more evident than in Antigua. Yet again, the West Indies Cricket Board messed up big time. And yet again, they see no reason to accept full responsibility and remove themselves. They lack vision. They are totally incompetent. They are out of touch with the world. They are disrespectful and arrogant. In Japan, were they samurai, they would long ago have put the sword through their stomachs. I suspect that even if they did it now, it would have little effect for they are gutless, spineless has-beens.

How different is this to other spheres of West Indian life? Not much. In everything for which we are known – music, sports, rum, beer – it is officialdom that tears down in its quest for control. No accountability. No acceptance of responsibility – just glorying in results that are not of their own doing, and boldly, arrogantly seeking to blame others when things go wrong.
Yes, what happened in Antigua is a shame – but why are we surprised? It happens every day. Life in the tropics ….

The Arcade Photographer

Last week I had to take my children to get their passports renewed. Trying to be as efficient as possible, I had their photographs taken at the pharmacy in Manor Park, which offers 1-hour service. To say the least, the photographs were typical of passport photos – fit only for strangers such as Immigration and Customs officials to view in order to ascertain that these are my precious children standing in front of them.

On Thursday afternoon, we wandered through the application process at the Passport office, each step carefully choreographed by some unseen bureaucratic hand to make sure that it did not go too easily – lest we wonder what in the world the government is coming to! We finally presented our applications only to be told that Shane’s photograph had a “shadow” and had to be redone. Again, mindful of being as efficient as possible, and determined to complete the process that day, Shane and I headed next door to retake the photograph at the vendor’s arcade.

What a pleasant surprise! The photographer operates in a tiny cubicle, and is a master of efficiency. A number of passport applicants were there on the same mission. The photographer’s assistant offered us seats and had us enter the cubicle in an orderly fashion. I watched the photographer prepare the other subjects – he patted and wiped their faces, tidied their hair, gently positioned their heads and then took the photo. It struck me how different this was to the “photographer” at the pharmacy who had just asked Victoria and Shane to perch on the stool, snapped the photograph and that was it! The arcade photographer took pride and care in his work. And it showed, for the resulting photograph was MUCH better – one that I would be happy to share, and that truly represents my handsome son. AND, it was ready in less than 10 minutes!

It was a joy to watch the photographer do his job. It is obvious that this man is serious about his profession. Perhaps no-one cares about how a passport photo looks – but this photographer did! How wonderful a world it would be if we all approached our work like this arcade photographer!

From now on, whenever I need passport or visa photographs I will be going to the arcade photographer – and I recommend that you do too!

Poor Leadership and Accountability in West Indies Cricket

Following a fantastic victory by the West Indies at Sabina Park last week, the ugly side of our regional parochialism reared its head at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Knowing very well that the stadium was not match ready, rather than doing what was best for cricket and the region, local politicians supported by inept West Indies Board leadership insisted that the match be played in the island. After less than 10 minutes, the scheduled 5-day game was abandoned due to poor playing conditions of the ground. Former player and now commentator Michael Holding and veteran broadcaster Tony Cozier weighed in on the issue.

Holding had this to say:

Michael Holding has slammed the lack of responsibility in West Indies cricket as the region comes to terms with yesterday's sensational abandonment of the second Test against England at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua. The match lasted a mere 10 balls, owing to an outfield deluged in sand, and an unsurprised Holding was quick to point the finger at the WICB.


"We have seen things like this happen in the Caribbean before. Whenever we have things like this happening, like in 1998 when the Test match was abandoned [at Sabina Park], there were no repercussions," Holding said in an audio interview with Cricinfo. "And I suspect there will be no repercussions either. No one will lose their jobs; no one will be asked to resign. If you ask the people responsible whether they will resign, they'll just say 'but why? Why should we resign?' So it will happen again. Once you have no repercussions, you will always have repeats.


"It will hit home for the next two weeks. But after two weeks, everyone will move on. That is the way things operate around here when people have no repercussions, when people don't suffer for their mistakes or their incompetence. If you don't suffer for your incompetence, everything moves on. Whenever anything goes wrong, no one suffers."


Tony Cozier had this to say:

Yesterday's fiasco presented the latest, most dramatic explanation for the sudden decline of West Indies cricket, from its unprecedented excellence of the 1980s to the mediocrity of the past two decades. It was yet another example of the politics and the mismanagement that has undermined a game that once elevated this small, impoverished and otherwise insignificant part of the world from third to first world status.


Its timing is most inopportune, coming immediately after the West Indies' most significant victory in years. The passionate public, so disenchanted with prolonged failure, was energised again by the result in the first Test and, more especially, the manner of it.


