It was once explained to me that in some countries it’s imperative for drivers to be in front or push to the front on the highway, at junctions and every turning at every opportunity…no matter what! Continue reading
How do you treat signs when you are driving your car? Are you a strict rule follower? Does a stop sign cause you to come to a full stop, or a rolling stop, or no stop at all if you see no traffic? What about that intersection you go through every day, where you never see a car approaching from any other direction? Do you begin to question the need for the stop sign? Do you just treat it as a yield sign? Do you quickly check for a traffic camera or patrol car looking to catch you?
And what do you do at yellow lights?
When I moved to Massachusetts in the 1960s, the law was that if you came to a full stop and were the second or third car at the stop sign, you did not have to stop a second time. What happened when a Massachusetts driver went to another state, not knowing their laws? Coming from New York, I was honked at a number of times when I stopped at a stop sign as the second or third car. (By the way, the Massachusetts law changed in the 1970s.)
The sign that fascinated me the most when I first moved to Massachusetts was a “maximum truck height” sign at the underpass beneath Mass(achusetts) Ave. and Memorial Drive. I can’t count the number of stuck or decapitated trucks I saw each year when school started and rental vans went under Mass Ave. Couldn’t those MIT and Harvard students read? Did they treat the sign as a dare? Did they just think the heavily loaded truck would be lower than the height restriction?
In recent years, I spend several months each year in Florida. Alongside many lakes, streams, and ponds there is a sign that says, “Don’t approach or feed the alligators.” Yet, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission reports that, from 1948 until November 2021, there were 442 alligator attacks; 26 of those resulted in human fatalities. The average is currently about seven alligator attacks per year. Yet I frequently see people getting up close for photos, or worse yet, sending their children up close for photos.
This may all be interesting to you, but what, you may wonder, does it have to do with you, a good, law-abiding citizen? You always obey those posted signs.
Well, do you obey obvious signs at work? Let me give a few examples, and I hope to give you (and your team) an opportunity for some introspection.
Do you have a healthy organizational culture or a toxic workplace? Addressing some of the challenges above, where they exist, might be part of creating a healthier culture and a more engaged workforce. The Baldrige Excellence Builder® and the Baldrige Excellence Framework® ask you important questions that will help you improve organizational performance in all the areas addressed above and more.
Give these workplace signs some thought! Oh, and obey the law when you are out on the road!
BIO:
I am Harry Hertz, the Baldrige Cheermudgeon, and Director Emeritus of the Baldrige Program. I joined the Program in 1992 after a decade in management in the analytical chemistry and chemical sciences laboratories at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the home of the Baldrige Program. I started my career at NIST (NBS) as a bench analytical chemist.
My favorite aspects of the Baldrige Program are: (1) the opportunity to interact with leading thinkers from all sectors of the U.S. economy who serve as volunteers in the Baldrige Program, who participate in the Baldrige Executive Fellows Program, and who represent Award applicants at the forefront of the continuous journey to performance excellence, and (2) the intellectual challenge of synthesizing ideas from leading thinkers and from personal research into Insights on the Road to Performance Excellence and other blogs that tackle challenges at the “leading edge of validated leadership and performance practice,” and contribute to the continuous revision of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework.
Outside of work I spend my time with family (including three beautiful granddaughters), exercising, baking bread, traveling, educating tomorrow’s leaders, and participating on various boards and board committees.
Not everybody is a student of Greek mythology but many of us will have heard of Icarus and his fall to fame after flying to close to the sun. In the myth, as recorded by the Roman poet Ovid, the beeswax that held his wings together melted, gravity took over and after landing in the sea he drowned.
Icarus’ father, Daedalus, was a skillful architect and craftsman and invented the feathered wings. He was also portrayed as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge, and he gave fair warning to his son about the risks of flying too high.
But as with many warnings, particularly from parents, it’s only afterwards that most people realise that they should have been heeded. Icarus was no exception. In the intoxication of the excitement, and enthusiasm of experiencing flight, at least in the short-term, he ignored the fatherly advice, went too far, and paid the ultimate price. It’s always easy to be wise after the fact.
But that’s the nature of human beings, some heed warnings and others don’t. The common fact is that even if the risks are known some will suffer the consequences when they happen while others may reap rewards if they don’t. It can be a fine line between success and failure.
