A Streetcar Named Despair

Shh. If you listen closely, you can hear St. Louis and Omaha laughing.

In the what-were-they-thinking category the city council of Kansas City, MO on Friday approved a contract in anticipation of building a streetcar line a whopping two miles in length through downtown. Steve Vockrodt of the Kansas City Business Journal reports that HDR, Inc. will be paid approximately $700,000 to design the line. 

Nothing, and I mean nothing, screams urban modernity and progress like ... a trolley.

Fox4 News reported last week that the council planned to bring streetcars to downtown KC. Including federal funding, a local tax increase, and property tax assessment, the council estimates the cost to reach $100 million. Voters will need to approve the 1% sales tax increase and property tax assessment to foot the local portion of the bill.

Knowledge is power
Meanwhile, Kansas City just last year closed almost half its public schools and released 700 teachers and other personnel resulting from a $50 million deficit. I don't know whether this was because voters wouldn't approve a tax increase favoring the schools or administrative mismanagement. Do city council members really place more value on a useless trolley than on the future of their taxpayers’ school-age children?

Beef jerky
I would be interested to know the logic behind the council's decision to put streetcars to a vote. Similarly, I am hopeful the affected residents tell the council where they can put their proposal. A 2011 study commissioned by the Federal Transit Administration and termed an “alternatives analysis” introduced the streetcar idea alongside express buses and commuter rail as a candidate for possible federal funding. Why?

At best, streetcars are quaint. Used in other cities, they interest me only in passing. "Oh look, a streetcar." Unless it is bearing down on me at an inescapable -- if I'm sleepwalking -- 20 mph, I am over it by the time I speak the noun. And by the way, KC, MO, you already have buses!

Technically speaking, streetcar systems are light rail. As you might know I am a huge proponent for (real) light rail throughout the Kansas City metro. High-speed rail would put the "City" in Kansas City. But a trolley is to light rail what beef jerky is to Kansas City Strip.

Meanwhile, several plans put forth for a four-county light-rail system hover around the $1 billion mark. In a September, 2010 article, Jeff Fox wrote:

Commuter rail also promises cost advantages. Another lane of I-70 from Blue Springs to downtown Kansas City – the state is looking at those plans already – would cost $4.5 billion, compared with slightly more than $1 billion to build the entire four-county commuter rail system.

Please, sir, may I have another?

Significant as that analogy is, what’s more alarming to me is the psychological impact of the 2-mile trolley proposal. Not many people enjoy a tax increase however much it is needed. Yet I fear this proposal – for a quaint, 2-mile trolley system – will pass. Fear? Why?

• Because what Kansas City really needs is a true, light-rail system within this decade to remain competitive. A multi-county commuter rail system would go a long way toward unifying the metro and dissolving the state-line divide. And it would take lots of cars off the roads.

• Because psychologically and from a tax perspective, people buying into streetcars augmenting an existing bus system, will cut off at the knees any serious momentum to develop a true, functioning, multi-county transit system prior to 2030. KC metro residents and businesses on either side of the state line will balk at a referendum for a possible 3% tax increase to fund any of the four-county plans if a trolley is held up as the symbol of progress.

A trolley for your thoughts

With federal belt tightening looming, the odds of securing Washington’s assistance for any of the proposed light rail projects seem unlikely in the near term. Still, 10 times the cost of the streetcar proposal would yield commuter service lines 67 times the distance –in one of the more heavily promoted light rail proposals – and would serve large swaths of the metro area. 

The proposed streetcar system would service an area that can easily be covered by any reasonably healthy pedestrian.

I would urge my friends who will be allowed to participate in the referendum to give the streetcar a pass, saving the tax increase for a plan that makes sense for the whole metro.

The Case against a Four-Day Work Week

No disrespect to Jay Love, but I disagree.

He raves in his recent article in Inc. about the benefits of the four-day week in his role as CEO of Slingshot SEO. That this policy works well in his current environment is wonderful. I disagree that the concept is scalable to any company size or sector.

Early in my career when my level of responsibility was admittedly very low I heard about the much coveted four-day work week. It made sense. I was young, hungry and single, and the thought of working four 10s or even 12s followed by a long weekend maintained a magical grip on my psyche.

As my skills grew, so did the responsibilities which I take seriously. In a variety of roles at companies large and very small, I watched that magical grip go the way of my belief in Santa Claus.

