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29 May 2009 • 11:35 am

Military Ship Sinks off Florida Coast

By Tenacious Tortoise

Today’s offering is a departure from the sometimes dry prose of change and strategy offered here. A story that began over sixty years ago culminated on Wednesday in the very wet Atlantic Ocean about six miles off of Key West, Florida. A story of remarkable tenacity.

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16 May 2009 • 11:21 am

Numbers, Perception, and Motivation

By Tenacious Tortoise

Reading a post on the excellent political blog fivethirtyeight.com, I was reminded that how we look at numbers really affects how we consider the rationale for a proposed change. Congress is currently considering legislation to provide consumers with vouchers of up to $4,500 to scrap their gas-guzzlers and replace them with more fuel-efficient cars.

Here was an excerpt of the proposal:

Light-Duty Trucks: The old vehicle must get 18 mpg or less. New light trucks or SUVs with mileage of at least 18 mpg are eligible for vouchers. If the mileage of the new truck or SUV is at least 2 mpg higher than the old truck, the voucher will be worth $3,500. If the mileage of the new truck or SUV is at least 5 mpg higher than the old truck, the voucher will be worth $4,500.

Wow. It sounds like a windfall for a very slight improvement in gas mileage. But it may be because we are looking at fuel efficiency backwards. Americans evaluate fuel efficiency different than how those do in most other parts of the world.

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14 May 2009 • 12:04 pm

The Tenacity of the Tortoise

By Tenacious Tortoise

Leaders seeking performance improvement are often unrealistic about the capacity for change in their organization. Each change initiative is undertaken with urgency. Tangible results are elusive. Patience runs thin. Good intentions are thwarted by impatience.

Members of their organization know the tune, and are tired of the dance. Why change, when last year’s initiatives have been abandoned? Apathy and cynicism are widespread. Leaders are seen as lacking the determination and the patience to stay with a good program long enough to see results.

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