In less than a week, the euphoria of Sabina Park has been doused. It should not have come to this. There had been repeated problems with the outfield at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium since it was one of the expensive new stadiums constructed around the Caribbean for the 2007 World Cup.


It was sited, against repeated advice from locals, in a basin near a well-known water course. As everywhere else, an elaborate draining system was installed yet, as forecast, water from overnight rain collected on parts of the outfield and disrupted two matches. It meant remedial work had to be done on the offending areas.
Without any trial, a Test against Australia was again assigned to the ground last season. Once more, parts of the outfield became a bog, and almost a full day's play was lost, all told in a drawn match, in spite of hot, sunny weather.


The warning signals were not heeded by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Politics kicked in and it assigned the England Test on the say-so of the government-appointed stadium committee, the Antigua Cricket Association and, ultimately, the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA), the WICB's relevant member board, that all would be right on the day.


As usual, the buck for this embarrassment will be passed around, but there is only one place for it to stop, at the WICB headquarters just a few miles down the road towards St John's, and the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) which will now be reactivated to ease the shame.

Government must align the 2009-2010 Budget to the 2030 Vision

Sometime in April, the annual budget debate will commence with Governor General presenting the throne speech outlining Government’s plans for 2009-2010. Finance Minister Audley Shaw will then table the 2009-2010 estimates of expenditure and the plan to finance this expenditure. The Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Opposition Finance spokesperson as well as other selected spokespersons on both sides of the House of Representatives will weigh in on the budget debate. Eventually a vote will be taken to accept or reject the Government’s budget. Over the last few years, there have been criticisms that budgets were not credible and many are warning Minister Shaw and Prime Minister Golding to ensure the 2009-2010 budget is credible. But what is meant by a credible budget?

By credible we mean that all assumptions are grounded in reality and that all conclusions based on the assumptions are reasonable. A budget, first and foremost, projects the financial outflows a government need to meet its operational, capital and strategic expenditures to deliver on its mandate. Additionally it projects the inflows required to cover the outflows and includes revenues, taxes, grants and loan inflows. Better put, a budget is the quantification of a 1-year operational plan, which itself is derived from the strategic plan. The Strategic Plan is a framework that translates strategy into operational objectives and initiatives which drive both behaviour and performance. The strategy, which is really an integrated set of choices, is designed essentially to close a long term performance gap – difference between the Vision and the current reality. There must therefore be a line of sight between the Government’s budget and the 2030 Vision for Jamaica.

The minimum criteria for a credible budget should therefore be:

1. The 2030 Vision must be used as the main context

2. There ought to be at least 3-4 overarching performance metrics and targets for the 2030 Vision such as: GDP/capita; poverty rate; murder rate; and % Grade 11 cohort achieving 5 CXC subjects including Math and English. There should also be 2012 and 2010 targets for each metric.

3. The articulated current reality relative to the vision and consequently the performance gaps to be closed over the next year, 3 years and 21 years (to 2030).

4. A critical external (to Jamaica and to the Government) analysis of those key factors which will either enable or hinder the Government from achieving the Vision and performance targets

5. A critical review of Government capability, highlighting the strengths and the weaknesses that can either support or detract from achieving the performance targets

6. The strategic options facing the Government along with the key external or internal factors identified above that will be addressed by each option. This must be accompanied by a discussion of the options and justification, including assumptions, for the option(s) chosen.

7. The key success factors for the chosen strategic options(s) that will enable achievement of the over arching performance targets.

8. The transformation and reorganization of Government required to deliver on the key success factors. Included will be changes to structure, day to day operations and financial requirements.

9. The estimates of expenditure required to transform, reorganize and operate the Government to deliver on the key success factors

10. The financing plan, including timing of inflows, required to meet the Government’s operational, capital and strategic expenses to deliver on its mandate.

In the typical Private Sector Company, the CFO presents the budget to the Board of Directors for approval. If Board members deem the budget not credible, they will reject it and the CFO has to wheel and come again. This is because Board members act on behalf of shareholders and take decisions in their interest. In the case of Governments however, Members of Parliament tend to act not in the interest of the citizens, but rather in the interest of the party and vote accordingly. Hence the chance of a budget not being credible is fairly high. It is therefore the duty of the media, financial analysts and the general public to weigh in on this most important cog in our wheel of governance and democracy.

