Here Comes the Rain, Again!

Tropical storms, rain, wind, mess, and chilly. That is the forecast.

Ugh! When will the heat begin?

But, as I was walking out of the club after racquetball this morning I noticed the smell of the rain and the cleansed earth in the air.  So, even though it is raining, and I love rain, there are some positives--providing that the rain eventually gives way to summer.

But the rain is overwatering the plants in the pots outside--much like frosts at the beginning or ending of the season, the potted plants need to come in out of the rain!

So much rain and so little time.

At least everything is green right now and fully prepared for the summer. And, I have heard that we have been spared the plague of the cicadas.

So with the rain giving way to the need to mow the lawn and the continued greening of the landscape, it is not all bad--just depressing. The gray skies get me a bit down though.

But, hey, the weekend is almost here! There is a bright thought.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Internet Hoaxes and Bad Information

I am amazed how often I receive chain email and other notices that contain bad and untrue information.

We need to be more careful about what we forward and be careful to check sources before sending bad information along.

Sending along erroneous information without checking it out wastes a lot of time. And can have bad consequences. It also makes anything sent by the sender, suspect factually.

The latest on I received was about the Facebook Graph App. Sadly, although the hoax sounds authentic, the facts are materially different from reality--and reality is well documented. It is a hoax.

The really funny part about this hoax is that it makes the reader believe that it is possible to post data on the internet and keep it private.

The most important rule of the internet--anything you post will eventually be read by anyone and everyone who wants to read it. If you think there is any privacy, you are woefully uninformed. If you want privacy--unplug your computer.

Watch the hoaxes, minimize the bad info--and realize, privacy is a facade on the internet and we'll all be happier.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Social Engineering, the Military and Leadership

Over the past 70 or so years, the military has been used as a social engineering prototype for society.

Look at the success of the integration of the races within the military--from segregated units at the beginning of WW2 to shortly thereafter fully integrated units. There is a case to be made that the great baseball player, number 42, Jackie Robinson or the Syracuse running back Ernie Davis could never have been successful in crossing the color barrier without the social engineering which preceded them in the military.

I have been reading about the recent spate of sexual misconduct problems in the military, and frankly, I am mystified. Women and men have been working together in the military for decades. I know, I have personal experience working for and with women. I can categorically state that it works. Just like the integration of races, the integration of genders is a military decades long pioneered success story.

So what is different now that all of these incidents are being reported?

In my mind it is leadership. Or the lack of leadership from the lowest to the highest levels.

We live in a risk averse society and the military is beginning to adopt a risk averse mentality. This is a recipe for failure. The military, by design, is a high risk environment. Where else is the reward for doing you duty faithfully possibly death?

The current crop of military leadership has grown up in an environment of microscopic oversight which leads to legal entanglements and a stifling of initiative which results in management rather than leadership. And it results in rules and laws replacing the demand for common sense and good judgement.

The loss of judgement by leaders is what is behind the problems currently being experienced by our military.

We need, our military needs a new crop of leaders who can make decisions without having to consult lawyers before making a decision.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

From the Cold Beach to the Hot Playing Field

Ethan is Number 24

What a difference a week makes.

On Sunday, Ethan's lacrosse team participated in a season ending tournament. His team played three shortened games during a five hour span. The temperatures were in the low 90's, the sky was clear and blue, and the sun was hot. It was truly the beginning of summer.

The week before Ethan and the rest of our family had been at the beach where the temperatures barely climbed into the 60's and the sun's warmth was only making beach time just bearable.

Lacrosse is a great sport--as are most sports. The game teaches teamwork, position play, rules, and most of all it helps develop work ethic. Work hard to develop skills and success will follow. While winning is important--it is not the most important part of the game. Sportsmanship is key.

This week, "E" wore orange socks to help us find him on the field of play. Sometimes during the long season it was difficult to determine where he was on the field and the numbers, although clear in the image, are not so clear in real time. Orange socks really helped. On the field of play, Ethan made more than a few good stick checks while playing defense and he avoided being penalized for the usual stuff, pushing and slashing.

But, it was hot! Really hot. Almost stifling hot.

It was awesome just a week after suffering in the cold on the beach we were sweltering in the heat on the playing field.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 3, 2013

1. Unbelievably, it is June already.

2. My worst day of the week is Thursday and I was just told by someone that for the next two weeks, every day is Thursday.

3. Yesterday the temperature dropped 21 degrees in about an hour as the thunderstorms arrived.

4. Sunday afternoon, in the pool, listening to the Orioles comeback win over the Tigers--what could be better?

5. Lawns mowed, gardens weeded, projects done for the week and now it is time to start all over again.

6. 90 plus degree days really make summertime a reality.

7. Some of my family just returned from a cruise. It sounds like a lot of fun. I believe there may be a cruise in my future.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

June Arrives and With it Summer

Honeysuckle on wafting on the breeze as the temperatures hit 94 on the baseball diamond yesterday really brought home how great it felt to be on a floatie in the pool during the late afternoon. It took until June for me to finally get in the pool, but as I was baking in the sun I realized that this is what I dream of doing every afternoon that I am not at the beach.

