Update on Being Fired for Using a Figure of Speech
Since Tuesday when I was fired for using a figure of speech my story has been read over 3000 times and I have an interview on a nationally syndicated radio program, Steel on Steel. Ill tell you how to listen to it and post an MP3 on my site when I have one.
I originally didn’t name the company thinking it might harm my relationships with other clients. But I’ve thought about what is really going on at Consumers Energy and believe that the entire story needs to be exposed in order to fix the problem.
Back when the Enron fraud happened Consumers Energy also faced criminal charges for doing similar types of things. To avoid serious legal problems they put in Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) control everywhere. How does this connect to Zero Tolerance Policies?
Instead of holding people accountable for their actions Sarbanes Oxley requires companies to document every last detail of everything. If the company has these so called controls then they can claim they did everything to prevent fraud like happened at Enron.
What this really did was drown everyone in useless paperwork and give a pass to management for any illegal activities.
The Zero Tolerance Policies act the same way. Instead of dealing with real issues in a productive way to find and resolve problems they just follow procedure. Everything even remotely related to violence is treated like actual violence. No one thinks at all.
So the people that are actually trying to get work worry about accidentally breaking some rule and losing their job. And every employee is told to report anything and everything no matter how ridiculous. And management doesn’t filter anything. The whole system is guilt by accusation, no trial, instant death penalty (fired on the spot).
But of course real offenses like purchasing software that continual fails leaving thousands of people without power and potentially in danger of gas leaks and downed power lines is ignored. Why did they buy it? Was it the best program they reviewed? No. Other companies were using it so they bought the “safe choiceâ€.
This endangers people’s lives, livelihood and shareholders (think 401K) value.
What is the solution?
Personal responsibility is the solution. Even if the crazy policies are in place you don’t have to turn your brain off. First, don’t report every little thing. Use some common sense. Regarding fears of violence follow these ideas, and also read “How to Stop Suicide Bombers and other Criminals”
- Make sure you understand what the person said. You might have misheard something or they might not have meant it the way they said it.
- Be human. If someone is angry or upset, offer to help.
- Look at actions. Is the person actually doing anything to commit a crime? If you are the person investigating claims check.
- Don’t work at companies with these stupid policies. If you are more afraid of losing your job than doing the right thing you can be forced to do horrible things claiming “I was only following orders.”
For companies, make these changes to the policies. It’s OK to have a Zero Tolerance for REAL VIOLENCE. Make sure there is real violence, not just feelings or supposed threats.
- Verify a suspected threat is real. Could the language be misinterpreted? Ask the person what they meant.
- DO NOT fire anyone over fears. Almost all acts of real violence occur after a person is fired from a job. If a person is feeling stress the added stress and loss of control by being fired can push them over the edge. It also cuts off any communication you have with the person.
- Solve the problem that is upsetting the person. Violence is the result of no other option. Make sure people can get their problems fixed.
- Offer counseling. Make sure its not used as a punishment. Forced “anger management” will cause resentment and also prevent people from volunteering for help.
- Talk to people. Treat people like people. Get rid of “human resources” People are not resources to be manipulated and sold. People have feelings, desires and value as individuals. Have real relationships. Develop trust.
Summary
Real responsibility starts and ends with individuals. You have the power, use it. Use it wisely.
How to stop suicide bombers, crazed gunmen, and other terrorists.
One of the most frightening threats today is suicidal murderers. Either organized militant terrorists or crazed individuals, we feel helpless against their attacks. Is there a way to prevent the attacks?
Yes there is!
There are two innovative approaches to stopping suicidal murderers. You could diagram protecting people or you can diagram the terrorist’s process then find ways to stop it.
If you stop any of the functions in the terrorist’s process you prevent the terrorist act. So, let’s approach the problem that way. Figure out the functions of terrorism then find ways to prevent any or all of them.
First Step for Dental Innovation “No Cavity”
I had a cavity and the American dentist gave me only one option and I didn’t like it. I wanted better options. So I started innovating to satisfy my desire. Before you think that I started inventing something let me clarify innovation. Innovation is satisfying a demand. If you can find something that already exists and use it to satisfy the demand you innovated. So I began searching. The innovation I wanted was No cavity.
Since I wasn’t an expert on dentistry I did a little research to understand at a high level how dental caries (cavities) function.
Acid from bacteria eat left over food and cause decay in teeth. Your mouth has a natural defense for the acid. Your saliva is alkaline, it neutralizes acid. Unfortunately bacteria can stick to teeth blocking saliva from neutralizing the acid.
Saliva has another positive feature. If the infection that causes decay is caught early enough teeth re-mineralize all on their own using material in your saliva.
If too much damage is done there is a hole that could collect food and bacteria. Once that hole gets through the hard enamel, a cavity can quickly grow in the softer dentin. It’s still possible for a tooth to heal at this point but often some type of repair is needed. But most important is stopping the infection and decay.
Many cavities form in areas of teeth that catch food and are hard to clean. The tendency for bacteria to stick to teeth makes this even worse.
Functional Diagram
Taking all the information I gathered I created a Functional Diagram. The red boxes describe how cavities work. The green boxes describe the process of filling a cavity. And the yellow boxes show the natural process of saliva re-minerizing teeth.
The Functional Diagram give you a high level starting point to start looking for innovation alternatives.
Predictive Innovation Training
Predictive Innovation: Core Skills Book
RoundSquareTriangle.com