Accountability in Schools - Gleaner Editor's Forum

Growth Facilitator, Robert, was a guest on the Jamaica Gleaner Editor's Forum (http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090210/news/news1.html) which discussed accountability in schools

Here's a little of what Robert had to say:

The attempt to develop a pay-for-performance system is a necessary but insufficient condition to ensure accountability which will drive performance at all levels of the system. What is really needed is that each and everyone must first infuse a culture of accountability in all they do. This can only be done by renewing of minds and must be initia-ted by leadership.

The main synonym for accountability is answerabilty. What I interpret from this is answerability, first of all for the authority provided and answerabilty to those who provide the authority.

At the level of the student, parents invest in children and give them authority to learn, use school facilities, etc and, therefore, students are answerable to the investment made in them.
At the national level, citizens invest authority through the elected representatives, to the minister of education, permanent secretary, chief education officer and other managers for the performance of the overall education system in Jamaica and, therefore, these elected and appointed officials need to be held accountable.

Innovation in airport restrooms

In the past ten days I have passed through four different airports and numerous rest rooms. In each restroom I have been faced with a conundrum of massive and time-consuming proportion – where is the toilet flusher?

Days gone by it was simple – there was a little handle on the side of the tank (there was a tank!) usually on the left side, which you pushed down at the appropriate time. Now, there are buttons, handles, levers, foot pedals placed at seemingly the most inconspicuous and irrational places. Or sometimes nothing at all – for now someone had the bright idea to use sensors, which have the maddening habit of going off at all sorts of times during your "process". A trip to a public restroom is nowadays akin to solving a mindquest puzzle – sure to keep the brain nimble for years to come!

This got me wondering about how organizations go about innovation. Did any of us complain bitterly about the good old flush handles? Did we clamour vociferously for a new and improved toilet flusher? Did the toilet manufacturers or restroom designers do a survey that said overwhelmingly that we wanted new and improved flush mechanisms? I think not. Yet every new toilet has some new and improved way to flush. Why the changes? Why the constant improvements?

One answer could be that companies are not clear on why they are innovating as they don't really know their customer. How many companies really take the time to know their customers - who they are, their needs, wants and desires (and the differences between them), their habits, their usage patterns, their idiosyncracies? This is where innovation ought to begin for innovation ought to benefit to the customer in terms of their experience. Innovation for innovation sake, while balm to the corporate ego, is the bane of customers and users.

It is important that companies make sure that they are not designing their equivalent of the next new and improved flush mechanism, but that in innovating, they are keeping the true needs of their customers foremost.

Time Out – what we can learn from Sports

All this evening I took a personal Time-Out and engrossed myself with the Superbowl Final. Now, I am certainly not a fan of “football” and I do not claim to know any of the rules of play very well. But I decided to watch as a personal Time-Out, since I enjoy any sport/entertainment at this level and I like to see breaking news in the making!

I was so excited to watch the youngest Coach ever in NFL, the longest intercept ever in NFL history (100 yards end to end), the 71 year old Offensive Specialist (forgive me if I am incorrect with the titles) still very active and effective on the sideline, the nail-biting seconds running out on the clock.

And then I took note of the official Time-Outs that each team has. This is when the teams re-group to focus on strategy (usually when they are down, but it can be whenever the Coach thinks it is necessary)….they simply stop play officially to review amongst themselves what is working and what is not and to decide in minutes what next to do, with seconds on the clock. The various initiatives have been worked out beforehand – the specialists have them on charts and even the captain (I guess – I confess I am a soccer fan) has them on his arm-band. These Time-Outs are essential to the outcome of the game – to whether they win or lose.

The whole process brought new meaning for me to our strategy meetings, which I sometimes take for granted and feel get in the way of my daily agenda of “Things To Do”. If we do not simply STOP and review, we may continue to do the activities that we are accustomed to doing with the same results. The strategy meeting/planning ensures that we stop and assess where we are, where we want to go and how we are going to get there. We MAY be doing the right things, but then, perhaps ??? we are not! We must look at the score (measures/metrics) in the immediate moment and decide what will be effective to get what we want. And so we may need to do somethings differently.

So Time-Outs are ESSENTIAL – personally, professionally and organizationally. We individually need to appreciate the value of this assessment. Simple – maybe….effective – definitely.

Thoughts on Entrepreneurship in Jamaica

I grew up in a family business in Jamaica, studied business, taught Entrepreneurship to MBA students at the Mona School of Business, and continue to start and run entrepreneurial ventures. Here are some of my thoughts on entrepreneurship in Jamaica.

Jamaica is one of 43 countries studied in the 2008 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. The report can be downloaded at:
http://gemconsortium.org/download/1233413864484/GEM_Global_08.pdf

This report is useful in identifying the factors that influence entrepreneurial activity. I have watched it emerge over the past 10 years and used it extensively in my course preparation and delivery. I commend it to anyone who would like an understanding of entrepreneurship not just in Jamaica, but globally. Remember that it is a relatively new field of study.

