World-Class Teamwork

Neil S. Buckholtz deserves everybody's thanks.  This chief of the Dementias of Aging Branch at the National Institute on Aging dared to think of a world where a problem "...was important enough to get people to work together and coordinate in a way that hadn't been possible before." That problem was Alzheimer's.  In a wonderful example of how creative ideas pop up in unlikely places (like, for example, the shower), he was struck by the notion as he drove with a longtime scientist friend to an airport in 2003.  Seven years later, an unprecedented collaboration among public health agencies, drug and medical-imaging companies, universities, foundations, non profits and veterans' hospitals has provided promising research on biological markers that show progression of the disease on the brain.  The diagnostic use of PET scans and  spinal taps, as well as drug trials, are underway. 

The compelling motivation to collaborate was the daunting challenge the stakeholders faced individually.  As one researched explained it, "...we all realized we would never get biomarkers unless all of us parked our egos and intellectual-property noses outside the door..."  This model is now the basis for a project tackling Parkinson's disease, sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. 

Having witnessed the power of self-managed teams, I am thrilled to see people come together for a common good.  Is it too much to hope that Neil Buckholtz's "aha" moment can become contagious?

Source article:  NYT, 08/13/2010 

American Ingenuity

A French president of a biotech company in Boston once told me that America's competitive edge is  creativity.  From his perspective, other countries are less comfortable with the messy, expensive process involved in bringing new ideas to market.  A friend of mine who is a design engineer said that was certainly his experience in dealing with Chinese manufacturers.  My limited experience with setting compensation for jobs in France, Germany and Asia gives me some appreciation for how different educational systems and work contracts affect employees.

So I was concerned to read that our national patent process is under-resourced.  I've since misplaced the source article, but as most new job creation is credited to small businesses, seems like we should encourage good old American ingenuity. 

 I had the honor of hearing Bill Gore speak shortly before his death, about how he set up the Gortex company to encourage workers to contribute everything in their power.  He called his organization a "lattice" framework.  People were carefully selected, then told to go find someone who would let them in on a project.  At the time, I was creating self-managed teams and he spoke to me personally for about 15 minutes, showing great enthusiasm for how organizational structure can unleash vs. inhibit employees.  As for patents, hopefully there was less of a backlog when he was creating Gortex materials for running shoes, space suits and surgical heart patches.

USA Today featured Frank Yang in an article about his fancy trash cans (08/09/10).  This political science major took a design class on a whim (actually the credit goes to the woman he later married) and then went to work for his father's shelving business.  The Container Store loved his concept for a high-quality garbage can in 2000: Simplehuman goods was born.  Frank has since modified and expanded his line to offer less costly cans and related products.  He is most proud of the floor devoted to research in his Southern California headquarters.  "Torn-apart gizmos, coffeemakers and prototypes are strewn on desks and in bins and shelves.  The room is decorated with frames of the patents Simplehuman has." Yang says its all about focus, and function always comes before form.  As for competitors offering cheap knockoffs, "My products will always be a step above," he says.  Sounds like a great place to work, yes?

Purpose, Passion and Perserverance

Victor Frankl's book, Man's Search For Meaning, drew on his intense experiences during the Holocaust.  One conclusion was that survivors often had a vivid goal or purpose that kept them focused on life beyond the barbed wire.  Career choices are much less-life or-death, but the "where do you want to be in 5 years?" interview question implies the importance of a plan. 

David Brooks, in a NYT article entitled "The Summoned Self" (08/03/10) draws a distinction between 'The Well-Planned Life' and one that seeks to answer the question of 'what are my present circumstances summoning me to do?'  He proposed that the planned approach is more common in America than elsewhere.  He cites an interesting notion from Clayton Christensen (Harvard Business Review) that 'people with a high need for achievement commonly misallocate their resources -- in an effort to produce tangible results in the short-term, more important areas, like growing a family -- may get the short shrift.' 

Our job crisis is causing some people to take a less-planned road.  For example, early career lawyers are applying for unpaid prosecutor jobs at the state and federal level.  In Atlanta, nearly 40 applicants competed for 4 unpaid positions, which normally pay in the $70 - 100K range.  The goal?  Gain essential experience.  (USA Today, 08/02/10) 

When Ricky Skaggs,  a 1985 Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year, found himself outside the mainstream, he stuck out on his own and returned to his bluegrass roots. Nearly 15 years later, he has an album, "Mosaic", in which he returns to a full band lineup. (The Hartford Courant, 08/03/10) 

I commonly hear employers looking for applicants with passion -- which makes a good argument for finding creative ways to do what makes your heart go pitty-pat. 

Trying to Make Sure the Kids ARE Alright

Good news about pay equality? ... "Women do almost as well as men today ...as long as they don't have children."  Jane Waldfogel, a Columbia U professor who studies families and work, weighed in with that pithy statement in a 08/04/10 NYT article featuring women nominated for the Supreme Court.  No surprise to any of us parents, taking time to take care of others extracts a high price in terms of career earnings.  One memorable story for me came from an upwardly-mobile friend whose wife was on a business trip.  When his young daughter complained at breakfast that she didn't feel well,  he dismissed her with "you'll be fine."  At which point she threw up in her cereal bowl.  What an inconvenient truth, as he had a busy day in the office all planned out. 

In the NYT article by David Leonhardt, one conclusion is that the odds are stacked against working parents ... "Most parents are simply not able to have it all, regardless of where they are on the income spectrum."  From where I sit, this same statement is also true about adult children watching out for their aging parents ...  as current "sandwich" caregivers are mostly women, its 'de-ja vue' all over again.  Of course, some things can't be reduced to dollars and cents --- my Mom enabled me to work long hours when my daughter was in pre-school,  and  that grandmother bond was priceless.

Hopelessly Twitter-pated

Disney's Bambi learned about the birds and the bees by watching his forest friends, Thumper and Flower, get 'twitter-pated' in the annual rite of Spring. Today we seem to be suffering from an epidemic of 'twitterpation', but the passion is less primal.  Or is it?

•  A  survey by AAA reveals that 86% of teens drive while distracted, despite 30 states having laws against texting while driving.  William Van Tassel, manager of AAA's driving training programs said "... Driving is the first real adult responsibility, but let's face it, they're still teens whose brains aren't fully developed." (USA Today, 08/02/10)
• Buzz Bissinger, acclaimed author of "Friday Night Lights" decried texting as "the complete dumbing down of our society" before becoming addicted, himself.  He claims wife #3 is threatening drastic measures if he can't step away while with the family. (NYT, 08/02/10)
•  Tumblr is described as "a space between Twitter and Facebook" by Mark Coatney, the company's "media evangelist"; its positioned as a way for traditional companies and media outlets to build a relationship among a young crowd, with "creative expression in mind."  (NYT, 08/02/10)
• Just Dukky merges junk mail with social marketing and web technology --"direct marketing on steroids."  Customers get give-aways but provide personal info to redeem the on-line coupons, using texts or email.  Their online activities are tracked at each stage. A marketing bonanza!  (Entrepreneur, July, 2010)
• On a less progressive note, the United Arab Emirates are planning to block BlackBerry email and text messages, citing  security concerns.  YouTube, Facebook and Google have had their own challenges within the Persian Gulf.  (NYT 08/02/10)