Edges & Margins
In business, having a competitive edge often produces good (profit) margins. If that edge is lost, then margins are eroded, and loss can result. The CEO of Nasdaq, Adena Friedman, said “You can’t be successful in business without taking risks. It’s really that simple” `but for those who may have failed then, being “once bitten twice shy”, they fear failure and may well be overly cautious.
Risk seekers, to succeed, will, with no apparent regard for the possibility of failure, seek out the margin and work at the edge of acceptable behaviour. For extremists they may push the limits of such behaviour. The profits may be spectacular, but the resultant losses are egregious; just consider some of the rogue traders over the past thirty years.
For the risk averse then rather than seeking a profit margin they create a wider and wider safety margin and may miss the boat. As the business man John A Shedd said “A ship in harbour is safe, but it’s not what ships are built for” and sometimes ships must sail close to the wind to move.
Too Close
“Too close for comfort” is one of several idioms related to the proximity of some sort of danger or other which creates feelings of nervousness or worry. If there is only a narrow margin for error, we may be “too close to the edge” and there will be a fear of falling and failing. Similarly, when things start to go wrong, we may find ourselves being ”too close to the wind” and in danger of taking a risky course of action to correct things.
Being close to danger results in a fight-or-flight response and adrenalin is produced in an ‘adrenalin rush’. But it’s not just produced in life-threatening situations but also when there is an unexpected situation or when the risk of grasping an opportunity needs to be taken.
For some people, the experience is pleasurable and even addictive while for others it results in anxiety. In the aftermath of a “close shave,” emotions are experienced. There can be the euphoria of omnipotence having eluded danger on one hand. On the other there may be the realisation that one’s throat could have been cut with subsequent feelings of doom and post traumatic shock.
Far Enough
So how far away is ‘too close’? For the risk averse it’s as far away as possible while for the risk seeker it’s right on the very edge.
If success is just “out of reach” it means that the adopted safety margin is too wide and there could well be a case of defeat being grasped from the jaws of victory. However, with a reduced margin for error and corresponding reduction in the profit margin, then there could easily be a case of victory being seized from the clutches of defeat.
For the pragmatic ‘far enough’ is just short of “So close yet so far” so that achievement is just within reach. Playing too close to the edge can require a degree of luck and when comes to pushing one’s luck, as my grandfather used to say, “you can go one far lad, but you can’t go too far”.
Conclusions
Success and failure are all about risk and opportunity and the appetite of people and organizations to take a risk or seize an opportunity. This also depends on how prepared they are to accept failure and trusting to luck and probability, or playing safe, being careful and having plenty of contingency.
For risk seekers they may crave for the ‘rush’ that comes with pushing the limits, as long as it’s at the expense of somebody else. We may well see the traits of Icarus Syndrome with overconfident despots who are arrogantly reckless and only see the benefits rather than any pitfalls and damaging consequences.
There are also those who have tried and failed and realise that risk is something that doesn’t just happen to other people. For those who have experienced risk they may have suffered some personal trauma as exemplified by Ovid, the poet who brought us Icarus, who wrote, “The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea”. As with religious converts who can become fanatics, any newly bitten risk-averse brethren can become risk shy and ignore opportunity. Success and failure can be matters of opinion but if success is expected all the time there may well be disappointment if (or when) failure occurs. “You win some you lose some” goes another idiom and while success can be “so near and yet so far” it ultimately depends on how risks are taken, and opportunities are not only recognised but seized.
Bio:
Malcolm Peart is an UK Chartered Engineer & Chartered Geologist with over thirty-five years’ international experience in multicultural environments on large multidisciplinary infrastructure projects including rail, metro, hydro, airports, tunnels, roads and bridges. Skills include project management, contract administration & procurement, and design & construction management skills as Client, Consultant, and Contractor.
Imagine it’s a crisp and sunny fall morning. You just left your local coffee shop, ready to start your day.
Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of something moving in the bushes. Is it a squirrel stashing acorns for the winter? A robin fattening up for migration? As you get closer, the image becomes clear and you unconsciously hold your breath.
It’s a black cat out for its morning stroll.
