Author: Tim J. Clark

Leadership: Health Care

Both of the following articles were published in the Indianapolis Star and provide a great example on the adage from Einstein that “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”  

Define how the stakeholders define quality and you resolve the paradox.

An ounce of prevention saves money and lives. By Bill Corley, July 7, 2008.

Most employers offer health insurance to take care of workers when they get sick. … Five years ago, the health-care company I lead was experiencing double-digit increases in health expenses every year, and that clearly wasn’t sustainable.

That’s when we took a good look at the alternative that keeps them from getting sick in the first place. The results of our wellness efforts have been remarkable, with increased participation and decreased expenses, and the good news is that you don’t have to be in the health-care business to achieve similar results.

The High Cost of Healthy People, by Froma Harrop,

The word “prevention” has a nice ring in any health-care discussion. Thus, many politicians argue that programs to stop smoking, improve diets and otherwise promote wholesome living save money in the long run. A healthier population at less cost —sounds like a win-win situation.

Unfortunately, that formulation is a pleasant fantasy.

Medical economists agree that cancer screenings and gym classes can lead to physical well-being and longer lives. But in the interests of honest accounting, they add that prevention does not reduce overall health-care spending. On the contrary …

Role of a Leader

Leonard Pitts: We know what works; let’s do it. Also published in the Indianapolis Star, July 19, 2008.

This will be the last What Works column.

I reserve the right to report occasionally on any program I run across that shows results in saving the lives and futures of African American kids. But this is the last in the series I started 19 months ago to spotlight such programs.

Indeed, the most important thing I’ve learned is that none of this is rocket science. We already know what works. What we lack is the will to do it.

Instead, we have a hit-and-miss patchwork of programs achieving stellar results out on the fringes of the larger, failing, system. Why are they the exception and not the rule? If we know what works, why don’t we simply do it?

Leaders “job description” is to help “provide the will” to bring about needed improvements.  At the same time, Quality experts such as the late Edwards Deming estimated that the majority of changes result in no improvement.

Quality Leadership provides a better paradigm for helping to ensure that the majority of changes do result in improvement and builds the capability for continually doing what works.

Indpls Star: Role of Newspapers

OPINION: Star needs to dig deeper into critical issues, Dennis Ryerson, July 20, 2008.

Reinforces the important role newspapers play in reporting on the challenging issues facing the community in addition to reporting on incidences of “misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance.”

Don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s something you think we should be digging into. We can’t look into every issue but will do all that we can to probe deeply into the most critical ones.

Prompted me to start thinking about a taxonomy for change.   How do you frame the problem, keep people engaged, provide status on current results, not contribute to a sense of learned helplessness (keep reporting on an issue/situation that never improves), etc.

For example on the issue mass transit, On the road to new transit options, plenty of facts and solutions but facts are not synonymous with problems.  For example, the fact that a gallon of gas is over $4.00 is a problem for some but not for others.  Nelson Goud, in his comments on the Star’s online readers blog illustrates the point:

Fewer traffic fatalities due to less overall driving (research shows 1,000 fewer fatalities per month at $4 a gallon).

Less traffic on the roads (2.1 percent so far this year).

Many companies, colleges and government offices are implementing four-day workweeks to lessen energy costs.

Less air pollution (and related illnesses).

Public transit is at a 50-year high.

Large-vehicle sales are plummeting.

Industries wanting lower shipping costs are locating more work within the U.S. rather than overseas.

Indianapolis Star: Leadership Changes

It’s been interesting to follow how the Indianapolis Star has been adapting to changes in the marketplace.  Changing demographics and respective preferences on accessing information along with competition from television, cable broadcasts and the Internet have led to a refocus on community issues. 

Kane named Indianapolis Star president and publisher. By Robert King, Posted: July 16, 2008. …  In an interview following the staff meeting, Kane said he came to Indianapolis because he wanted to help the Star and Gannett’s other newspapers in the region make the changes needed to confront challenges from online advertising and other media.

Specifically, he said he wanted to help the newspapers think differently about how they serve advertisers in the digital age.

Indianapolis Star publisher retiring. Star Report, June 27, 2008. Barbara Henry, president and publisher of The Indianapolis Star since 2000, will retire Aug. 1 after a 34-year career in the newspaper business.

In announcing her retirement, Henry said, “I have loved every minute of those three-plus decades. The last eight years in Indianapolis have been especially gratifying. Even as our industry goes through a major transformation, and we operate in a very challenging economy

China: Political Flexibility

POST: A glimpse of the future in China, Thomas P.M. Barnett on July 18, 2008

POST: Membership has its privileges. Posted by Thomas P.M. Barnett on July 18, 2008.

Globalization is force for change.  The interesting thing to watch about China is how they will deal with the conflict between a closed political system and a more open economic system.  

The so-what is that China is projected by many to be a future "military peer competitor."  The larger the perceived threat, the larger share of the U.S. budget devoted to national security.

Al Qaeda defeat in Iraq

Al Qaeda’s Market Crash, (New York Post)…Ralph Peters, July 19, 2008, Pg. 19

IF you think the US markets have problems, look at the value of al Qaeda shares throughout the Muslim world: A high-flying political equity just a few years ago, its stock has tanked. It made the wrong strategic investments and squandered its moral capital.

What a difference a war makes.

Guess what? We won.

So what’s the greatest irony? The president’s oft-mocked declaration of "Mission Accomplished" wasn’t wrong, after all – just premature.

Ralph Peters’ new book is "Looking For Trouble: Adventures in a Broken World."

Taiwan, China, U.S. Diplomacy

Bush Should Keep His Word On Taiwan
(Wall Street Journal)…Dan Blumenthal, Aaron Friedberg, Randall Schriver and Ashley J. Tellis, July 19, 2008, Pg. 9

In 2001, President Bush made a bold and principled decision to offer Taiwan a range of military equipment for its security. In 2008, as he prepares to leave office, the president seems to have reneged on that commitment.

The People’s Republic of China has been expanding its military capabilities at a rapid pace.

The policy of not offending China, no matter what the costs, does not serve U.S. interests in the Taiwan Straits. First, it undermines Mr. Ma’s ability to deal with Beijing from a position of strength, and to that extent it undermines the common objective of peaceful reunification, should the Taiwanese desire it.

Denying Taiwan the minimal capabilities required to cope with China’s massive military buildup also increases the burdens on U.S. forces if they should ever intervene in a future cross-straits confrontation.

Iraq: Security Agreement

Surge Protector, (New York Times)…William J. Fallon, July 20, 2008.

THE prospect of a long-term security arrangement between the United States and Iraq has become a lightning rod for criticism. Yet such an agreement — which the White House believes could be completed this month now that the two countries have agreed to set a “general time horizon” for reducing the number of American troops in Iraq — would be in the best interests of the governments of both countries, and of the people who live in a region of the world that urgently needs stability.