The Rapid Response Institute

Tag: climate

  • Scam Leadership

    Scam Leadership

    It seems the world is awash in scams, those attempts to steal from all of us.  Couched in nice words like spam, these are attempts to destroy you.  Likewise, there are scam leaders who would do the same, only worse.

    In 1978, the scam by the so-called pastor, Jim Warren Jones slaughtered more than 900 people including over 300 children.  He told his followers, couched in religion that he would lead them to utopia and convinced them to kill (poison) themselves.

    Leaders take on a mantel of leadership by proclaiming themselves to be prophets, pastors, and even leaders.  However, stating to be a leader does not make one a leader.  As Christians have been told for eons and from Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Wherefore by their fruits, ye shall know them.”

    False leaders present themselves constantly.  If you follow me and do thus-and-so, I will reward you.  This is not normal product marketing by credible organizations of all sizes, these are the deliberate criminal attempts by wolves to destroy their targets, even to the point of suicide.

    Beyond Outright Criminals

    Even more difficult to detect and defend oneself against than criminal spammers are legitimate people in positions of authority.  These can include the office bully, fellow employees and management, as well as elected officials and government employees and even family members and acquittances.  This is a long list of those who actively work against constituents and people they know or who can be influenced to commit figurative suicide.

    Sales 101 teaches that when trying to convince people to follow your lead, it is not the best idea to call them derogatory names.  It continues to amaze this successful sales executive how many talk down to those they seek to persuade, almost like your dumb and I am smart thinking.

    Meeting the Test of Actual Leadership

    This quote is attributed to General Douglas MacArthur, “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.  He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.”  This pundit would like to add that during the World War II period, significantly large numbers of women also rose to the leadership challenges MacArthur espoused.

    How many self proclaimed leaders we see in our daily life live by MacArthur’s code?  Not many during my long life, I am afraid.

    BS Detector

    There is not much we can do about some exalted individuals.  We must obey laws and organizational policies, or else there may be consequences.  We should activate our leadership radar aka BS detector.

    There are many false prophets we can choose not to follow.  Those who do not bring out our best are not servant leaders they are self-servicing aggrandizers.  Do not drink their Kool-Aid.  When you see those on the media mouthing out crap, advocating violence or worse, failing to condemn the condemnable, cancel them!  If you get cancelled, celebrate the liberation.  Finally, the ole saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” or no free lunch when a Santa Claus politician is loose.

    The worst thing that can happen to these losers is the loss of ‘likes’ and lack of followers.  That way they cannot lead lemmings over their figurative cliff.  Scammers come from all walks of life, not just online.  See this class of Bozos for who they are and reject the clown car they are driving.

    How fine tuned is your leadership radar?

    Our new book is Now Available

     

    Navigating the Data Minefields:

    Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making

    We are living in an era of data and software exponential growth.  A substantive flood hitting us every day.  Geek heaven!  But what if information technology is not your cup of tea and you may even have your kids help with your smart devices?  This may not be a problem at home; however, what if your job depends on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

    To Order

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    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is the coauthor of the 2023 book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    We are also pleased to announce the released by CRC Press of our new book, Navigating the Data Minefields: Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making.  This is a book for the non-IT executive who is faced with making major technology decisions as firms acquire advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross-Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg and his book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • What About Today?

    What About Today?

    Why are we so worried about what the world will look like in 2050?

    In that year, this pundit will be 102 years old and most likely dead.  While not denying that our stewardship of the planet is an obligation, perhaps our focus is misplaced.  Climate Change, Climate Change, Climate Change has become the mantra for many.  But what about environmental damage done in the present?

    This author moved to Houston, TX in 1978.  For the next few years, you could smell the chemicals emitted from the refining and petrochemical sectors from the so-called ‘Ship Channel.’  Later, the odor dissipated as the environment was remediated.  Similarly, during that period the smog was so thick in the greater Los Angeles area that one could not see the mountains to the east.  That geography is now better as well.

    At least in the United States, we have shown that we can clean and sustain a decent environment.  Yet society is focused on a global long-term problem that by some accounts is not solvable.  Certainly as long as Asia continues its current energy practices.

    Almost Half a Century Later

    Now we sit at the precipice of the greatest environmental challenge since Love Canal (circa 1978), yet by all accounts “it is no big deal.”  Except to those living in and around East Palestine, Ohio.

    2050 is only 27 years away and we are told (2019)  the world as we know it will end in less than 12 years unless draconian climate steps are taken.  Call me a skeptic, but if we have not been able to stop local manmade environmental disasters, what makes us think we can fix the global climate?

    What Steps are You and Your Organization Taking to Fix the Here and Now?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor for an in press book (to be released in Spring 2023) titled, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more information regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg ands his latest book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our recent blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • Age Discrimination: Mandated by the Fed

    Age Discrimination: Mandated by the Fed

    The current president of the United States is 80 years old.  He has indicated that that he will run for a second term.  If reelected, at the end of that terminus he will be 86!

    Is that too old to run a country?  The Speaker of the House is 80, and her peers include a number of octogenarians from both parties including two so-called independents.

    In an age when people routinely live into their 90s and even beyond, commercial airline pilots are forced to retire at age 65.  All the experience and knowledge is casually thrown away based on arbitrary thinking.

    It is this writer’s understanding the commercial flight crews undergo flight physicals ever six months regardless of age.  Who hasn’t seen morbidity obese flight crew members waddle down the concourse?  So isn’t a 65 plus pilot in good shape a safer alternative to younger individuals in poorer health?

    Take all that knowledge and experience and throw it away at 65.  Dah!!  Stupid is as Stupid does.

    Leave it to government to tell us how to live.  Who elected them king?

    How big a law suit would you file if you were fired because of your age?

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    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor for an in press book (to be released in Spring 2023) titled, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author is a member of Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give us a shout.

  • Delusional: The Martha Mitchell Effect 2.0

    Delusional: The Martha Mitchell Effect 2.0

    Attributed to the late Martha Mitchell, wife of the then Attorney General Oxford defines it as “A misinterpretation of a person’s justified belief as a delusion, often by a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or general practitioner.”

    Climate deniers, election deniers, COVID vaccine deniers, The Science deniers and all kind of deniers.  Treated as delusional and even reprehensible, anything to discredit their position and beliefs.  Some even advocate their incarceration and even death for those who hold different views.

    The so-called conventional wisdom, even The Science is often wrong.  Jumping on a politically correct and convenient Bandwagon, often leads to regret, lose of reputation, political demise or worse.

    Martha Mitchell was ultimately proved correct in her thinking, although being vilified at the time.  For that matter so was Galileo Galilei whose Inquisition by the Church was because he supported the Copernican theory that all celestial things revolved around planet Earth.  The Science has long disproved the Church in earthly matters.

    Plausible Deniability

    Perhaps those yelling DENIER the loudest are guilty of being deniers themselves.  As Shakespeare is credited with, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”  So if one follows this line of thinking, Scientifically.  Those screaming are actually the deniers.  Not the other way around.

    Without realistic dialogue about those issues that matter, there will always be a ‘She Said, He Said’ component of personal, business, political and social positions.  Closed minds on either side of the argument, kill constructive movement forward.

    Martha Michell was vilified in a pre-Internet period.  Yet her points were proven correct.  So was Galileo as well as others.  It seems convenient to SCREAM the other side as evil.  What good does that attitude accomplish?

    Who is the Real Denier You or the other the Denier?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor for an in press book (to be released in Spring 2023) titled, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author is a member of Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give us a shout.