You pause for a second to decide your next move. Cross the street so the cat can’t cross your path? Muster the courage to walk past it, or even crouch down to pet it? Rationally, you know the idea that a black cat is bad luck is just a silly superstition … but you have an important meeting this afternoon and don’t want to jinx it.
This superstition about black cats and other black animals in general has shaped people’s preferences about animals. It’s left its mark on things such as lower adoption rates for black cats and beliefs that black cats are more aggressive. Yet, these biases are unfounded.
As two biologists who focus on human-wildlife interactions, what we find scary is how superstitions, lore and myths can shape your subconscious – particularly biases toward the animals people are trying to conserve and protect.
Of course, animal fur, feathers and scales come in various colors across the visible and invisible-to-humans spectrum. These colorations play a significant role in the survival of wildlife by functioning as a form of concealment, temperature regulation or communication. In white-tailed deer, for instance, a flash of a white tail can indicate danger is near, while the sharp red breast of a male cardinal attracts females that are ready to mate.
Within species, color variations are found throughout the animal kingdom, including melanistic animals with more dark pigmentation and leucistic animals with a reduction of pigment. There are black panthers, a melanistic version of a leopard, Panthera pardus, or jaguar, Panthera onca. On the other side of the spectrum are white spirit bears, a leucistic version of an American black bear, Ursus americanus. There are also albino animals that lack most or all pigment.
Scientists recognize these color variations as extreme abnormalities within the natural world. Being all black or all white is a rare phenomenon, unlikely to persist in the wild because it’s a selective disadvantage. These animals often have a tougher time blending into their habitat – a challenge for predators trying to ambush their prey, and for prey trying to conceal themselves from predators. They may also struggle to regulate their temperature and to communicate with others in their species.
A suite of genes that can change in many ways is behind this rainbow of wildlife coloration. One of the most well-known and studied genes is MC1R. In animals, loss-of-function mutations in the MC1R gene can result in light, yellow or reddish coat color. In humans, redheads have up to five loss-of-function mutations in MC1R, leading to hair that ranges from strawberry blonde to copper.
Recently, we explored how charismatic coloring, including melanistic and leucistic or albinism coloration, affects the conservation of animals in the United States. As we read through local laws and found news stories of wildlife being protected or culled, we noticed a trend: Many albinistic and leucistic animals are protected.
Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin laws protect albino/white deer from being hunted. In Marionville, Missouri, white squirrels are protected and given the right-of-way on all public streets, with a penalty of up to US$500 or 90 days in jail for failing to abide by the law. In Louisiana, it’s prohibited to take white alligators from the wild, with a fine of at least $10,000 and six months in jail. The World Wilderness Congress recently adopted a resolution: Making Space to Protect White Animals, Messengers of Peace.
We also found white animals readily celebrated. Brevard, North Carolina, hosts a yearly festival called “White Squirrel Weekend.” People often release white doves at weddings and funerals as symbols of purity and peace. The California Academy of Sciences’ famous albino alligator named Claude has a whole book written about him. And members of the Olney, Illinois, police department wear a patch on their uniform with a white squirrel.
We found similar laws and celebrations do not exist in these jurisdictions for the white animals’ melanistic/black counterparts. We did identify a few cities and schools, including Marysville, Kansas, and Goshen College, that made the black squirrel their mascot.
This discrepancy surprised us because the genetic mutation that causes melanism occurs less frequently than the one that causes albinism/leucism. Pure black animals are more novel. We thought the more rare melanistic animals would pique human interest for being more unusual and trigger more protections.
For many thousands of years, people have shared with each other stories, lore, tales and myths that attempt to explain the world.
Sometimes these stories provide cautionary advice about the dangers that lurk around us. As our early ancestors sat around fires, telling thrilling stories, they sought refuge together from the darkness that concealed looming threats. The partiality evident in our history can linger for significant periods of time, making it difficult to unlearn.
Many human biases developed as a survival response – one reason a darkly colored nocturnal predator would be fearsome is that it’s so hard to see at night, for instance. Modern preconceptions, though, can be based on harmful ideologies. Somewhere, way back when, white became synonymous with “good” and “pure,” while black aligned more with “evil” and “unclean.” And even now these unconscious affiliations influence how people celebrate and protect – or not – rare animals.