While I was basking in the sun, I realized that despite all of the warnings about sun exposure leading to skin cancer that I am a sun worshipper of sorts. It felt great to be warm in the sun.

The trees and ornamental grasses around the pool have created a private haven carved out from the middle of suburbia.

Everyone needs a refuge from the hectic pace of life. My pool is mine.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Technocrat Leadership

I have been considering the impact of email versus the personal interaction in a technology enabled world leadership environment.

I still remember those times not so long ago when typing a letter or a note was a major production, yet now notes in the form of email are sent almost without thinking.  And that can be a problem.

Leading organizations and teams requires adapting to the workers and the work environment. It is too easy for leaders to lose the personal touch and by default become managers rather than leaders. Leading through email ins not always the best option.

There are environments where that is the best option--like leading software writers and computer forensics personnel who are inherently introverts and are all about the technology and not human contact. I suppose if I walked up to them and started a conversation they would be terrified and upset about being distracted for solving the deepest secrets of the project they are engaged in.

But, there remain those work environments which require human touch. Where management by email is definitely the wrong approach. Some people need the personal touch. What I have noticed is that email questions receive email answers and that often is the incomplete message. Having a face to face discussion and getting the full sense of both the question and the answer is far more efficient than a series of emails each providing a chained iteration and expansion on the previous but never really answering the question.

Additionally, some items should never be placed into email--especially private and personnel related matters. Email never goes away. Once written, the writer should expect that the email will always be out there somewhere.

Leading in a technology enabled world requires being able to distinguish between when hiding behind the technology is the right approach and when the personal touch is required. Especially in an analytic environment--the personal touch is best. People who collaborate regularly seem to respond better to engaged and personal leadership.

Leaders must know their people to determine the best style and approach.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Project Complete--Wood Floors Installed

The sense of satisfaction that comes with the completion of a major project has yet to set in for the all consuming wood floor project. But, I installed the last piece of quarter round last evening and we began the slow, tortuous process of reoccupying the office and clearing out the rooms that have become holding areas for the displaced items.

Actually, I do have to reinstall the closet doors in the office, but I hate doing closet doors and decided that I was too tired last evening to attempt to put them back.

The floors shine and add a new dimension to  the house and especially the upstairs. The 12 year old carpet was showing its age and needed to be replaced.

I call this shot the "money shot" because it shows the floor from farthest point to farthest point--across the hallway from bedroom to office.

Thank you to all who helped--Francis, Jeremy, Mike, Patrick, and of course my partner in projects Chris. This was truly a team effort. And thank you to Mary, Nicole, Nicole, and Tina for letting your guys spend what seemed like forever helping me with the project.

And so with a few more minutes to get the closet doors reinstalled and some final touches on moving everything back--it will be onto the next project. Of course, at some point the other two carpeted bedrooms will be converted to wood as well--but not this summer.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Summer Arrives

Yesterday, summer made its entrance onto the scene. There will likely be more springtime-like days, but yesterday the temperature made it above 90 degrees and the smells on the air of summer flowers, including jasmine, mingled with the dark scents of the trees and forest wafted over my yard and it was clear that summer had arrived upon the scene.

Despite the cold of the past weekend, the season has changed. It is daylight now about 5:30AM and staying light until 9PM. The springtime flowers are giving way to the summer flowers and the greens of leaves are everywhere covering the trees and bushes and hiding our neighbors so that I can almost believe I reside on a secluded lot.

I can smell the beach air and surf calling to me already, although there is still over a month to go before I can plans on spending multiple days in a row on the beach.

But, summer is definitely upon the scene. Springtime seemed too short, but hopefully summertime will run its full course.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cold Beach Day Activities

Lucas enjoying the cold water

What activities can be done on cold, but not rainy, beach days? Well, it turns out almost anything goes. With the air temperature in the 50's and the water temperature approaching 60 degrees it can make for a short beach day--especially if the boys get wet.

Ethan Mimicking an Entertainer

First, there just has to be a sojourn to the beach regardless of the temperature. That is why the trip was made in the first place. And if boys are on the beach, boys are going to get into the water, no matter the temperature--and that makes for a short beach visit because soon after, chills and cold set in.

Then there is always lunch at a local establishment, in this case Tequila Mockingbird. Ethan decided to steal my Orioles Cap and mimic his favorite musical entertainer.  Don't let his Dad see this picture.

Chris, Ethan, Jackson in the Beach

Following lunch there can be a movie or possibly miniature golf. We actually did both activities during our weekend to the beach. Be careful though, playing a 27 hole miniature golf course in the cold wind can be as painful as being on the beach. Add three boys, short attention spans, and undeveloped skills and my recommendation is not to keep score after about hole 6. I guarantee that at least one ball will be lost during play.

During the afternoons, well, back to the beach for a walk and playing in the sand. Keeping the boys out of the water will make this event last longer and seem more enjoyable.

For evening activity? Get out away from the kids at a local watering hole, or watch an Orioles game on TV. wishing that it was warm enough for a long, romantic evening walk on the beach.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD