Saturday, August 31, 2013


                  TRUSTING EACH OTHER

 

    In the August 12, 2013 issue of Fortune magazine there is an article entitled “Great Job” by Geoff Colvin which describes how David Novak, the CEO of Yum Brands,  developed a formula for effective, successful leadership.

 

    Yum Brands is the world’s largest restaurant company with 39,000 KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell locations throughout the world with 1.5 million employees.  Yum has opened a new restaurant every 14 hours for the last 16 years and is not slowing down.  Since 1997 its stock has returned 16.5% compounded annually compared to 3.9% for the S&P 500’s.

 

   When Novak took control of KFC 30 years ago he entered a poisonous atmosphere where headquarters BLAMED the franchisees and the franchisees BLAMED headquarters for KFC’s  problems. (Just as Republicans blame Democrats and Democrats blame Republicans for our political problems)  Novak said there would be no more BADMOUTHING and changed the culture.  In three years profits had nearly DOUBLED.

 

  Novak spent time visiting and listening to franchisees and ask his executives to consider what the franchisees were saying.  Novak said once everybody at KFC saw their ideas were pretty similar to his ideas then what was MY idea, became OUR idea.

 

  What really made the difference Novak said was the idea “IF WE TRUSTED EACH OTHER, we could WORK TOGETHER to make something happen that was bigger than our individual capabilities.”

  

   For 30 years Novak has been the business world’s ultimate TEAM builder.  He developed a three day leadership program which he calls “Taking People With You.”  The program requires each participant to LOOK INSIDE HIMSELF.  They then must rate themselves on TRUTHFULNESS, RELIABILITY, OPENESS, HOW THEY TREAT OTHER TEAM MEMBERS AND HOW THEY VIEW THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS.”  You are not considered fit to build a team until you have worked hard on yourself.

 

  The final topic in Taking People With You is RECOGNITION.  Novak’s desk is covered with knickknacks such as a rubber chicken, a plastic Razorback hog, and a red clay roof tile which he gives out as special personal rewards in recognition of team leadership.  His walls are covered with photos of him giving awards to employees  around the world not photos with presidents and sports stars.

 

 

    Republicans BLAME Democrats and Democrats BLAME Republicans for the 50 million living in poverty, the 11 million illegal immigrants, the $16 trillion national debt,  the 11 million unemployed and all other problems facing Americans.

 

   Can you name one Republican or one Democrat whose conduct would lead you to believe he or she has: LOOKED INSIDE AND RATED THEMSELVES FOR TRUTHFULNESS, RELIABILITY, OPENESS, SELF CENTERDNESS AND HOW THEY TREAT AND VIEW THE MISTAKES OF OTHER POLITICIANS.

 

 Can you name one Democrat or one Republican who TRUSTED each other enough to WORK TOGETHER to reduce the number of people living in poverty, find a solution to the illegal immigration, find a solution to government spending/taxes, and reduce unemployment.

 

   The Democrats have their Democrat National Committee and Republicans have the Republican National Committee, national organizations to act as leaders for their parties.  If you examine their web pages you will not find any leadership programs like David Novak has at Yum Brands showing candidates how to trust and work together with people in the other party.

 

   Mitch McConnell the Senate Republican leader stated his number 1 priority for the last four years was to “Make President Obama a one term president.”  Nothing about “Trust” or “Working Together” to solve the problems of poverty, unemployment, taxes, national debt, or immigration.

 

   John Boehner the Republican House leader said the Republican controlled House should be proud of the “laws we repealed.”  Nothing about “Trust” or “Working Together” to solve the problems of poverty, unemployment, taxes, national debt or immigration.

 

   Republicans and Democrats who insist on MY way or the highway have created the least productive congress in history with the lowest approval rating in history and 57% of Americans in a July poll said they would replace every member of congress if they could. 

 

   Hopefully some day Democrats and Republicans will adopt Novak’s leadership program  of “Taking People With You” and candidates from both parties will TRUST each other and WORK TOGETHER to solve the problems of poverty, unemployment, taxes, the national debt and immigration instead of BADMOUTHING each other.

 

  

 

 

 

 

RAISE NATIONAL DEBT CEILING FOR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS-YES            

      DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTS-NO

 

      In 2012 Republicans tried to convince voters the sky was falling because the national debt was at $16 trillion and blamed the liberal, big government, tax and spend president Obama.   62,611,250 American voters in November 2012 rejected the Republican propaganda and voted to return President Obama to the White House for another 4 years.

 

      Facts about the national debt:

 

      $11.3 trillion—the national debt when the last Republican president left the White House in 2009

 

       18—the number of times Republican president Ronald Reagan requested and the national debt ceiling was raised—more times than any president in history.

 

        9—the number of times Republican presidents Nixon and G.H.W Bush requested and the national debt ceiling was raised—for the second most number of times in history.

 

       300%---the percentage Republican president Ronald Reagan increased the national debt—the largest percentage increase of any president in history. (Had President Obama raised the national debt 300% it would be at $33.9 trillion not $16 trillion.)

 

       100%---the percentage Republican president G. W. Bush increased the national debt—the second largest percentage of any president in history. (Had President Obama raised the national debt 100% it would be at $22.6 trillion not $16 trillion.)

 

      34---the number of times the national debt ceiling was raised in the 20 years Republicans occupied the White House from 1981-2009. (Reagan 18 times, G.H.W Bush 9 times and G.W Bush 7 times.)

 

      $4 trillion to $6 trillion the amount G.W Bush added to the national debt—cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

       Republican president G.W Bush added millions of dollars to the national debt when he gave the largest tax cut in history to the wealthiest 1% of Americans

 

       The last Republican president who balanced the budget—Dwight Eisenhower 1953-1961.

 

      The last Democrat president who balanced the budget—Bill Clinton  1993-2001

 

     When President Obama was sworn as president in 2009 the debt ceiling had been raised 86 times since Eisenhower was president usually without debate and without threat of government shutdown.

 

      The national debt has grown at a SLOWER RATE since Obama became president than under any president since Eisenhower, and in January 2013 there was a budget SURPLUS of $2.88 billion

 

  President Obama submitted a 2014 comprehensive budget plan to congress offering to simplify the tax code, reduce spending and cut the national debt in a balanced way.

 

  When congress returns from its summer recess it must vote on whether or not to raise the national debt ceiling.  If the national debt ceiling is not raised government will shut down.

 

     In 1995 the government was shut down for 28 days after President Clinton vetoed the spending bill of the Republican controlled Congress.  A 2010 Congressional Research Service report states the government shutdown adversely impacted all sectors of the U.S. economy.  

  

      Three Republican freshmen U.S. Senators, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio who have been in Washington an average of 1.9 years promise to vote against raising the national debt ceiling unless President Obama cancels Obamacare.  The “shutdown trio” are frequently in the news doing the thing Republican presidential candidates do, visiting Iowa and other states with early presidential primaries.  The “shutdown trio” apparently believe  the way to obtain the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 is to vote against raising the national debt ceiling and shut down government.

 

   Other Republicans have stated their objections to “shutting down government” in this way:

   “I think it is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”  Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina

    

     “Shutting down the government is not in the best interest of the American people and makes you look politically irresponsible.”  Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma

 

      “How many weeks would you go without paying Social Security and how many weeks would you go without paying the troops?”  Congressman Aaron Shock of Illinois

 

       “It is a good way for Republicans to lose the House and could destroy the party.”  Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

 

         “We’ve been down that road.  We shut down the government and we got our butts kicked over shutting down the government.”  Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.

 

            “Republicans advocating a government shutdown are a suicide caucus.”  Peter Wehner White House aide to the last three Republican presidents.

 

              Hopefully Congress will act in the best interest of the American people when this important matter comes up for a vote in the next few weeks.