Newspaper Page Text
♦ FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007
6A
‘Show us clearly, oh leader! ,
I was talking with one of
my clients who recently
conducted a self-assess
ment of his strengths and
limitations relative to the
many attributes of a leader.
He judged that one of his
strengths was “dealing with
ambiguity.”
I remarked that I find few
leaders at his organizational
level who can identify “deal
ing with ambiguity” as one of
their top strengths. Knowing
him as I do, however, I am
not surprised at his evalua
tion. He is highly respected
for his technical knowledge.
He helps many new employ
ees quickly develop exper
tise because of his ability to
make difficult concepts clear
and understandable.
Why is clarity so impor
tant? Life in organizations,
be they families or business
es or non-profits, is rare
ly static. Changes thrust
upon an organization create
uncertainty. Few leaders are
able to collect all the* facts
they’d like to have when
making decisions.
Those under your author
ity are probably anxious
about the future. How will
we overcome all the obsta
cles in our path? How will
technology change what we
do? Will we survive the com
petition? Will we have a job
a year from now?
The clearer you can answer
these questions, the more
confident those under your
authority will be, freeing
them to be creative, resil
ient, and persistent.
What needs to be clear?
Every individual must know
whom he or she serves.
For most employees, other
_ . . . . .
Journal Hay Lightner
City and county officials “play in the street for a moment,” Centerville Mayor H. M.
Edwards said Wednesday as they held a ribbon cutting to officially open North Houston
Lake Boulevard. The officials, from left, included Alan Mason from contractor Georgia
Asphalt, County Commissioners Larry Thomson, Tom McMichael, Jay Walker, Ned
Sanders, County Engineer Robbie Dunbar, Edwards, Centerville City Councilmen
Cameron Andrews, Randall Wright, Sherod Wilson, Bob Smith and Centerville Utilities
Superintendent Mike Brumfield.
STRETCH
From page iA
“I look forward to the devel
opment this will bring.”
County Commission
Chairman Ned Sanders said
“you’re seeing what can be
accomplished when citizens
give their trust to elected
officials, by approving the
SPLOST to get things
done.”
County Director of
Operations Tommy
Stalnaker said the $4.8 mil
lion, 1.4-mile project came
in on budget and was sub
stantially complete one year
ahead of contract. “There
are some punch items left
to be completed,” he said,
“but it is substantially com
plete.”
The project includes wid
ening the road to five lanes
with curb, gutter and side
walks, a new “greatly need
ed” traffic signal at Thomson
JAIL
From page iA
The terms of his proba
tion, according to court
records, included stay-
ing away
from
children
under 18
and no
Internet
access as
well as sex
offender
condi
tions
and reg
istering
HEWITT
as a sex offender.
He was allowed contact
with his own children if a
counselor approved.
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employees are their internal
customers. Some employees,
however, serve the paying
customers. The organization
must know what market
segment it serves.
Every individual must
know the organization’s
core strength. Weaknesses
become irrelevant if the
strengths are known and
promoted. Toyota makes
the most reliable cars (not
the most stylish or best per
forming). Walgreens offers
the greatest convenience for
pharmacy needs able to
fill your prescription at any
of its many stores, most open
all night.
Apple
invents
cool tech
nol o g y
that is
simple to
use.
Every
individ
ual must
know how
success is
measured,
§ .l
m Jh
Dennis Hooper
Leaders Building
Leaders
both personally and for
the organization. By know
ing what actions lead to
these successful outcomes,
people are more confident
and tenacious. They engage
without hesitation, overcom
ing obstacles and preventing
problems.
Every individual must
understand and embrace the
future vision. Current real
ity is so pervasive that with
out clarity and repetition of
“what could be,” people lose
hope. Leaders must continu
ally speak of what’s ahead,
or resilience and persistence
will fade.
Road - as it will be widened
under the 2006 SPLOST.
It also includes an upgrad
ed signal at Church Street/
Gunn Road including turn
lanes. “I’m glad to have
a turn lane to get to City
Hall,” Edwards said.
Stalnaker thanked many
of the people who made
the project possible, “most
importantly the voters for
approving the 2001 SPLOST.
Without them the road
would not be possible today.
They are to be commended
for the foresight to move
this county forward.”
He thanked the city and
county personnel and elected
officials. “It’s been a happy
marriage with the two gov
ernments working together,”
Stalnaker said.
He praised the efforts
of Toni Copeland, County
Engineer Robbie Dunbar,
County Attorney Mike
Hall and Centerville City
Attorney Becky Tydings for
ROBBERY
From page iA
205 pounds and was wear
ing black pants, a black
short-sleeve shirt over a
long-sleeve white shirt and
a black mask.
If you have any informa
tion about this incident,
contact Andrews at 953-
4222 or Macon Regional
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How do leaders achieve
clarity? Leaders take time
to reflect. They get away
from the daily action and
think, processing what has
happened and what might
happen. They seek under
standing of what is and isn’t
working and why. They ana
lyze differences and draw
conclusions, then come back
and test them with their col
leagues.
Leaders choose carefully
which employee’s perfor
mance they celebrate. Every
organization has its heroes.
