Downtown!

Last night I went to an Ottawa Senators game. They won. It was fun. I've been before, I'll go again. I'm a big sports fan.

The Senator's play at Canadian Tire Centre, located in Kanata. If you are not familiar with the geography, Kanata is a part of Ottawa, in the west end, outside the green belt. In fact, it is pretty much the first thing you see when you drive into Ottawa from the west on the 417.

The arena is pretty good but it doesn't have the atmosphere of Montreal or Winnipeg. The crowd always takes a while to get warmed up and people are quick to get out of there. 

I think the issue is the arena is not downtown.

The team is competitive. The facilities and sight-lines are good. The beer is cold. However, it takes about forty minutes to get there from downtown in game traffic. If you live in the east end of the city, it's even longer. The trip to the game kills some of the enthusiasm. I'm not condoning binge drinking but a lot of people don't have a beer because they have to drive home. It leaves the what could be a great experience at the good level.

Now, the National Capital Commission has asked for proposals for an area of Ottawa known as Lebreton Flats. There are two proposals left, both with a NHL calibre arena.

Very Exciting.

The debates have started, as they should. 

The land is owned by the federal government and thus should benefit all Canadians. The current area is only twenty years old and doesn't need replacement yet. All the usual stuff.

Here's my two cents.

Professional sports arenas work downtown for so many reasons. 

Downtown is central and it shortens the trip for many patrons. Downtown is walkable which is healthy and good for the environment. People who work downtown can remain downtown after work and go to the game. It helps businesses in the area. (There is almost nothing around the current arena in the way of retail or entertainment.) If you are walking to the game you are more likely to have a couple of tasty beverages before and during the game. It loosens you up and the crowd gets into the game. After the game, local establishments are full of like minded folks having a pint or two.

Beyond hockey, a downtown area is great for other events. It sits within the community and can be the centrepiece for festivals and cultural events. People coming to our city for events can see the best part of town not a suburb outside the green belt. 

The debate will rage on and eventually a decision will be made. Then there will be all the construction. But, I think this plot of land should have an area on it. 

I'm not going to lie, I live walking distance from Lebreton Flats and that may be influencing my position.

We Need to Change How We Look at Things

I haven't been writing lately but I have been thinking a lot. I've been trying to wrap my head around what this world is coming to. People talk about it all the time but right now I think it's different.

I am good with change. I can usually adapt to the new reality. I often really like it. Right now I think it's different.

We are at a key time in our history. Perpetrators of terror are getting better at what they do. They have found new ways to make us scared, irrational, and angry. They have made Donald Trump (who I admit is very good at being a carnival barker but I'm not so sure he should be in charge of nuclear weapons) say things right out of 1930's Germany, albeit about a different group.

I've seen a lot of ideas to make it better. We need to hurt the bad guys. We need to realize how we are all similar. We need celebrate our diversity. We need to be sensitive and stop appropriating other cultures. This is what I know, we need to start looking at why we are so angry. 

Why is ISIS so mad at the west?

We can sit around and debate it but let's be honest, only the members of ISIS can answer the question. The thing is, they seem to be so angry that we never hear more than the target of their anger. It may be the answers are being provided and not reported. They feel they have a legitimate beef. Maybe if we really understood what is wrong, we could solve it.

It's scary. I like to solve things but I don't know where to start. I don't know how to reverse the hatred and xenophobia. Saying nice things won't work. We are past that. Isolation won't work as unfamiliar is always a great way to lead to misunderstandings. Integration is not known to be a great approach.

I don't know how to fix it. However, I know I want to be part of the solution. I want to be tolerant. I want to help people understand. I want to make people see the right way. I simply don't know how to do that today.

There is one thing I do know. If we don't change how we see this mess, we are going make bad decisions before we start to make good ones. I don't want to see this get any worse. Do you?

Impractical Imbalance

There are a lot of unionized, publically funded workers in Ontario who are working without a collective agreement in place. Unfortunately there is little motivation for the various government bodies to get a new agreement in place. This leaves a lot of ambiguity.

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of unionized workforces. I feel I can be more successful in a non-union environment. However, I have never paid union dues.

Collective bargaining can work quite well for workers in a for profit business. If you provide an essential service or are pubically funded, it doesn't work as well.

If a company makes something or provides a service for a profit the shareholders always have the option to stop withdraw thier investment and fund a different venture. If the wages move out of line and cripple the company, they can close the company and the workers become unemployed. The union knows this and must negotiate within what is possible. You don't want to be seen by the membership as bringing down the company and losing your members jobs. Management has the ability to break the union if necessasary. Long drawn out labour disputes don't serve either side and we don't see too many labour stoppages for companies that make money.

