Category — Coaching

Every once in a while you wonder if members of your community actually recognize what you do or if things are just coincidence. In the last post to this site, my friend Dr. Charles Savage and I had spoken about peak oil and he had provided me something he had written about the subject for me to post. I added some additional data and created an article around the topic of peak oil and its fellow “Peak brothers”.

Today, June 7, 2009, when reading the local paper Santa Barbara News Press, I found a story that looked to me like part 2 of what I had started recently. Here it is for you to enjoy, written by a fellow consultant and adjunct professor, and one of his collegues from University of California in Santa Barbara. Maybe it’s just coincidence, but maybe we are on to something the public should be aware of and begin to take appropriate action.

A call to action: Peak oil should be at the forefront of global concerns

We are being lulled to sleep by temporarily low oil prices caused by the global financial crisis. In fact, low prices may lead to an increased level of consumption and accelerated exhaustion of oil reserves.

“Peak oil,” the point at which global oil production peaks and then rapidly declines, is still not sufficiently on the minds of the American public and policymakers. We don’t know exactly when peak oil will arrive, but it is very likely to occur within 10 to 20 years. Some say that it may even be here now. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for example, wrote in a 2005 report: “We are at or near a peak in global oil production.” Peak oil should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Here’s why:

As soon as the global economy recovers, we can expect oil and other fossil fuel prices to shoot right back to where they were last summer, and probably far higher. The International Energy Agency (IEA), formed in the 1970s to act as an energy watchdog for western nations, stated in its 2008 World Energy Outlook:

“Current global trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable . . .The future of human prosperity depends on how successfully we tackle the two central energy challenges facing us today: securing the supply of reliable and affordable energy; and effecting a rapid transformation to a low-carbon, efficient and environmentally benign system of energy supply.”

This is a call to action of the most urgent kind and we dare not ignore it.

United States oil production peaked in 1970 and has declined ever since, apart from a small and short uptick in the late 1970s, and oil imports have increased steadily. We now produce half of what we produced at our peak and import about 60 percent of our oil.

What is the global situation? The United Kingdom struck oil in the North Sea in the 1970s and became a major world producer. But oil production peaked without warning in 1999 and the U.K. suddenly transformed from an oil exporter into an oil importer just seven years later. U.K. North Sea oil production is now down almost 50 percent from its peak.

The same pattern occurred in Indonesia, formerly a member of OPEC. Norway, Russia and the majority of other oil producers also are past their peak. This is why the IEA regards the situation as so dire: existing oil fields are declining very quickly and new oil fields are not coming online quickly enough to replace them. The IEA concludes that we need three or four additional Saudi Arabias to meet projected demand by 2015.

Cambridge Energy Research Associates, a respected oil forecasting firm that has been very skeptical of the peak oil discussion, also recently forecast that oil projects worth 8 million barrels per day have been canceled or delayed since the global recession hit, exacerbating the mid-term situation further.

Oil production is not the only issue, however. Natural gas production will follow a similar production decline, probably just a few years behind oil. Natural gas currently constitutes about one-quarter of the world’s energy consumption, so this cannot be forgotten in the discussion.

As we’ve seen with food exports such as rice, when fears grow over the domestic availability of key resources (like food, oil or gas), nations will change export policies overnight. Last year, Thailand, the world’s second largest exporter of rice, temporarily outlawed rice exports.

The same thing could very well happen in oil- and gas-exporting nations. As soon as the global economy recovers and the supply shortage becomes clear, major exporters can simply forbid exports, keeping their precious oil and gas for their own use.

Similarly, some countries’ oil and gas exports are already declining quickly. Mexico, while struggling with a major drug war, saw its oil exports plummet more than 20 percent in 2008 due to the decline by 33 percent in just one year of its major field, Cantarell. Mexico is the third largest supplier of oil to the U.S.

Mexico’s oil revenue has fallen off a cliff as its oil exports and oil prices more generally have plummeted; 40 percent of Mexico’s government funding is oil revenue. Clearly, Mexico is facing a formidable future and may not survive as a functioning nation, a conclusion also reached by the U.S. military’s Joint Forces Command in a 2008 report.

The time is now to invest heavily in alternatives to oil and gas, such as energy efficiency, conservation, renewable energy and more efficient transportation. Our own dream is a sustainable energy future powered predominately by solar and wind energy, backed up with energy storage and baseload geothermal, biomass and hydro power.