Taking Issue

At the highest level, Love should identify that his audience is primarily small technology companies. In 10 years as a hiring manager, finding strong talent that also fits nicely into the group dynamic remained a challenge for me despite the “cool” company culture in both cases. [I now work for myself, so I don’t have this issue at the moment.]

You’re crazy if you think I am against a three-day weekend! I just don’t see how productivity can be sustained at the same level as before the policy took effect.

1. Life. Just because you designate Friday off doesn’t mean a child won’t come down with a stomach bug while in kindergarten on Monday, or that the replacement for that dishwasher that ceased to live up to its name can be delivered on any day or than Thursday. Forget about doctor appointments, your trunk latch breaking, your parents or an old college buddy showing up unexpectedly on their way to Sedona, your power going out … any day of the week. On the work side, you can include the pressures of quarter end, the annual audit, the implementation of and training on a new CRM, and innumerable unexpected developments that pay no heed to the three-day weekend.
   
   Life doesn’t conform to the four-day work week. Figure one such event every other week – especially if you’re a parent -- within the Monday through Thursday timeframe. Half of your now 10-hour day evaporates, is rendered significantly less than productive. Sticking to the four-day stricture, that’s 13 full days off each year. The article makes no mention of Slingshot SEO’s vacation policy, but most workers in most exempt roles agonize over the conflict between serving unavoidable life events, taking a modest vacation, and of course getting the job done.
   
   
2. Collaboration. Putting all of your eggs in four daily baskets versus five removes 20 percent of the traditional opportunity to meet with colleagues to make progress on projects large and small. Factor in people’s travel schedules, the aforementioned life events, customer-imposed deadlines and fires and the four-day week appears in practice to have a negative impact on overall productivity. Let’s add the wildcard of an employee who, feeling entitled, would rather take off Monday than Friday. It happens. Sometimes the employee is incredibly valuable as a star performer and you must accommodate or face a long backfill/training process. Imagine one of those employees on each team within the company. Which brings me to …
   
   
3. Psychology. Exceptions happen. Even within an organization – I’ve seen this first hand in several significant cases – policies deemed to benefit all on paper are implemented with varying management commitment based on business demands. Love mentions retail or customer service as two examples of tricky coordination. The fact is, these sorts of functions – namely sales and support – exist in most organizations. The risk of the four-day week here is obvious … resentment within teams and cultural resistance. “Why does that team get x and we don’t?” This is real. It happens all the time. And it is counterproductive.
   
   I disagree that this is “the age of recruiting the best talent to your team.” Organizations of all types have always sought the best talent, from police to school districts, from Fortune 500 sales and marketing departments to the start-up where everyone wears 12 hats. This “age” is no different.
   
   
4. Research? I am unclear in reading Love’s article where the concept of a day of research comes into play. He asks, “How much more innovative and exciting would your business be if every single team member spent one full day each week devoted to research?”
   
   Is this day of research to take place on the fifth day? The day off? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Also, only at the most coveted companies – a Google, a Facebook, a Zappos – would even 70 percent of the employees voluntarily sit still for a full day to research when nearly all employees are faced with multiple, competing deadlines in their regular work. “Oh, I’ll do some research this afternoon right after I wrap up this proposal, answer these 12 emails and jump on that conference call with the client.” Poof! Research day disappears.
   
   In another example, Love mentions the Friday repairman visit. I bring that up as counter intuitive to the day of research concept and cite my first point above, Life. “Well, I’m supposed to hit the books today, but we’ve got a family bar-b-que tomorrow, it’s a nice day and I’d really like to replace that rickety fence gate.” How many of the employees within an organization will honestly have the discipline to shut out the world’s demands and focus on research on The Fifth Day?
   
   I’m all for telecommuting! Several years ago when gas prices passed $4.00 per gallon, I created a work-from-home policy for my team wherein they could pick two days from Monday through Thursday to stay in their pajamas. (We had mandatory company meetings and many team-building events on Fridays that I believed were important for the team to experience.) But I only allowed this once the team member had been with the company for at least six months – to build relationships inside and outside the team, to complete training, and to give me an opportunity to evaluate their performance – and I reserved the right to revoke this privilege individually if the quality of work appeared to suffer.
   

I’m not saying Love’s experience isn’t valid or that the concept doesn’t work. I only suggest that that in corporate America, non-profits and public sector institutions its application is limited and could lead to more challenges than it’s worth. I am sorry to be a naysayer here. Love’s enthusiasm for the idea is palpable. In my experience, I still lean toward the traditional work week, and believe a properly managed “unlimited vacation” policy would serve the organization more effectively from both a recruiting and a productivity point of view.

