Newspaper Page Text
6A
♦ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7 2006
'Hedgehog Concepf describes companies' focus
Jim Collins wrote “Good
to Great” in 2001.
Searching through
1,435 companies, Collins
and his researchers discov
ered 11 that had made sub
stantial improvements in
performance and had sus
tained outstanding results
over time.
They found these truly
great companies to have
cultures that rigorously
found and capitalized on
disciplined people who
think and act intentionally.
The few great companies
concentrated on deliver
ing one simple, effective
concept exceedingly well.
Stimulated by a 1953 book
let entitled “The Hedgehog
and the Fox,” Collins coined
the term “The Hedgehog
Concept” to describe this
focused characteristic of
these companies.
Although the hedgehog
is a dowdy, simple animal,
Flint wins
13 th safety
accreditation
Special to the HHJ
Flint Energies has been
recognized by the National
Rural Electric Cooperative
Association Rural Electric
Safety Accreditation
Program for its 13th Safety
Accreditation. That totals 40
years of safety accreditation
at the cooperative.
This year, Flint scored a
94 percent, the first time
its overall score has exceed
ed 90, according to Safety
Coordinator Randy Lowe.
The national average is 93
percent.
The non-profit member
owned cooperative’s score
was 88 percent in 2003 and
84 percent in 2000.
“Safety is our top priority
because we believe that acci
dents cost our members,” said
Lowe. “There can be financial
and, potentially, human costs
to any safety issue.”
Flint tracks key safety indi
cators on a monthly basis,
conducts safety and training
meetings with outside line
employees each month, and
holds safety meetings with
every employee on a quar
terly basis.
There are currently 470
RESAP safety-accredit
ed electric cooperatives in
the country, out of nearly
1,000 nationwide. RESAP
is a service of the National
Rural Electric Cooperative
Association that strives to
promote the highest stan
dards of safety among elec
tric co-ops and concerned
utilities nationwide.
“RESAP dedicates itself
to promoting safety and
loss control as a high-prior
ity goal for electric utility
management,” said Lowe.
“RESAP encourages cooper
ative managers to set for its
goal ‘zero injury, zero loss.’
“To help utilities advance
toward this goal, RESAP
offers a comprehensive and
demanding safety accredita
tion program including this
rigorous peer-review audit
program.”
Prior to March 2005,
Flint had amassed 2 million
hours of working time with
out a preventable accident.
Since then, Flint has again
reached more than 500,000
hours with no lost time due
to preventable accidents.
Safety among members
and farmers is also para
mount. Lowe has presented
his electrical safety program
to hundreds of local students
in the past. Meetings have
also been held with farmers
who use aerial equipment
that might be exposed to
power lines on their farms.
Incorporated in 1937,
Flint Energies is an elec
tric membership cooperative
that provides energy servic
es to residential, commer
cial, industrial and agricul
tural members in parts of
17 Middle Georgia counties.
Flint has 230 employees and
serves more than 250,000
Georgians. Flint is the sev
enth largest of Georgia’s 42
EMCs and the 34th largest
of the nation’s nearly 1,000
rural electric cooperatives.
it does one thing extremely
well. It curls into a ball,
protected on all sides by
its prickly quills. The fast,
sleek, cunning fox is repeat
edly befuddled, unable
to overcome the reliable
maneuvering of the hedge
hog.
Collins’ “Hedgehog
Concept” is represented by
three overlapping circles.
One circle represents “What
drives our company’s eco
nomic engine?” A second
circle represents “What
are we deeply passionate
about?” The third repre
sents “What can our com
pany be the best at—in the
world?.”
Last week, 1 applied these
three concepts to individu
als. This week, I apply these
concepts to the role you, the
leader, should be playing in
your organization.
What drives our eco
nomic engine? It is the
MILLS
From page 1A
mills during the 2002/2003
fiscal year, the city has
continued to lower prop
erty taxes in the year since.
Cowart suggested that the
city should keep the millage
rate consistent at 10 mills,
so that city leaders won’t
be forced to raise taxes in
the future.
One mill produces $1 in
tax for every SI,OOO worth
of property.
In Houston County, only
40 percent of the assessed
value of property is tax
able.
For example, a home
assessed at SIOO,OOO would
be taxed at $40,000.
Walker revealed Monday
that his budget included
a 4 percent raise for city
employees.
Walker said 2 percent of
that raise is a standard cost
of living increase that will
go into effect in January,
but the remaining 2 per
cent raise could be built
into a pool in each depart
ment for merit-based raises,
with some employees seeing
FEES
From page 1A
permits will now be SIOO,
up from $76, and double
wide permits will be $225,
up from sl3l. The fees
cover the cost of regulating
construction in unincorpo
rated areas of the county.
The commissioners
also voted to move the
county property tax pay
ment deadline up to Dec.
20, which will be concur
rent with city property
tax deadlines. The dead
line was changed to Dec.
1 last year at the request
of Tax Commissioner
Mark Kushinka, in order
to accommodate Christmas
holiday schedules for his
staff. Commissioner Jay
Walker said that he had
heard from a number of
property owners who found
the date change inconve
nient. Kushinka, who
was present for the meet
ing, spoke briefly, mak
ing no debate and saying
that he would follow the
Commissioner’s wishes,
and that “The girls can
handle it.”
The commissioners tabled
a request for re-zoning on
Ga. 41 near Langston Road
after a citizen, Dee Allison,
reported that the sign
posted by the county to
let neighboring landown
ers know of the proposed
change, was knocked to the
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Dennis Hooper
Leaders Building
Leaders
dhooper2@juno.com
role of the leader to set the
organization’s direction.
