Category: integrity

Dakota Access Pipeline Court Ordered Halt

Sometimes a business losing out is a good thing for the global impact. Not every business is well adapted to current times and sometimes the market needs certain business models to die out to make way for something better.

As retail businesses learn to adapt so they don't close, the oil industry which is responsible for millions of deaths, wars, and occupation, is struggling as well.

You may have forgotten with the huge headlines coming and going in rapid succession, from Black Lives Matter protests to covid craziness, that the Dakota Pipeline threatened the livelihood of thousands native to the planned development site.

Dakota Access Pipeline TLDR History

Informational hearings for landowners took place between August 2014 and January 2015. Dakota Access, LLC, controlled by Energy Transfer Partners, started constructing the pipeline in June 2016 and cost $3.78 billion dollars.

Protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline occurred at several places because of concerns about the pipeline's impact on the environment and to sites sacred to American Indians. Indigenous nations around the country opposed the pipeline, along with the Sioux tribal nations.

The Obama Administration spoke out for the need to analyze environmental impacts more, then later President Trump did his best to fast track the pipeline into operation. Trump signed a presidential memorandum to advance approval of pipeline construction.

Then the Cheyenne River Sioux sued this decision, citing an 1851 treaty and interference with the religious practices of the tribe.

The pipeline goes underneath Lake Oahe, a water supply source for the Sioux Native Americans. The pipeline became active May 2017, despite almost 15,000 people from around the world protesting, staging sit-ins for months near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

The pipeline commercial operations started without oil spill response plan for the Missouri River crossing and without emergency response cleanup equipment stored nearby.

Jesse Jackson called the move to put the pipeline closer to the reservation, "environmental racism," as ABC News reported. But the plot thickens like a cup of day old coffee - why would Trump be so eager to support the pipeline?

Trump's 2016 federal disclosure forms show he owned between $15,000 & $50,000 in stock in Energy Transfer Partners - the company in charge of constructing the pipeline - per Al Jazeera.

Surprised? There's more. Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren gave $103,000 to the Trump campaign, as Reuters reports. Despite how crazy this sounds already it gets even crazier with Russian hackers.

Russian government's Internet Research Agency Troll farm spread misinformation on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by creating a fake Facebook Page to enrage people with posts about the pipeline, same sex marriages, and racial issues.

As far as a business model, the oil industry is definitely anachronistic, as surveying your customers for what they like and giving it to them is one of the fundamental ways to grow your brand.

This isn't exactly a strategy being used here. But, there seems to be a positive turn of events. Well, not positive for the oil industry, but positive for the people it affects.

Dakota Access Pipeline Court Ordered Halt

Reuters states:

According to the ruling, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it granted an easement to Energy Transfer LP (ET.N) to construct and operate a segment of the oil pipeline beneath Lake Oahe in South Dakota, because they failed to produce an adequate Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The court ordered Energy Transfer to shut and empty the 570,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) line within 30 days, closing off the biggest artery transporting crude oil out of North Dakota’s Bakken shale basin to Midwest and Gulf Coast regions.

My Take

It is a complicated issue, at least the shutting down part is. While most people not either getting bribes from the oil industry as Trump was blatantly benefiting from or working for the oil corps, would agree that it's not good to endanger the water supplies of local residents, closing down the operations faces additional complications.

First, many jobs will be lost for those working the pipeline, which will cause a loss of economic stimulus from those workers spending their money in the local economy as well as their own struggle to survive.

Second, there will be a question of retaliation from the oil industry. This could take the form of people they hire to sue, or get elected and pass laws hurting Native Americans or other black hat tactics.

Third, it's going to be complicated trying to get the oil in the pipeline now, out of it, and transported elsewhere. It's likely the unused oil will be transported via rail cars to the west and east coasts.

So hey if you own a rail car company - there is some money to be made with this shut down. Many environmental and locals to the area are super relieved and happy to hear this news.

But, there are other elements at play that while working against the oil industry, in a way, soften the blow to their business, in that, oil consumption nationally is already at an all time low.

This is because of covid, people are staying home more, going out less, and using their cars a whole lot less. In addition to individuals, large events people drive to are canceled.

Those high school and college graduations that were canceled also mean thousands if not tens of thousands of relatives of graduates, especially in college, who live out of town, aren't driving to their family's graduation ceremony.

There are many other examples of where and how both individual car use and public transit and cross country bus transit are down.

Now, in the aftermath of the Dakota Pipeline shutting down, there will be less oil consumption, yet, we already weren't using as much oil as pre February 2020 this year. So..does it matter that much anyways?

Ideally, society as a whole would have shifted before now to more renewable sources of energy due to countless studies on the global impact of fossil fuels. It's just hard to convince established industries, with deep pockets and large contributions to politicians who pass the laws regulating oil to switch to going green.

Perhaps this is the push we needed to ramp up infrastructure around sustainable energy? I don't know. But I do know thousands of Native Americans are happy their water supply and burial grounds aren't threatened anymore.

