Marshall Goldsmith Library

Big thanks to my friend Howard Wasserteil for pointing me to the Marshall Goldsmith Library on the web. These articles are worth reading if you care about executive coaching and leadership.

Maslow and Motivating your Knowledge Workers

Read this for a good background on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and an exploration of how you can use it to understand and motivate your Knowledge Worker workforce.

I found it persuasive, though I believe he overstates the extent to which current Knowledge Workers can be assumed to have their lower level needs met. Certainly he's right that people worrying about their health or physical safety cannot be expected to perform at their best, especially in Knowledge Worker roles.

Why the Left Wants Your Children

I've wondered sometimes at the insatiable appetite of the Left for projects that destroy the institution of the family.

Wonder no more - in the context of addressing very specific facts, this article from The Telegraph gives the back story on how and why the Left is wrong and destructive, and specifically why it wants to take your kids away from you.

Skepticism on Global Warming

Here's a good reason to read the Telegraph - a well written and persuasive article challenging the global warming fearmongers. If you're a true believer in Global Warming, let this article be your road map - refute these facts and their implications. If you cannot, you'd better fall back on fear-mongering and intimidation.

Dashboard Spy

Not a bad little roundup of various Dashboards on the web.

Another Atkinson Sighting

I was in Corvallis earlier tonight to pitch the Republican Meetups as a way to help get Republicans elected in Oregon, and got to catch most of Jason Atkinson's speech to the Benton County Republican Central Committee.

Atkinson was exceptionally good. His time on the stump has polished him. He related many of the same anecdotes I've heard before, but they seemed fresh. His energy was good, slightly subdued and statesmanlike. His trademark good humor was in evidence. And he didn't shy away from any hard questions, including of course one on immigration.

The ORGOP is lucky to be able to field candidates of this caliber. With some professional coaching, I think he'd be even better.

Catch all three GOP candidates at the City Club of Portland on 5/14/06 - just $5 general admission.

Tom In the News

Jerry Boone may not absolutely agree with me on all points, but he finds me interesting - or at least interesting enough to write about. Thanks, Jerry!

Grandiose rail schemes do little to reduce congestion

Seattle is going rail-crazy. Look familiar to anyone in Portland?

Key quotes:

If initial goals are not met, the board sets new goals at a fraction of the level once promised. Current performance then is compared with revised goals set so low that nearly any improvement is cause for celebration.

and:

At present, the taxpayer subsidy for each round trip on the Everett-to-Seattle rail commuter line is about $547! Not included is the $6 fare ($3 each way). The $547 subsidy is 32 times more than the round-trip taxpayer subsidy for Sound Transit's regional express buses.

Amazing.

Open Space... or Public Safety?

As Metro considers whether to ask area voters for a bond to purchase open space, voters are increasingly saying "no" to new taxes.

I believe that the similar 1995 bond was, among other things, proof that voters are willing to pay for what they want. The anti-Measure 37 crowd has long insisted that government has to confiscate land (through uncompensated regulatory takings) rather than pay for what it takes.

One reasonable concern - brought up in the Oregonian article - is that voters do have an upper limit for how much they're willing to pay, and sometimes the last person to ask for money gets told "no" regardless of how worthy the purpose may be.

Will voters pay for open space, only to say "no" to other demands like public safety or local school options? Will they see this as a chance to buy open space now before the price goes up? Or will public safety get a "yes" and open space a "no"?

I have no crystal ball on this. I'm expecting the open space bond to pass. But I expected the Washington County public safety levy to pass in 2004, and it didn't.

I think the wisest course of action includes these steps: (1) trust the voters and abide by their wishes, (2) encourage economic growth that grows the pie and expands the tax base, so we'll have the money to pay for government services, and (3) relentlessly look for ways to save money and do more with less in delivering government services. Indianapolis managed to increase services for years while cutting taxes, and ended up with more cash at the end than at the beginning.

Post Dorchester

Attended my first Dorchester - I didn't expect there were so many reasonable Republicans. I don't say "moderate" because that's code for "Republicans who will raise your taxes" - I didn't see any of those.

But the Taliban wing of the party were few in number and apparently keeping a low profile. (No open handling of snakes, etc.)

Saxton won the straw poll - no surprise - and Atkinson finished a strong second - big surprise. Mannix was spanked, but the nonrepresentative sample of the party present makes that less significant.

Best parts for me: meeting key conservative bloggers (hello, Sailor) and dancing with three generations of pretty women.