Have you worked at an organization offering the four-day work week? How productive … really productive enough to balance your client, project and life demands … do you think you would be in your current role in this environment?

Thanks for reading!

Verse 2

Making some massive headway on outstanding projects at the day job, much more than I hoped. People are being hired, the major database is moved thanks in total to a ridiculously dedicated employee, and a major template revamp initiative is apparently months ahead of schedule.

As it has been since March, I’ve earnestly attempted to move family matters higher in the realm of things to which I need to pay more attention. I think my ridiculously understanding wife would agree that I’ve made leaps and small bounds on that front in the second half of our first year of officialdom.

In my previous blog I mentioned that I needed some uncertainty, something I’ve never done before and never dreamed I could. Leaving a company I’ve loved to start my own has made me hyperventilate more than a few times.

Knowing what I am doing -- the ins and outs of what I’m offering -- comforts me immensely. Having provided these specific communications services repeatedly in the last decade with positive results, more recently in the context of social media, gives me incredible confidence in our success.

It’s wildly surprising to me how social media has become such a crazy passion of mine (of ours) in the last four years. Communicating in online formats ... that’s easy. Everyone does it. Doing it with purpose is a different story. Doing it with a strategy, with an infrastructure, within a framework that supports grassroots engagement ... well, that’s just bonus. And that’s what this new gig is all about, really.

A New Chapter

Who is crazy enough to voluntarily leave a perfectly fine job amid the country’s second worst recession without a parachute?

That’d be me.

After more than seven years at my current employer and 16 in corporate, I’ll soon be off to my own devices, raising and nurturing the consulting business I launched in March. As is my inclination to stay behind the scenes, I am advising clients on the decidedly unsexy side of social media marketing strategy ... editorial calendars, crisis management, social media policy development, awareness strategy, and monitoring, mainly, with a little of this and a little of that thrown in for spice.

Last December and January surfing the holiday party circuit, eight people approached the wife and me asking for our help with this social media problem or that on behalf of their respective companies. We’re generous folks by nature, but we didn’t need to peel the velvet from the hammer to realize the opportunity before us.

The idea was simple. In no-B.S. terms, we would look at an organization’s overall marketing plan, audit its social media presence, and make fact-based recommendations on improving the social presence to help meet the larger marketing objectives. It all seemed so natural. These are exactly the conversations my wife and I have virtually every evening sitting on the back deck watching the sun go down. We live this stuff, eat it up. It’s most certainly a shared passion. But could we do it for a living for ourselves?

We joked about it. Then we talked about it ... a lot. And by mid-March, I gave birth to a bouncing baby LLC, complete with its very own FEIN. We were proud parents planning our baby’s future, and I’ll be darned if babies don’t grow fast! Managing the sentient family, two full-time jobs, a few extracurricular interests and the infant consultancy devoured that season called summer which most of you experienced. Meanwhile, I built out our partner network and began filling the umbilical cord, er, pipeline.

Clearly the wife is the more risk averse, and after seven years in largely the same role, I needed a change. I needed some uncertainty. I needed to do something I’ve never done before, and never dreamed I could or would. So on Thursday, after some herculean calculating to ensure the target audiences would be in the right places at the right times, I tendered my resignation.

It wasn’t a tough decision. In fact, I had already decided back in March. Finding the right time was another story. Change is good, and I had accomplished about all I could hope to there. I’ll stick around for another 5-7 weeks to wrap up a laundry list of projects large and small. It’s not in me to walk away from a mountain of work and leave it to someone else to clean up. After that, I become a full-time Mr. Mom, caring for this toddling company.

While the decision itself was a no brainer, I’m admittedly sad to be leaving such a talented group of employees and colleagues. I take no credit, but sincerely believe that my team is the best RFP team in the software business. And my many friends there beyond my team are also some of the most dedicated and smart people I’ve had the pleasure to work with. The execs taught me a lot about business, about growing a business, and I’ll forever be grateful for the experience. What an amazing ride it has been.

Thanks to the magic of technology, I don’t have to say goodbye. Everyone remains a click, a post, a tweet or a speed dial away. I know I will miss the routine, but I am trading it for that edge-of-my-seat, making-ends-meet thrill ride.

I believe in this so strongly, as does the most understanding wife ever. Demand is high; the pipeline is strong; the passion is off the charts. This.Will.Be.Awesome.

Independents Day

What follows is my response to an article posted by a friend on Facebook regarding the upcoming general election. I do a great job of microblogging on Facebook and less well posting here. This is a start. Enjoy ...