The militant unions provide government services and are trying to get more public funds.

Here's the rub. There is no way for management to stop doing what they do. They are required to provide the service so eventually, everyone will go back to work. The only relief that management has is to let the union go and stay on strike. That way they save wages until they have enough in the kitty to pay for the eventual increases. Let's be honest, the union knows that they will have to come back to work and management knows the union won't budge because they can wait it out and get what they want. So, they theaten to strike, go on strike and save the organization enough money to pay for the eventual increases.

In isn't balanced. It's not a very good way to get things done. However, it's the only way to give everyone what they want.

I don't feel I need protection from orgainized labour. I'm a smart guy. I can naviagte the world just fine. I don't need to pay an organization to look out for me. I don't want to contribute to the imbalance. So I won't.

There has to be a better way, so go out and find it.

Bad Structure

A few weeks back the Chief Clerk of the Privy Council stated one of her priorities is to make the Canadian Public Service a healthier place to work.

If you are unaware, the Chief Clerk is the top public servant in Canada, all this will make more sense with this crucial bit of info.

Canada has a well compensated Public Service. However, a lot of people end up on stress leave, a much higher ratio than in most private companies. The Chief Clerk wants to fix this. Unfortunately, I have not heard anyone address the real problem.

I have made some basic assumptions in this argument. First, when people start a position, they want to do a good job. Second, people want to contribute to the organization's success.  I think most people approach their work life from this position and the Public Service is full of people like this. These may be the people that end up stressed out and on leave.

The problem isn't the people, it's the structure. The people doing the work and the people approving the work are not properly lined up. Because of scandal, mismanagement, bad press, and an inability to lead properly, in many offices the person doing the work is several levels lower in the organization than the person approving the work. National Defence Headquarters has this problem as well.

In the normal course of a well functioning organization, your boss approves your work, full stop. In very exceptional circumstances, your bosses boss approves the work. It should never go higher than that, ever.

The big bureaucratic machine that provides services to Canadian does not operate like this.

It is not unusual for work to go up three or four levels for approval. This is wrong.

When a task is needed, the person who will be approving the task should look around at the direct reports and assign the work. If they do not have the time, they should look at what they are doing. If they are too busy vetting the work of the people below them, there is the problem. They shouldn't be vetting work, they should be approving work.

Think about it, if a task comes down through four levels, the original intent will probably be distorted. As the draft work goes up, it will get vetted and tweaked. After all, if you don't add anything to it, why are you looking at it. Then it will get to the top and finally approved. However, the person who completed the bulk of the work will not see their work be successful and will not receive good feedback on how it could be better next time. With all this, frustration ensues.

Now, if you are pretty good at your job and you get promoted, you more to a position where you don't create and you don't approve. You are really just a cog on a wheel. That will cause you to feel ineffective.

The Public Service suffers from the same problem that every other organization tends to suffer from. The people at the top got there through the existing system and they rose through it so, why can't everyone else be successful in this system.

The stats show people can't. 

The Public Service needs a major overhaul. Responsibility needs to be moved down the organization chart or work assignments need to move up. If a public servant is doing the work, his boss must be the final approving authority of the work.

All this will make public servants feel like they contribute to the organization. They will get effective feedback and grow in their positions. The organization will become streamlined as tasks can be assigned and completed very quickly. Who knows, they may be able to get more done with less people.

If you want to make an employee happy, give them the authority and freedom to make decisions and get their job done, with the support for unusual situations. Yes there will be mistakes, but that's ok. As long as they are not always the same mistakes, we can live with that as it may well be cheaper than paying people to vet other people's work and not approve anything.

There Has Been a Change

I like sandwiches. I have for a long time. Since I now spend most of my time working in the suburbs, I often eat lunch at Tim Horton's. The sandwiches are decent and the service is quick. It isn't the best sandwich I'll ever have but it is consistent. The location on Innes Road near Tenth Line in Orleans was exceptionally quick. I never waited more than a minute or two in line, even if it reached to the door and usually my sandwich was ready for pick-up before I was done paying. I ate at several different locations, and even though they were not quite that fast, they were usually very acceptable.

Last August, the parent company of Burger King purchased, Tim Horton's and merged the two companies while moving the headquarters to Canada. These guys are known for ruthlessly cutting staff but promised that no front line workers would be affected.

There seems to be about the same number of people working in a Tim Horton's location as before the merger but, the service pattern has changed.

In the past, if someone was waiting, any available staff would walk up to an available till and serve the next customer. This would continue until there every till was taking orders or there was no more available staff.

Things have changed.