This just brings up the important point to think about: if your business model involves harm to other people and the environment, it is time to rethink how you're strategizing for the long term. Certain businesses should be allowed to die.

Operating a business that has longevity means your marketing plan and long term strategy is just as responsive as site optimized for mobile viewers and social media presence.

The values that your company publicly demonstrates is the most attractive value proposition or unique mechanism think tanks can come up with. After all, like attracts like.

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Great Leaders Don’t Create Robots

Credit: Rock'n Roll Monkey

Does every piece of news, blog and social media post have to reference COVID19 right now? While we are limping our way through a pandemic sometimes there needs to be a break from obsessing.

During a crisis we look for leadership to guide the ship we're sailing into safe harbor. At every company, you'll have tons of managers but not very many leaders. Let's talk about leadership.

At an email-marketing conferences I attended, the speaker made it a point to communicate that we won't succeed without a solid plan.

To attempt to keep doing the same thing without strategy is called "hope marketing" and makes a lot of folks live the reality of "broke marketing."

Hope without a strategy doesn't create leadership. Leadership is developed when your hope and positive thinking are matched with a concrete vision of the future and a way to get there.

Real Leaders Know It Ain't About Them

Word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways to grow a tribe, to create a group of people dedicated to a specific purpose or cause. You'll find this in any major sport - word of mouth is a powerful driver and builds communities.

One of the mistakes people make is defining leadership as the worship of a single person. Identity politics is one of the most divisive cancers right now plaguing America.

Leadership that lasts beyond tomorrow and creates a strong community grows when the leader gives people a platform for spreading ideas that work.

Who do you trust more: an ad you see on your Facebook Newsfeed, or a recommendation your friend made? The friend of course. The culture around a product or service grows when people recruit other people. That's how ideas spread too.

People won't do it for you - they do it for each other. Leadership is embracing that it really isn't all about you. It's about the movement you're creating. The shared values of those who follow you.

Change is Inevitable - Except from Vending Machines

Generally speaking, managers don't like people that stick out. By definition they want everyone to tow the line, and stick within established rules.

Many companies have PR statements that say they are about innovation but reward conformity more than anything else. It was definitely like this when I worked in tech at Facebook. You didn't want to stick out in any way.

Managers were overworked and had no bandwidth to recognize the talents of their employees. I quit my job at Facebook because of this and started a successful consulting firm and e-commerce ventures.

I was a deviant - I didn't fit in with the status quo. But neither did Elon Musk, Henry Ford or Tony Robbins. All of them are outliers that challenged conformity. While I wouldn't say my contributions to society can light a candle yet to these notable people, there's something important to worth mentioning:

Managers don't like deviants, they don't like nonconformists who may be eccentrics or mavericks with too much individual personality. Deviating from conformity is a failure for a manager working to deliver within the rigid lines of their role.

Managers crush nonconformists - that's what they do. Managers don't inspire people. Leaders do.

Leaders understand a different outlook: change is unavoidable and also one of the keys to success. Not human robots.

Credit: Craig Sybert

As it turns out, when you have a workforce that is dedicated to change and more fully engaged in making things happen-- not only are employees happier but they are also more productive.

This is a much better way to organize a business than making people walk on tip toes, using threats of losing job security and fear as a motivation to do a good job.

Leadership isn't just popularity, power and showmanship.
The Harvard Business Review states:

"A successful leader as one who can understand people’s motivations and enlist employee participation in a way that marries individual needs and interests to the group’s purpose."

Find Someone Succeeding & Encourage Them

When someone at the job place has created a workaround, or another way of doing routine work that works better, instead of punishing them for not conforming shine the spotlight.

While it won't always be the case, often innovation comes in small packages from employees just figuring out a better way to do a task that isn't officially sanctioned in the employee handbook.

Great leaders find someone deviating from the norm creating success - and encourage them.

Many things we know and love as part of every day life happened because someone did something different than the norm and challenged the group-think of conformity in the workplace, society or within a specific industry.

Air Bnb is one example of this, so are Lyft & Uber, as well as Google's Gmail as mentioned in the blog about managers needing to adopt flexible strategies from leadership to keep folks motivated post COVID (to not just do the minimal but to exceed expectations).

It's raining right now in Austin, Texas and Leonard Cohen is playing on the online radio station I listen to, Radio Paradise.

As I listen to the lyrics sang, I think of leaders who inspired me in my journey from 9-5er to entrepreneur. And the traits they have in common.

One of the shared attributes every one of them has, is the ability to put aside their own ego and become sincerely invested and curious in how other people think, feel and perceive life.

Who are some great leaders you've met in your life? Who inspires you?
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Available for freelance writing and guest posting on your blog: [email protected]

The Economy of Integrity

Credit: Bonnie Kittle

We live in uncertain times but one thing we can all count on is our own ability to frame the social interactions we have. This is both in our personal lives and in business connections when we interact with other business owners or potential partners for joint ventures and more.

It's one of those nuances of human behavior often ignored - are you being the best version of yourself?

This is where professional development meets personal development. Why is it so hard to take a step back outside the echo chamber of previously held beliefs?