When you publicly praise an
employee’s behavior, it not
only affirms that individual;
others are watching, and
your recognition has signifi
cant impact. Use it as an
opportunity to identify what
was done, who was served,
and how it moved the orga
nization in the direction of
the vision. Leaders prac
tice the words and stories
they use to dpscribe who
is served, the capacities of
the organization, and how
success is measured. They
experiment with presenting
the images that identify the
desired future state.
Leaders who can make
the ambiguous clear will be
rewarded by individuals who
diligently work to make the
organization’s better future
come true!
(This article uses con
cepts contained in The One
Thing You Need to Know, by
Marcus Buckingham.)
Dennis Hooper is a certified
coach who installs leadership
development systems. E-mail
him at dhooper2@juno.com
or phone him at 478-988-
0237.
their work on acquiring the
right of way for the project.
“There’s a whole lot of work
involved,” Stalnaker said.
He also thanked the prop
erty owners who worked
cooperatively with the coun
ty on the project, most who
donated the right of way.
“They saw the value of the
road,” Stalnaker said.
While not wanting to sig
nal anyone out, Stalnaker
said, “there seems to be one
individual we seem to run
into on a lot of these projects
- Charlie McGlamery who
donates right of way.”
McGlamery’s Eagle
Springs development in
Centerville runs along the
west side of the newly wid
ened road. Also thanked
were the contractors - Mid
State Engineering for the
plans, Georgia Asphalt for
the paving, Bass Signal for
the traffic lights and Sidney
Pyles Plumbing for relocat
ing the water line.
I Si
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Shared parenting: Let
judges make the call
Dear Readers, I had
recently seen a letter
about “shared parenting”
in another newspaper. It
prompted me to do a little
research.
A year ago, California AB
1307 was proposed, in a
failed attempt, to mandate
shared parenting in child
custody fights. The core
legal principle is: “the fun
damental liberty interest of
parents in raising their chil
dren” should require courts
to award “joint custody to
both interested parents in
the absence of clear and
convincing evidence that
such an award would not
be in the best interest of
the child.” This bill later
qualifies that both parents
be awarded “substantially”
the same amount of visi
tation, absent presentation
of clear and convincing
evidence by the objecting
parent that this would be
harmful to the child. As
such, where there are two
loving parents, as opposed
to where one engages in
harmful conduct, the courts
must award something
approximating joint custo
dy. This, essentially, takes
away almost all discretion
from judges to decide, on a
case-by-case basis, what is
in a child’s best interests.
Evidently, a similar move
ment is building in Georgia.
This past spring, the Georgia
House of Representatives
(HR 1555) authorized a
“House Study Committee
on Shared Parenting” to
consider a similar reform
in Georgia. Members of this
committee were selected
solely by the Speaker of the
House and will present its
recommendations this com
ing session.
Under current law, where
there are two loving par
ents, a judge will award
joint legal custody, giving
both parents the same legal
I -
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rights. One of the parents
may be awarded “primary
physical custody,” receive
child support, and have the
right to make all final deci
sions about the child’s wel
fare (like which school and
church the child attends),
in the
event the
parents
disagree.
In this
arrange
men t ,
the non
custodial
parent is
typically
awarded,
roughly,
some-
o
, L <, ' ’*»*'*' *. ..
Jim Rockefeller
Columnist
where between 90 and 130
days of custodial visitation.
However, a judge already
has authority to also grant
joint physical custody
(shared parenting), if it is
in a child’s best interests.
In order to have a shared
parenting arrangement,
several factors have to
exist. Both parents have to
live close enough so as not
to disturb a child’s edu
cation; both parents must
have jobs permitting them
to be caretakers; the par
ents have to be civil to each
other; and, both parents
need to be “fit.” Judges
will normally “penalize” a
parent perceived as being
disruptive, by awarding pri
mary physical custody to
the other parent.
Given all of this, is it wise
to force a “one-size-fits-all”
approach on judges? I would
submit that doing so shows
a visceral hostility and dis
dain for our legal system.
Judges are local elected
officials, who make deci
sions at about is best at
the local level. Judges are
trained to make tough deci
sions, on tough cases, about
what is best for individ
ual children. Judges have
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
the rare combination of
the brightest legal mind,
the best temperament and
judgment, with the greatest
respect from the public and
local legal professionals;
maybe I am spoiled because
Middle Georgia has such
extraordinary jurists.
Legislators pass “popu
lar” laws responding to
shrill complaints of the few,
regardless of the wisdom of
making changes to existing
laws.
There is no doubt that,
in a perfect world, children
are best served by parents
who both put aside petty
differences to mutually
raise them. Where this per
fect scenario exists, judges
already allow for it.
Yet forcing this perfect
scenario on the, unfortu
nately, more typical situa
tion where parents cannot
get along is a mistake.
In those situations, there
needs to be clear rules for
the parents, with stability
and a “safe” home for the
child. Let’s continue to let
judges to what they do best:
making tough calls.
Warner Robins attorney
Jim Rockefeller is the for
mer Chief Assistant District
Attorney for Houston County,
and a former Assistant
State Attorney in Miami.
Owner of Rockefeller Law
Center, Jim has been in
private practice since 2000.
E-mail your comments or
confidential legal questions
to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter.
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