In every location I have visited lately, there seems to be no concern if there is a line-up. In fact there are times that nobody will come up and take an order if I am the only person waiting. I will be left standing there. Once the line is out the door, then there is some urgency.

It appears there has been a shift in the service model at Tim Horton's. I don't think they have cut any staff but it wouldn't surprise me if they do not replace everyone who leaves through natural attrition.

I think this is a bad move for the organization.

Tim Horton's appeals to a broad spectrum. Everyone from teens to retired individuals will buy from Tim Horton's. There are a lot of people who know exactly what they want and feel their time is short, likewise, there are a lot of people who their local Tim's is the hub of their social life and can take a long time to order. If you do not serve everyone as quickly as possible, the line-up starts. Long slow line-ups are not appealing to anyone. Leaving people in line when they can be served only exacerbates the problem.

I have diversified my lunch dining options because I am not happy with the service at Tim Horton's. I still eat there but only once or twice a week instead of four or five times. to lose fifty percent of a customer's spending can be devastating. I'm sure I won't be the only one who cuts back at Tim Horton's. The people who will notice first will be the ones who frequent them the most, and those are the people you need to keep your business alive.

I have no inside information, I am only speaking from my experiences but I visit multiple locations on a regular basis and I'm seeing it everywhere. If you are from Tim Horton's and you can make a difference, I suggestion do. I'm sure most people have yet to notice and you can keep them. As for me, I'll continue to find new dining experiences, for lunch, in the suburbs. I'm not boycotting Tim Horton's, I'm just cutting back because the service isn't what I have some to expect.

The Right Place

Last week-end  I made my annual trip to Montreal to have some fun with a group of guys. Several of these guys I only see once a year on this trip. As everyone knows, when you see someone once a year, you take a few minutes to catch up. I was chatting with one of the guys and he asked how things were going with the new job. I know it's been over a year but I had just started before last year year's trip. I told him how happy I was and he mentioned I look happier and better.

That was the validation that I am currently in the right place.

I have done a few different things in my life. When I see people doing those jobs I am so happy I'm not them.

Anytime I see a manager in a grocery store they always look tired, frustrated, and ready to quit. They don't seem to be excited to get up and go to work. If I stayed in that world too long I would have ended up like that. Every job has some aspect of being a grind but that one is really bad. The balance between enough inventory and food not spoiling is razor tight. The margins are tiny and overall, I'm happy I'm not there.

If I see a car salesman I just laugh. I was always curious what it would be like. The job could be quite good but the typical person in that business is not a team player and will stab you in the back. Some people thrive at it but I'm glad I tried it, learned from it, and moved on.

There is another office I used to work in that could be great. There were a lot of good people who want to do great things but the environment is draining. Everyone catches flack for things not getting done but nobody is given the authority to just make the decision. It has to go to a unreasonably high level for a relatively low level decision. I needed approval from my boss, who was making a six figure salary, to get the office to order file folders. Yes you read that right and yes, it is very silly.

Where I am now, I have responsibility, autonomy, and authority. I can decide where I should put my efforts, and use the necessary resources to get there. If I need something, I get it.

It's a great place to be.

Different people are suited to excel in different roles and right now I'm in a very good spot. I am fortunate and will do what it takes to be successful and stay there.

Where is Spring?

This winter in Ottawa has been less than pleasant. It started out pretty good then it decided to turn into a Winnipeg winter. It has been cold, windy, and the snow keeps coming. It's breaking my spirit.

I always get mopey after Christmas. It's hard to get excited when you are always cold and the sun never shows up. This year seems to be a bit worse. I have have been skipping a lot of workouts, which makes you want to skip more workouts. It's so cold in the morning, I don't want to take the six minute walk to the gym, even through I know that going will make me feel better.

You may be thinking that it's all in my head and this winter is no worse than normal. For that I call shenanigans. Today, the Rideau Canal Skateway has been open for the most consecutive days ever. Usually it warms up a couple of times and they have to close the canal for a day or two. Not this winter. It's been open for 47 consecutive days. It won't warm up. 

There is usually a warm day when it rains and washes a bunch of snow away. Not this winter. the snow is piling up. It looks like Winnipeg with all the accumulated snow.

Today, it felt a bit like spring. It was sunny and warmer than it's been for a while. It cheered me up quite a bit. I felt like living a bit more instead of just existing day to day. I think spring is coming but it can't get here soon enough. 

When spring arrives life gets better. Everyone wakes up out of the drudgery of winter. Food starts to taste better. Colour returns to the landscape. You can smell more than diesel fuel when you are outside. People don't feel the need to watch the sidewalk when they walk, and you aren't dressed in fourteen layers.

