China Trip in 2010

Later this year, I will be speaking at the 2010 Interpipe Exhibition and Conference in Langfang, China.  The paper I present will be about the training we provided for pipeline controllers of PetroChina.  While in China, I am happy to be doing consulting work with PetroChina.  My professional mission is to use my knowledge and skills to help people improve their performance..

I like the Chinese proverb:  Repair the roof before it rains. Think about times when you have postponed pipeline repairs, preventive maintenance, or training for improved knowledge.  We do these things in the name of “meeting the budget.”   Then a tank collapses, or a pipeline leaks, or an employee makes a costly error due to lack of knowledge.

And the budget that was so important does not get met, it gets exceeded.   So I am happy when PetroChina wants to learn, to benchmark, to improve.  They are laying thousands of miles of new pipelines, and technology is only part of safe operations.  The people who use the technology are the ones who ensure safe operations.

Posted January 27th, 2010 in Leadership, Observations

My Top Ten Books of 2009

I’ve always read many books, and have been good at implementing good ideas and a few bad ones too.   Some people have asked me what I read, so here are my top ten from all categories:

• An Altar in the World – Barbara Brown Taylor
• The Myth of Multitasking – Dave Crenshaw
• The Human Contribution – James Reason
• iBrain(Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind) – Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan
• Lost on Planet China – J. Maarten Troost
• The Big Skinny:  How I Changed My Fatitude – Carol Lay
• Three Cups of Tea:  Greg Mortenson
• Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us) – Tom Vanderbilt
• The Blind Side – Michael Lewis (good movie also)
• The Most They Ever Had – Rick Bragg

I’ll read over 70 books before the year ends, along with many journals, magazines, and newspapers.  As Mark Twain said,”The person who does not read has no advantage over the person who cannot read.”

Posted December 22nd, 2009 in Leadership

Servant Leadership Test

Years ago, I read Servant Leadership, by Robert K. Greenleaf.   I seek to serve and lead.   Greenleaf said that the best test of a servant leader is: “Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”

He also said the test is tough to administer.  I have been a teacher of youth in church settings for over 30 years, and regularly teach/train adults in business settings and classes.   Since we have moved several times, it is not possible to keep in contact with all the “youth” who are now adults.  A consultant does not often have opportunities to see how well people apply what I recommend and teach.   I have to do my best every day, and trust that I have been helpful.

Perhaps I need a self-test, based on a servant leader philosophy.

• Am I a servant first with my spouse, family, friends, business associates, and strangers?
• Am I willing to recognize that I am still, and always will be, learning and evolving?
• Am I able to learn from experiences, both the good and the bad?
• Do I understand and accept that any power I have is a gift from others?
• Do I use any power as a way to create good opportunities for others?
• Am I flexible, patient, and adaptable because I know that everything changes?
• Do I recognize that we are flawed human beings with strengths and weaknesses?
• Am I more gracious with others and myself than in the past?

Posted June 27th, 2009 in Leadership