Some of it is habit. Habit in how we think of ourselves, the world, other people and our potential. For many, their careers don't take off until they figure their shit out, as a person. Yet - you won't see this taught in MBA programs at major universities.

It's Not What You Do It's How

There are tons of awful people that donate to charities yet abuse their spouses, do unhealthy amounts of drugs and never take a long hard look at who they are actually becoming aside from profit margins met.

Have you ever tried to save a friend from themselves? Passionately advocating on how to dodge the bullet you see headed towards them from their current actions and life path?

What usually happens?

A shit ton of defensiveness and resentment.

Leonard Cohen once sang,

"And I lift my glass to the awful truth
Which you can't reveal to the ears of youth..."

Cohen sings of the eternal resistance of being told what we know is true - that perhaps we aren't trying hard enough. Perhaps we owe it to ourselves to be a bit more honest on if actions taken are doing justice to the version of ourselves we become when energy follows thoughts.

The act of becoming is talked about in many esoteric texts and yet very divorced from the business world, as far as an inherent quality we associate with success.

The art of becoming is the acknowledgement we aren't perfect but also aren't helpless about who we become during the process of living our lives.

I've been blessed to meet, rather recently, a number of influential multi millionaires at the top of their game for their industry. And in this circle something is different than others I've met in previous years who were also successful in business.

These people, many of whom know each other, have spent time understanding who they are and reflect honor and integrity into how they do business and affect the world.

Back to the friend you're trying to save analogy (happened several times for folks I know). It isn't what you're saying. The content is gold - your intentions are pure, you don't have anything to gain here. It is all for the sake of your friend who is fucking up that you want to save.

It isn't what you say, it's how you say it. If anyone feels lectured to, instant walls go up. Higher than the BS ones the prez wants to build between USA and Mexico. Just add water or err um..strongly worded advice.

People feel the energy coming from you behind your words. This has parallels in the start up world as well.

LTV Isn't Accidental

Of the highly successful 7 figure business leaders I've had the luck to meet, connect with, and in some cases become friends with - the feeling of 'this person genuinely cares for others' and reflects that in how they do business is a great predictor of not just success but longevity.

You may have heard of LTV, the life time value of a customer who makes multiple purchases with your business. A customer's LTV exponentially increases if they trust your business. This is the economy of integrity.

When customers feel a bond because of the tribe you've created based on integrity, the rituals specific to your business, and the values you stand for (and what you won't accept: read I'm Not For Everyone) this not only increases long term profits but you become an excuse for others to rise up and act better.

Do we need to wait for Christmas to be generous, forgiving and proactively giving?

Of course not. It's an attitude. An attitude of gratitude. Ok I did see that on the wall at a meeting I was at back in the day. But despite it's rather pithy phrasing, it speaks to deeper concepts.

It's the idea that every Sci Fi author understands - sometimes we are world-creating. We create a micro world of who buys our product or service and determine what kind of environment and culture we create.

Make use of the free will and choice we do have to lead a company based on values of integrity. It gives back so much more than it takes. Your influence continues to grow positively and affect the lives of others in a way that inspires them to do the right thing.

Don't Take My Word for It

Don't take my word for it - plenty of studies from multiple sources back up, empirically, the values delivered by being a decent person, and how that decency affects organizational structures beneficially.

From the National Academy of Sciences:

"Leadership by individuals of high personal integrity helps to foster an environment in which scientists can openly discuss responsible research practices in the face of conflicting pressures. All those involved in the research enterprise should acknowledge that integrity is a key dimension of the essence of being a scientist and not a set of externally imposed regulatory constraints.

To the Journal on Public Integrity and Ethical Leadership:

“ 'Moral values and norms' are often absent when scholars are involved in describing, explaining, and understanding the reality of governance and administration (the dominant focus is on goals and interests; biases and irrationality; institutions; and context and power). An “ethics and integrity turn” in the dominant fields of study is needed."

The Economist referenced a study ran by Tim Hird of Robert Half Management Resources who aptly said:

“Companies with strong, ethical management teams enhance their ability to attract investors, customers and talented professionals,” explains Hird, adding that ethical behavior starts at the top and allows companies to create a culture that values integrity."

Going back to the friend analogy - the reason I bring this up is that this fits your engagement with your customer base as well. If you really want to help your friend out and avoid a slow motion accident you see coming, listen first. Focus less on the righteousness of the point you're making. More on what his or her needs actually are.

Same goes for the impact your business has on the world through the interactions your clients have with each other, with your business and others they come into contact with after purchasing.

When the person you are is reflected in the values of your company, this ripple effect increases CTV by just making people feel more comfortable because they know, see and feel your integrity.

You may just inspire them to also live their lives with higher integrity - helping your business thrive through word of mouth, increase customer retention and long term profits but also help the world become a better place.

"The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office."

-President Dwight D. Eisenhower

I'd like to hear your comments on your experiences as a customer and business with integrity.

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Available for freelance writing and guest posting on your blog: [email protected]