I like spring. I like spring a lot. It is the start of the three livable seasons and everyone seems to be a bit happier. Who doesn't want their life to be a bit happier?

Pass It On

Like most weeks I was on the road last week. From time to time I use it as a good time to text a friend or two and catch up. When you travel a lot it is easy to let things slip by. So, a week ago I texted a friend who had her first child about a month before Christmas. I was curious about how it was going so I asked sherif she had this parenting thing all figured out.

Let's be honest, babies don't come with a manual so along with her husband, they are figuring it out on the fly. She told me there were good days and bad days, just like anything else.

I responded as anyone else would have and told her that both parents were wonderful people. I then went on to say that if their child picks up the self-worth of the parents, not to worry, she would thrive.

As a new mother, she really appreciated the encouragement and said so. However, for me, I think I have simplified what we should be doing with childrearing.

At this point I should mention that I don't have children and have never attempted to raise any so I may be way off base. However, when I look back at growing up and I look at people who do a better job at transitioning into adulthood there is one thing that really stands out.

The most important thing to do for your children is to give them a sense of self-worth.

People with strong self-worth approach the world from a better frame. They think about how they will do things when they are in the position not if they are in the position. People with self-worth believe they will succeed and make a difference.

People with self-worth are more resistant to bullying. They see it for what it is. They see it is actions by insecure people and it is a temporary situation. They don't give bullies the power they seek. They don't seek the approval of bullies because they don't need it.

People with self-worth have courage to make change. If you believe in yourself, you can do it differently.

People with self-worth don't want to join gangs or become radicalized. If you believe in your self, you see these choices for what they are, foolish.

I don't care how you raise your children but I strongly suggest your raise your kids to have self-worth, because with it, everything else will fall in line.

How To Get Good Customer Service

Have you ever noticed that some people seem to complain about the customer they get. It seems to be the same people who do not get good service. After nearly a year of hanging out in the retail environment, I think the people who get poor customer service don't help themselves out.

You have to remember that people who work in customer service are spending the majority of their time interacting with people. You can make it much easier for them to serve you by doing some simple things.

The first thing is to make sure the person who is going to serve you is ready to listen to you. This may sound simple but nearly everyday I see a potential customer start talking to either myself or a customer service associate while they are completing another task. Much of what retail associates do is not a difficult task however it does require some attention.

Before you start asking questions make sure you warm up the associate who is going to be serving you. A quick question about their day is all you need. It gives them a chance to situate themselves to serving you. 

If you have a good associate serving you, they will ask you some questions. Make sure you answer the questions. They are trying to understand what you want and make the appropriate recommendation. If the associate isn't understanding what you are describing, try a different approach. We all use language slightly differently.

Most of all, be pleasant. It sounds obvious but a lot of people seem to forget to be nice to people around you. We all prefer to deal with nice people and you will get better service if you are nice to the people trying to help you.

There you go. It's not hard to have a good shopping experience if you go about it properly.

Muslims

I see a lot of hatred towards Muslims all over the internet these days. I don't like it and everyone needs to work towards ending this. Muslims are people. Muslims have thoughts and hopes. Muslims have a right to be heard.

I understand why a lot of people aren't too happy with Muslims these days. There are some who have gotten out of hand. They have taken up radical fundamentalism and because of that, have caused harm to a lot of people. They don't want to accept the differences in others and don't see strength in diversity. They are using religious doctrine to be intolerant and spread hate.

This is not acceptable.

The thing is, they are not the first group to do this. the Ku Klux Klan drew its presumed authority from the Holy Bible. They used words intended to guide people to live a better life to justify hateful and malicious acts. I don't think all Christians were painted with the brush of the this evil group. All Muslims shouldn't be either.

I can understand that if you don't know a Muslim how you could be fearful or angry. It's easy to have those feelings towards the unknown but the vast majority are regular people who go about their day just like a Christian or a Jew. They are concerned about providing for their family. They complain about the weather. They have hopes and dreams.

This hatred needs to disappear.

The only way is to understand each other, to talk to each other, to learn from each other. I'm not talking about sitting down and breaking out the grade school compare and contrast model. I'm talking about getting to know them on a human level. It's about finding out why they cheer for their team is or how they like to spend their leisure time. If you do it, they will also start to understand you. They will see how you tick. They will see what drives you crazy and what doesn't really matter.

All this will help the majority of Muslims bring about positive change within their community. If everyone can see that everyone else has the same types of hopes, dreams, and fears then the barrier will come down.

It will take time but we have to start the journey soon and we can't give up when it doesn't go our way.