For the first time, I am considering not voting despite challenging the apathetic for years with, "If you don't vote, you can't complain for 1,420 odd days."

My issue is larger than President Obama. My issue is (and has been) with the party that *cares* about those in need, but doesn't, as a party, have the balls to draw a line and fight for its own beliefs. Its campaign managers, advisors strategists have been brilliant individuals, but collectively, they couldn't market themselves out of a Ziplock Bag. They fail, always, at communicating their successes in a way about which their base and independents can feel warm and fuzzy, let alone excited.

Did I vote for the president because I believe in racial equality and was wanting to send a message? In part, yes. Plus, he was the democratic nominee (normally a no brainer). Plus his eloquence and passion were light years beyond that of his predecessor.

I believed. I still do a little bit. But I believed in him, not the machine. I was a party faithful, increasingly disgruntled as I became over time. I no longer consider myself an advocate for a cause that can't champion its worth even with the sharpest minds an ideal can draw.

I don't regret my choice in '08 one bit. But, looking forward, with a majority of my blame placed on those who espouse social policy directly informed by religious beliefs and in clear violation of the separation of church and state, I can't in good faith support the incumbent who has failed to fight (until now). His party allowed this. The air up there on the high road is very thin.

I am stepping down to take a breath or three and will -- either way, it seems at this point -- suffer through whatever the RNC money machine forces down my throat for the next, post-election eight years. Perhaps spilled oil will soften the sting of the barbs of social injustice headed our way.

Who survives? Google + or Facebook?

A friend just asked via Facebook whether Fb or Google Plus (+) would be the winner in two years. Here are my thoughts.

As with any new content system I've worked with in a corporate environment, the clean, shiny and new platform eventually becomes occluded and ultimately unusable. Facebook saved itself from the latter fate, in my opinion, by allowing us to hide pillows, sheep, farms, the mafia, and more. G+ is clean and ad free for now. Also, some of us pay ridiculously close attention to Fb privacy settings for a number of reasons. While G+ make *that* part simpler, the fact remains that those of us who have been on Google for years have already surrendered in some way to its algorithms. THAT is where Google has an advantage over Facebook. Google already knows so much about so many of us that they can incorporate the most lock-tight privacy we desire with no affect on their objective to know everything.

Knowledge is power. I don't fault either of them for wanting it. I have willingly participated on Google over the years, and cautiously participated on Facebook. (Notice how some of my posts that you see are Notes? There's a reason for that.) But I am always conscious of the fact that I am giving over my photos, docs and thoughts in the interest of engaging and sharing.

Based on all of that and more, I think G+ will win out. Google has achieved significant acceptance in so many ways already. I think they've struck gold here from a competitive standpoint (security, group video) in such a way that Facebook will never catch up.

What are your thoughts?

Christmas Shopping 104, 7 Steps to Speed Shopping for the Idea Impaired

Christmas Eve is double-digit hours away. You have a list of names and a bit of disposable income left, but no ideas on how to execute said disposal. What to do?

Step 1. Breathe

The world is full of people eager to take your money. Relax and saddle up.

Step 2. Visit the Mall (Duhn-duhn-duh-DUHN)

It's too late for shipping, so get over it. Your recipients at this point had better be local or not mind a belated Happy Jesus Day gift. Next to pop-ups or banner ads, nothing compares to the sensory bombardment of online shopping like a visit to the local Retail Mecca. Need ideas? The Mall delivers.

Step 3. Use Common Sense

You’re ushered inside by the Salvation Army rep uttering his 739^th “Merry Christmas” greeting of the day. You reply in kind. Now, stop! Consult your list. You’ve known most of these people for the larger part of your sentient existence. You need to focus. Sis, who never bakes, doesn’t need a cake mold. Dad, who doesn’t hunt, won’t want camouflage socks. Kids’ stores are for kids … unless LEGOs or Star Wars are involved.

You OCD folks – who inexplicably have waited until the closing hours of the shopping season – can picture your gift recipients left to right in your head in alphabetical order, or up and down by age. Either way, have that vision created for Step 4.

Step 4. Case the Joint

You’ve now got a game plan in that you’ve conceived of the hits and misses for the laundry list of loved ones. Now move it, soldier! Find your way out of the store you originally entered and wade into the meaty Mall’s aorta. Confusion may set in, but remember that while store fronts exist on either side of you, your skull, spine and ocular devices are naturally enabled to swivel. If you’re 80 or older though, you may require a firmware update.

