Monthly Archives: April 2020

04/14/20

The Post COVID19 World Will Be Different?

I have been mulling the post COVID19 world as this matter continues to evolve. I have been reading a lot of others’ opinions, many of whom I respect and several of whom I despise — but one has to build a base of knowledge, right?

So, here are some thoughts.

This COVID19 Thing Will End

Just to be clear, there will be an end to this COVID19 affliction. Yes, there will.

There will be ingrained better hygiene practices (says the chap on his 16,393rd hand washing since 1 Mar 2020), some therapeutics, and a vaccine.

There will be multiple vaccines and the whole vaccine thing will be integrated with the flu vaccine of which 170MM Americans got the needle this flu season. [I got mine at Costco from a guy who had been to school to learn how to do it. Free.]

COVID19 will become like polio — something we figured out, but which was very dangerous. Dr Jonas Salk, University of Pittsburg, talking to you, amigo.

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04/12/20

From Whence Comes the COVID19 Vaccine?

Happy Easter, world. He has risen.

In much the same way that Christ came to life on Easter, there are those who are working hard to develop a vaccine for COVID19 to preserve our lives.

We hear about this, but I never get the details. So, I researched several promising efforts and want to share one with you.

Remember this name: INOVIO PHARMACEUTICALS.

Inovio

On 3 March 2020, the President and CEO of Inovio, Dr. J Joseph Kim shared his company’s plans to develop a vaccine (INO-4800) for the treatment of COVID 19. He called it an “accelerated plan.”

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04/9/20

Manufactured Fake News

I like Gordon Lightfoot. Sometimes I listen to him when I write. My favorite song is “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” which is a ballad about an iron ore ship that sinks in a Lake Michigan gale. The ballad ends with a dead ship resting in deep water.

The FAKE NEWS industry routinely issues stories that end up dead — like the Edmund Fitzgerald — and we fail to mourn them. It is really outrageous.

Let’s dissect one of my recent favorites.

Yesterday morning (Wednesday) early, ABC News breathlessly reported as follows:

“U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through China’s Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population, according to four sources briefed on the secret reporting. Two officials familiar with the document’s contents” reportedly told ABC News that those concerns “were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military’s National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI).”

That same day, the Director of the National Center for Medical Intelligence refuted that statement in the following manner:

“As a matter of practice the National Center for Medical Intelligence does not comment publicly on specific intelligence matters. However, in the interest of transparency during this current public health crisis, we can confirm that media reporting about the existence/release of a National Center for Medical Intelligence Coronavirus-related product/assessment in November of 2019 is not correct. No such NCMI product exists.”

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04/9/20

Governors v POTUS Duties

The country has been treated to a civics lesson demonstrating that individual states are run by duly elected governors and not the wise men in Washington, DC.

With the advent of COVID19, governors have emerged as the leaders tasked to run their states in accordance with how this really works. Governors are elected to run their states.

This is a novel idea for the media and the general population who look to Washington, DC as the font of all power. It is a natural mistake given the nature of “news” — even fake news — coverage.

Allow me to use a small example of how this works in life real:

New York, governed by Democrat Andrew Cuomo, issued a “stay-at-home” order when there were 7,000 verified cases of COVID19.

California, governed by Democrat Gavin Newsome, issued a “stay-at-home” order when there were 675 verified cases of COVID19.

I am not grading this decision, but simply noting that two fairly situated governors pulled the trigger at two entirely different times as it related to the reality of the case load.

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04/8/20

“Always Day One” — Facebook and Instagram

If you are sheltering in place, there is a good new book you might find an interesting read (hyperlink to Amazon page on the book):

Always Day One: How the Tech Titans Plan to Stay on Top Forever

The author, Alex Kantrowitz, is a well known Silicon Valley tech writer (BuzzFeed) who has been able to obtain access to the tech Illuminati for years and thus comes at the subject with a very strong foundation.

The book touches on:

Amazon and Jeff Bezos (Culture of Invention),

Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg (Culture of Feedback),

Google and Sundar Pichai (Culture of Collaboration),

Apple and Tim Cook (the Apple Question), and,

Microsoft and Satya Nadella (the Microsoft Case Study).

It ends with a section on The Leader of the Future.

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04/7/20

The Gratification Of Personal Development, CEO Transformation

There is nothing as gratifying in my CEO coaching than watching hardworking CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs blossom and develop.

Right now is a time whereat a CEO is exposed to the business friction of the COVID19 saga. In this friction, one finds the revealed strength of CEOs. Frankly, not everyone has it while everyone needs it.

When you see a CEO with whom you have worked blossom and rise to the occasion, it is extraordinarily gratifying and just makes you want to sing Hosanna!

Amongst the characteristics I see with this subset are the following:

 1. The CEOs who undergo transformation to a higher level of performance in times of crisis have done the work, day in day out over a protracted period of time. There are no overnight success stories. Sorry.

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04/4/20

Understanding The Chain of Command — Aircraft Carrier Commander Relieved

The military is an organization designed to operate under the most trying situations — combat with America’s enemies. It is a hard warrior culture.

Men are given command of meaningful warfighting assets — aircraft carriers, fighter wings, divisions, landing forces — within a chain of command that goes both up (superiors) and down (subordinates).

Any commander knows this reality when they receive command — they are given it by their immediate superior.

When I commanded a combat engineer company, the battalion commander handed me the company guidon and empowered me to run the unit within the guidelines of his orders.

I knew the deal. He knew the deal.

If I had a question, I asked the battalion commander. If he wanted me to do something, he gave me an order and I then passed it along to my platoon leaders, the first sergeant, and the men. We then accomplished the assigned mission.

If I had a beef with the battalion commander, I was welcome to state it, but once he made a decision, I saluted and carried out the order. If I did not accomplish the mission or if I refused to undertake the order, I expected to be relieved.

The Army, the military, only works in times of distress if and only if subordinates carry out the orders of their superiors.

A subordinate commander has a responsibility to inform his superior as to the status of  any mission on a continuing basis.

The Army mantra is: Shoot, Move, Communicate.

The Aircraft Carrier

The USS Theodore Roosevelt is one of ten of Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carriers. It is at the core of an attack carrier group and is a powerful extension of American force.

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04/3/20

Paycheck Protection Program Interim Report Card — A+++

Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said he would get money to eligible persons as soon as possible.

“My name is Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and I have money for YOU! Come on down, amigos. Get some. Get yours. Let’s get busy.”

But, of course, he’s the “government” and — yawn — who believes the GOVERNMENT?

First day report:

Loans made — 1,926 (as of today at 11:00 AM EST)

Funds disbursed — $756,985,761

Participating lenders — 245 banks

This element of the rescue is dealing with Main Street not Wall Street and your Big Red Car has to say: “Well played, Federal Government. Well played, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. Well played indeed!”

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