Much is happening in these areas already, and this is hopeful: the Obama administration has budgeted billions of dollars for these efforts and has made energy reform one of its three top priorities. Individuals and communities around the world also are springing into action through various initiatives.

But much more needs to be done. As the IEA concludes: “What is needed is nothing short of an energy revolution.”

Walter Kohn is research professor of physics and chemistry at UCSB and a Nobel Laureate in chemistry . Tam Hunt is a private consultant and a lecturer in renewable energy law and policy at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UCSB.

This course to attain “Crucial Leadership Wisdom” was provided to me by a good friend. Sadly he couldn’t tell me who the original author is. That’s the reason I can’t give credit to him/her. Nevertheless, you should pay close attention, as this is a course worth learning from, if you ever want to become a successful leader!

CRUCIAL LEADERSHIP WISDOM COURSE

Lesson 1

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour.

Before she says a word, Bob says, ‘I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel.’

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, ‘Who was that?’

‘It was Bob the next door neighbour,’ she replies.

‘Great,’ the husband says, ‘did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?’

Moral of the story

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

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Lesson 2

A priest offered a Nun a lift.

She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.

The priest nearly had an accident.

After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

The nun said, ‘Father, remember Psalm 129?’

The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.

The nun once again said, ‘Father, remember Psalm 129?’

The priest apologized ‘Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.’

Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, ‘Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.’

Moral of the story

If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

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Lesson 3

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.
They rub it and a Genie comes out.

The Genie says, ‘I’ll give each of you just one wish.’

‘Me first! Me first!’ says the admin clerk. ‘I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.’

Puff! She’s gone.

‘Me next! Me next!’ says the sales rep. ‘I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.’

Puff! He’s gone.

‘OK, you’re up,’ the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, ‘I want those two back in the office after lunch.’

Moral of the story

Always let your boss have the first say.

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Lesson 4

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.

A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, ‘Can I also sit like you and do nothing?’

The eagle answered: ‘Sure, why not.’

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.
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Lesson 5

A turkey was chatting with a bull.

‘I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree’ sighed the turkey, ‘but I haven’t got the energy.’

‘Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?’ replied the bull. They’re packed with nutrients.’

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch..

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story

Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.

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Lesson 6

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story

(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

(3) And when you’re in deep shit, it’s best to keep your mouth shut!

THUS ENDS THE QUICK MANAGEMENT COURSE

I hope you enjoy your long weekend and take time to reflect on the important new wisdoms you gained from this crucial course.

Finally, and maybe to some extent due to the global challenges we all currently face global warming is accepted as a fact of life by the vast majority of all people. A lot of business establishments and entities have started to express their interest in this phenomenon. The concern is how all these impacts can affect not just our generation but the future generations as well.

It starts with the place we spend a considerable amount of time each day, assuming we are lucky enough to still have a job. Creating an office or a workplace that is not just functional but green is a challenge for most people. Here are a few ways that you can start to help your company/business to switch to green.

Steps to start switching green:

• Have an Eco-friendly office space- I know how much you are longing to have the best set of furniture for your office, but you don’t have to worry. There are a number of furniture companies in the market right now that can provide you with a wide variety of exquisite furniture using recycled materials. There is definitely no harm in trying.

• Avoid the use of lead in your office- Go natural! You don’t need to paint furniture’s and offices with those lead containing materials, because aside from destroying the environment, it will also harm your health as well. If you want to decorate your office you can go for pictures and added ornaments that are eco-friendly as well.

• Switch to using eco-friendly office materials- Nowadays mouse pads, clipboards, binders are now made of recycled materials. These materials are now made of old computer motherboards and circuits. Though they may be a little bit pricey, but always bear in mind that being eco-friendly can definitely help and that is beyond price.

• Switch used papers into new and reusable ones- a lot of companies are very guilty of using too much paper, offices and hospitals for example use to much paper even for just a few scratches. It may seem a bit expensive to hire a recycling company. But this would be a good option, you can ask them to collect all the used paper that you have and recycle them, this way it would be cheaper and you are also saving the environment.

• Switch to refillable inks- computer inks are like water for a growing company, so it would be best to use those refillable inks. This way you do not use up much of those plastics that are used when you buy the brand new ink cartilages. You can also save much because it will then be cheaper and at the same time you’re saving the environment.

With the “Switch to Green”- program, which more companies are now taking part in, it won’t be long till we will be able to change the fate of our depleting ozone layer or the unpredictable weather caused by global warming.

So if you would want to be certain that we all have a realistic chance to survive this global challenge and save our Mother Earth, not just for us; but for our children; - then take the steps I have listed for you, and begin your own Switch to Green.