Make use of these natural gifts as you breeze empty handed like a Tom Brady pass through the aimlessly wandering Time Suckers. They are the enemy. The Time Suckers linger, looking for odds and ends. You, on the other hand, are starting from scratch. They should fear your determination, your focus, your visible sense of urgency, but they don’t. And unlike rush hour traffic, they do not come equipped with brake (or reverse) lights or turn signals. Deploy the Marty Feldman tactic. Keep one eye on the driver’s ed video unfolding before you and the other eye’s focus split evenly between bright, shiny, neon store names and “70% Off!” placards.

Your objective here on this leg of the speed shopping mission is to identify your targeted items.

Free tip: grasp the concept of the mall. Based on independent research conducted by me yesterday, the Mall is geared toward the female 13-35 demographic. That means aside from the anchor department stores, three out of four stores deal in women’s shoes, women’s clothes, things that smell nice, or women’s clothes and shoes that smell nice. Sprinkle in a toy store, a Radio Shack, two video game buy-trade-sell outlets, a pretzel kiosk and a place to buy sports memorabilia, and you’ve discerned the lay of the land in your local Suburban Income Suck Pit.

Keeping your list – or your chronologically ordered faces – front of mind, allow yourself the freedom to wander into and out of stores whose offerings might produce a Recipient Match. Don’t fear failure. For example, an adult male shopping for six nieces in the 10-20 age range will strike out more often than not. Set aside the discouragement and go with your gut, but don’t buy a thing, yet.

Work each level of the mall, end to end. Take note of prices and discounts. Make that quick call to the significant other to confirm the seeming normalcy and/or practicality of that one thing you saw in that one store with the things in it five doors back. Well done! You’ve identified your target purchases.

Step 5. The Dash to Dispense Cash

The 1,000-yard dash begins. Lesson learned: Do not backtrack from your stopping point in Step 4. You are now standing at the gaping mouth of the store by which you entered. Do not work your way back and purchase your targeted items in reverse order. (See Step 6.)

• Given economic times, pay in cash. If you have a debit/check card, make sure it’s readily available and make sure your magnetic strip is well oiled and in otherwise pristine condition.
• Keep your driver’s license with your debit card. This will save you time. Most sales associates won’t ask, but if they do, you won’t have to drop your bags and dig for it in the pants, the jacket, the purse or the wallet.
• Keep one pocket empty to store all those receipts.
• Most importantly, fly solo. You’ll move a lot faster and will avoid those distracting second opinions. You’re going with your gut now as time is of the essence. Trust it, and clear a path.

Step 6. The Big, Long Haul

I hope you’ve been keeping up your gym membership to this point. You’re about to load up on lots of plastic bags which, over time, will collectively destroy any circulation to your finger tips. Under other circumstances where you’re free to meander, you might pick up the stocking stuffers first, then the clothes. They’re light. Save the gadgets and toys for last. They’re heavier, but also tend to make maneuvering through the masses a tad complicated. In this case, you simply have to suck it up. You’re on a mission after all.

Stop at the car intermittently? No way, Joe. It wastes a lot of time. It leaves your freshly purchased prizes vulnerable to the desires of unscrupulous folk. And it wastes a lot of time.

Stay focused. If you’re clear and direct – and sans a long line at the register – you can be in and out of a store in two minutes.

Head to the farthest place from your entry point and start swiping as you work your way back. Use the stairs. Avoid the escalators. They’re slow, and on them, Time Suckers become immovable objects to your unstoppable force. Besides, dodging, darting and the occasional, “accidental” nudge with the sharp edges of the Tommy Tells Time box are fun.

Remember to breathe. If you don’t, you’ll turn blue, see more bright, shiny lights and fall over. If that’s your thing, do it on your own time.

Walk fast, with a purpose. People, even Time Suckers, don’t like to get run over.

Finally, be polite. You’ll encounter people of all temperaments in your mad dash. Even the orneriest are more likely to give way if you’re polite.

Step 7. The Exit

Your hands are full, your bank account is empty and if you’re silly enough to have worn a leather jacket, you’re likely breaking a small sweat. Those four passing offers for a free massage are looking pretty good right now, but don’t give in. Your shoulders will recover, and your fingertips will eventually return to their natural color.

Head to your door, say something nice to the Salvation Army bell ringer and breathe the fresh air. Check your watch. Two hours? You rock!

You’re done. Fill the trunk with the goods, go home, crack the egg nog and break out the wrapping paper.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.