Economic Indicators Reports
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Even Nobel prize winners can get no respect. The team that won the Nobel along with Vice President Al Gore some two years ago is catching flack. It seems their reports are nice, but they don't give us enough direction. Reports, good. Results, not so good. The world industrial powers haven't cut back the pollution that leads to global warming significantly. The reports must be flawed if no one is listening. That's the message we are getting (Revkin).
We have been getting the same grades on Orange County reports, one on workforce and the other on the community as a whole (County of Orange). We're hearing "Too many numbers, not enough action."
Now, having observed close-hand how tough it is to get things right in a meaningful fashion, perhaps we expect too much from reports like this. In my heart, however, I agree with the weak grades. In business we call it analysis paralysis. Too much information, not enough action taking.
When Carlos Ghosn arrived at the failing Nissan, the central management team was spending sixty-five percent of their time planning and only thirty-five percent implementing. Ghosn fixed that. Within months, they were up to ninety-five percent action (Magee, 102).
When you focus on action, a funny thing happens. The reports get shorter. People can remember what their supposed to do. And - wonderfully - they actually take action. Results follow. Try it with your team.
Magee, David. Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan. HarperCollins. 2003. [ Referenced in: http://mixnerstrategy.com/blog/2006/08/on_strategy_too_much_practice.html ]
Orange, County of. Workforce Indicators Report. 2008-2009. http://egov.ocgov.com/vgnfiles/ocgov/Community%20Investment/Docs/OCWIB/Portals/Workforce_Indicators_Report_2008.pdf
Orange, County of. Community Indicators Report. 2008-2009. http://egov.ocgov.com/vgnfiles/ocgov/Community%20Investment/Docs/OCWIB/Portals/Community_Indicators_Report_2008.pdf
Revkin, Andrew C. Nobel Halo Fades Fast for Climate Change Panel. New York Tiimes. 4 August 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/science/earth/04clima.html?_r=1&hpw