Nowaday’s companies have been very keen in protecting the environment. A lot are geared to changing how companies and their programs can help the environment. We have been hearing a lot of news about how different companies can in some way affect our environment and have not been keeping in mind the safety of the rest of the people. This is why green leadership was established to save the environment and spread the news on how to still continue being a successful company and at the same time be conscious about the environment.

In the lean and green leadership era, initiatives seek to increase and enhance executive discussion and awareness around the ways IT organizations can reduce energy drain and impact business gain by consolidating storage systems, embracing efficient computing practice, and introducing power-saving techniques. In this program leaders will examine ways to address the accelerating energy demands and rampant waste of data center power, along with methods to increase IT yield and data productivity.

A press release dated April 16. 2008 stated that the new BPM forum study finds that IT curbing has failed to curb data center energy consumption despite the increasing number of those concerned. Despite the stated concerns and priorities for making data center operations more environmentally friendly, still only a few organizations have any specific plans in place. Most IT managers give their operations failing grades in reducing energy consumption. Data center energy consumption continues to rise due to rising energy costs amid increasing environmental concern over global warming. Nearly half of IT managers surveyed say that their organizations have run out of energy resources in the past.

BlueArc is a leading network storage company focused on high performance and scalability, and on making environmentally responsible computing both possible and cost-effective.  The company also has the ability to drive server consolidation in reducing complexity, lowering the total cost of ownership and cutting power and cooling expenses at the same time. They have helped companies expand ways to explore, discover, research, create, process and innovate in data-intensive environments. Replacing complex and cost-inefficient and power-hungry products with high performance and environmentally beneficial scalable and easy to use systems is one field that BlueArc has been involved in.

BlueArc has conducted a study assessing issues and opportunities presented by green computing and ways to address accelerating energy and performance demands and perceived waste in the data center. The findings reflect responses from more then 150 IT professionals in an online survey completed February of 2008. The study revealed the following:

• Three-quarters of respondents gave their organization a C grade and found them to be worse in their ability to control IT energy consumption.
• There were no specific plans in place for the data center for almost two-thirds of the respondents.
• About 20 percent of those polled spend more than a million dollars annually on IT energy consumption and 8 percent spend more than 10 million.
• Another 20 percent of respondents set goals of 5 percent energy reduction or less and almost two-third had set goals of 25 percent reduction or less.
• Last year, almost half of those spoiled IT energy consumption increased in their organization and even in their cost of energy.
• And finally, forty-six percent of respondents reported that they had run out of space, power and capacity.

The study gave an overall result which pointed to a gap between what IT leadership knows, what it needs to do, and what it has accomplished to date in terms of environmental responsibility. (Derek Kober, Director of BPM forum). Derek also said that in polling the marketplace and talking with industry leaders, they have heard that there are opportunities for those who deliver on the environmental promise to also save substantial cost and drive revenue opportunities through more efficient and enhanced data performance practices.

The BPM, better known as the Business Performance Management Forum, is a new management mantra that is aimed at bringing business gain to the value chain through enhanced trading partner visibility, flexibility and new levels of verifiable sustainability which applies across the entire demand and supply ecosystem of global corporations.

 Its current programs have been unifying, focusing and controlling complexes which are globally distributed and highly synchronized value networks in turbulent, unpredictable times. They also require real-time operational insights down to the product level, accurate sourcing and sell-through intelligence, and relentless dedication to eliminating waste and realizing new efficiencies in all areas of the go-to-market process.

At the same time these programs have followed the economic, social and regulatory dynamics and are putting real pressure on global companies to be both “lean and green” in their product sourcing, logistics, transportation, distribution and operational practices as well.

Now that there is a growing number of organizations and programs such as the ‘lean and green initiative’ and BlueArc, people have high hopes that these newly formed programs will inspire other individuals and companies to follow in their footsteps. They are role models in environmental preservation.

For anybody interested to find out about some other aspects of this topic, feel free to review a recent article at http://tinyurl.com/dfurmc

We only have one earth, one environment and one world, and if we all work to save, conserve, and use environmentally friendly programs and processes, our children and future generations will have a more sustainable environment than what we are creating if we don’t act in a conscious “Green-Leadership” approach.

I invite everybody using computers, working with data centers and computing-intensive fields to join the movement and become eco-conscious pioneers, so that we can leave the world a better place without loosing any of the comforts and benefits of modern technology.

Axel Meierhoefer & Marie Saycon