Perhaps more chilling than a black cat darting past you is the thought of how much in your subconscious mind goes unquestioned. Ideologies – whether detrimental or benign – permeate human society, influencing people’s perceptions of reality and informing how they interact with the world.
This Halloween, rather than the spooky proposition of goblins and ghouls, consider whether the more horrifying specters are the unacknowledged and dangerous biases we humans possess.
BIO: PROFESSOR CARLEN
I am a Living Earth Collaborative postdoctoral fellow at Washington University in St. Louis working with Dr. Jonathan Losos and a former National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow. My postdoctoral research focuses on the impacts of urbanization and environmental racism in Eastern Gray Squirrels.
I received a PhD in Biological Sciences from Fordham University in New York City, where I worked in the Munshi-South lab. My PhD work, on how urbanization affected the evolution of feral pigeons in the Northeastern Megacity (Boston, MA to Washington, DC), was featured on Saturday Night Live and led The New York Times to refer to me as the “Pigeon Stalker”. In addition to my dissertation research, I am a co-founder and editor of the urban evolution blog Life in the City: Evolution in an Urbanizing World.
BIO: PROFESSOR TYUS
My research takes an exciting approach by looking at the intersections of human-wildlife interactions and species competition (resulting in interspecific killings or intraguild predation) under human-dominated landscapes and how these two are mutually exacerbated due to the stressors within these environments. With the world rapidly changing it’s crucial that we ask questions about the role anthropogenic influences play on wildlife communities around the globe to understand how human-wildlife conflict issues and species competition will unfold in the future and what these implications ultimately mean for human-wildlife coexistence and ecosystem stability.
My current research for my first chapter examines the effectiveness of shoreline exclusion zones on mammalian mesocarnivores in East Bay Regional Shorelines to understand how varying mesocarnivore species are utilizing these diverse landscapes as corridors to their advantage and what that implies for temporal overlap between species, avoidance behavior, and habitat utilization for species potentially occupying these shoreline locations.
During its current revision, the Baldrige Excellence Framework®, the core document of the Baldrige Program, is undergoing revolutionary change—being reorganized, simplified, and refocused—to make it as easy to use as possible and to expand its value and reach. The revision aims to provide clear guidance for organizations of all types and at all maturity levels, including more value for organizations beginning to establish processes and activities to help them achieve a competitive edge and long-term success.
Change takes time to ensure proper reviews, the correct content, and the intended product. Given the significance of the proposed changes, the Baldrige Program is building in additional opportunities for review by and input from key stakeholder groups.
As part of the Baldrige Reimagined effort, the Baldrige Program refocused the award process on its primary purpose: evaluate high-performing organizations to identify role models from which others can learn. Award process changes included streamlining the award criteria and evaluation rubric—both derived from the framework. These changes have created the opportunity to similarly focus the framework on its primary purpose: guide organizational development and performance improvement.
The goal for this framework revision is to clearly articulate the progression of process maturity in all areas addressed by the framework. The content will be presented in a way that will be easier for an organization to (1) understand, (2) recognize its level of maturity, and (3) determine the next steps to improve and progress. Another important goal is to revise the framework to be not just a tool for organizational improvement but also a tool for organizations to achieve world-class results and identify their paths to Baldrige Award recognition as U.S. role models.
Since 1987, the Baldrige Criteria booklet served as both the Baldrige Award application and as a guide for overall organizational improvement. For 37 years, new concepts and themes were added to remain current with proven leadership and management practices that enable high performance, and the Baldrige Criteria booklet became the Baldrige Excellence Framework.
During this revision cycle, more than 75 contributors have offered detailed feedback, and multiple focus groups have provided recommendations that focus on both content and structure. In addition, leadership trends and challenges have been studied and vetted for relevance. All feedback was added to other suggestions, including from Baldrige advisory bodies, on ways to improve the framework.
The revised framework will still be the best resource of proven leadership and management practices for organizations seeking a comprehensive tool that speaks to wide ranges of best practices. Use of the framework for a systems approach to performance improvement and organization-wide assessments will lead organizations to resilience and long-term success.
For more information on any of the framework publications, contact the Baldrige Program at baldrige@nist.gov or (301) 975-2036.