As illustrated in the report, Jamaica actually has a high level of entrepreneurial activity – take a look of any lane in Jamaica and you will see a plethora of business activity. The challenge is that this activity is defined as necessity-forced entrepreneurial activity rather than opportunity driven. The former is about being pushed into entrepreneurial activity because one has no option ("cyan do nuh betta") whilst the latter is motivated by pull factors – identification of an opportunity, desire to increase independence and income levels. Most entrepreneurial activity in Jamaica is focused on job replacement. It is presented this way by government agencies, and support programs are designed around getting people who can’t get a job to start their own business. It is a dangerous road to tread in my opinion, as we set up people with very little education and experience for failure.

Opportunity entrepreneurship is driven by the identification of a viable business opportunity and tends to be pursued by those with higher levels of education. This is where rapid growth businesses emerge. It is the opportunity entrepreneurship that we need to encourage. But this is where we find much frustration and discouragement.

Here are some thoughts from my own experience.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are serious deficiencies in our education system that inhibit entrepreneurship. While I acknowledge the importance of the sciences, entrepreneurship is essentially a creative act. Therefore, education that is exclusively or heavily science-driven gives short shrift to the development of right-brained thinking that is essential to identify new ideas and convert them to opportunities and then new and growing ventures. In our British-based system the underpinning of which was the development of cogs in the industrial wheel, the curriculum still focuses on rote learning, multiple-choice exam formats, and regurgitation of the “right” answer. In entrepreneurship, there is no “right” answer.

In Jamaica, the arts are viewed as subjects to be pursued by those who are not smart enough to do the sciences. I insisted that my daughter, who is sitting the GCE examinations in June, do Art and Design Studies in addition to Chemistry and Biology. This was viewed askance by many but to my mind, it was non-negotiable as I consider that I am raising my children to compete and thrive in a new and different world – one where creativity and adaptability are critical.

I have had students in my MBA class cry “living eye-water” when given an assignment to identify and develop new business ideas. They insisted that they were not creative and just couldn’t do it! I also taught a group of students who were doing a joint MBA/MIS degree. The best business ideas actually came from them – but many couldn’t express them coherently, and were unable to expand the concept from product or service to business opportunity with high growth potential. These were the “bright” students at high school who excelled at the sciences, yet who were unable to expand their thinking beyond the limits of their technological know-how, much less to expand and present their business idea.

It is my firm and impassioned belief that our education system in Jamaica needs to be overhauled. It remains elitist, but even the elite are not receiving a relevant education any more. Frankly, most “graduates” i.e. young people who have warmed seats for 15 or so years and have been shunted from grade to grade, are barely literate. They are bright. They want to excel. They want to make good in life. Yet the system is failing them. Layering business courses on such a base will do very little to stimulate the type of entrepreneurship that will contribute significantly to the growth of the Jamaican economy.

There are two other serious impediments to entrepreneurship in Jamaica which I would like to mention – monetary policy and government bureaucracy.

The prolonged period high interest rate policy which was intended to "protect" the Jamaican dollar has failed miserably. The Jamaican dollar has continued its slide. It is more lucrative, and indeed the rational thing, to invest in Jamaican government paper which is risk-free or low risk and requires very little effort. If you have capital, it is unattractive to go into an entrepreneurial venture. Allied to this is a very, very common misperception held by senior people in finance that equity is cheaper than debt. Thus their argument is that when debt is expensive, due to higher interest rates, then entrepreneurs should look to equity for their financing. Debt, no matter how expensive will always be cheaper than equity – equity only provides a short term cash flow benefit. Thus, in a high interest rate scenario, businesses are unable to access financing to start, grow and expand. It is my belief that the Jamaican dollar is undefendable. We don’t have the economic base to support it, and are simply throwing “good money after bad” to delay, but not halt, the slide.

The government bureaucracy is convoluted, unnecessary, and I swear, designed to keep people down. The default response is "NO". Businesspeople spend endless resources of time and money just to traverse the maze. It is difficult to pay your taxes. It is difficult to get permits and licenses if they are necessary. It is difficult to clear goods. It is difficult to do everything. When you come to Kingston you will see an army of motorcycle bearers buzzing around town all day long. Much of their job is about wading through the swamp of bureaucracy, trying to get papers shunted from one office to another in order for business to go on.

That’s it from me for now. I am off to continue growing businesses, and helping others to grow theirs – regardless.