And if the organization is to
have a future, revenues had
better exceed the outgo of
funds.
The organization’s stra
tegic plan includes defining
the mission of the organiza
tion, determining a future
vision that is challenging
and inspiring, and articu
lating the values that will
guide choices made by each
member. A strategic plan
higher raises than others.
Councilman Steve Smith
said he will most likely sup
port the rollback, arguing
that Walker’s administra
tion has been able to bal
ance the budget, finance
new projects, and handle
insurance costs without
cutting jobs.
“We’ve been able to cover
our bases, so I think I will
support the rollback,”
Smith said.
Also during Monday’s
meeting, the council debat
ed the future of Perkins
Park, which sits near city
hall on Watson Boulevard.
About two months ago,
the council set aside $90,000
to build a new concession
stand and restrooms at the
park.
According to Smith,
discussion continue over
building a new convention
center hotel on the site.
Smith said the city has also
earmarked $5 million they
hope to generate in local
option sales taxes for the
development of a new law
enforcement center, which
could be built on the site,
as well.
“I went to discuss it with
the mayor, and it made
ground three days after it
was put in place. She said
she had reported the fallen
sign, but nothing was done,
and it was still face-down
in the dirt.
“If you don’t see the
sign or read the Journal,”
Allison said, “You don’t
know what’s going on.”
County Attorney Mike
Law suggested that the
notice in the Houston
Home Journal, which is
the county’s legal organ,
was sufficient legally,
but Commissioner Larry
Thomson and Jay Walker
both argued that the fallen
sign should have been put
back in place.
No objection was made
to the request itself, which
is to rezone the land and
build a mini-storage facil
ity.
Prior to period for public
comments, Chairman Ned
Sanders said, “we don’t
entertain speeches or edi
torializing,” but there were
still some speeches.
Dave Wittenberg brought
up the issue of wetland
destruction in the devel
oping area around Lake
Joy Road and Ga. 96, and
Dee Allison challenged
the commissioners to put
some brakes on the growth
of housing and on cities
annexing land from the
unincorporated areas.”
“I’m looking to you guys
to start stepping up to the
plate and to stop some of
this anhexing,” Allison said.
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that is simple and clear and
easy to follow is critical.
Although I strongly advo
cate having members of the
organization participate
in defining these guiding
tenets, the leaders have
to make the process hap
pen—or it won’t. I’ve seen
many organizations filled
with really good people who
want to do the right thing,
but “the right thing” was
not apparent or there were
barriers to making the right
sense to me, that instead
of building an entirely new
concession stand, we should
probably just renovate the
building we have until we
can make a decision on
Perkins Park.”
The council voted to
approve $6,000 for remod
eling the concession stand
and restrooms, with an
additional $5,000 for repairs
to a damaged pavilion on
the site.
Councilman Dean Cowart
voted against the appro
priations, arguing that the
decision was peacemeal and
expressing his support for
boosting the city’s recre
ation programs.
During the work session,
Walker talked about the
need for more , volunteer
support.
Also Monday, the council
voted to send a controver
sial rezoning request back
to the city planning and
zoning commission.
Larry Clark requested
R-3 zoning on his 9-acre
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things happen.
What do you deeply
enjoy? Few companies
bother to ask their employ
ees what they’d like to do in
the future. When many of
us start a career, we don’t
really know “what’s out
there.” Many of us spend
years jokingly wondering
what we will do “when we
grow up.”
Leaders should be allies
in helping people consider
what they love to do. Ask
your employees what they’d
like to be doing in two years
and in five years. Keep this
information in mind as you
fill vacancies. Sure, you
won’t be able to accommo
date all the requests, but if
the organization’s growth
allows any of the interests
to be met, it keeps hope
alive for the others.
What are you really
good at? In “Now Discover
Your Strengths,” Marcus
property along Houser Mill
Road. The property itself is
in Peach County but was
annexed five years ago into
Warner Robins.
Robert Waddell, a retired
veteran of the U.S. Army
who once worked on Robins
Air Force Base, has lived
along nearby Sledge Road
for more than 30 years.
Waddell and other hom
eowners in the area have
been fighting against the
rezoning for months, hop
ing to see the property
developed with larger lots
and with only one home
per lot.
“It’s a good neighbor
hood,” he said. “We want
to keep it that way.”
The council learned
Monday that the city may
have violated an agreement
signed in the mid-1990s
with officials in Byron.
The agreement mapped
out the boundaries of ser
vice areas for the two cities,
and according to Sandra
Walker with the Byron City
Balance
SI,OOO - 4,999
$5,000 - 49,999
$50,000+
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Buckingham says “Each
person’s greatest room for
growth is in the areas of his
or her greatest strength.”
Many leaders focus too
much attention at improv
ing employee weaknesses.
Why not encourage those
individuals who are per
forming well, inspiring
them to build on their exist
ing capabilities?
As the leader, you set
the tone for the organiza
tion. Your job is to create
a healthy environment in
which good people can excel.
Help them do that by setting
up developmental systems to
encourage them to explore
their interests and their
potential capabilities.
This is a continuation of
Hooper's column from last
week. If you missed that
one and want a copy, send
an e-mail or call him at
988-0237.
Council, the property in
question is within Byron’s
service area.
The property may be
eventually de-annexed from
the city of Warner Robins.
Walker said Byron could
annex the property if Clark
requested it, because a
stretch of Houser Mill Road
in that area is technically
within Byron’s city limits.
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