PlantSuccess Newsletter
Volume III, Issue 16
13 August 2003
Dear
Subscriber:
Herb
Brooks, a standout
for the University of Minnesota, was the last player cut from the Olympic team
representing the USA in 1960 at Squaw Valley. This team upset Canada 2 – 1 and
the USSR 3 – 2 to win the Gold Medal. Brooks made the USA Olympic squad in 1964
to play in Innsbruck and in 1968 to play in Grenoble; these teams finished 5th
and 6th respectively. In the 1970’s, as head coach for the
University of Minnesota, he won three national titles and earned the coaching
spot for the USA team in the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid.
This team
was given no chance against a Soviet squad that had dominated international
hockey for years and had routed the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition game at
Madison Square Garden the week before the Olympic Games.
However, before
the semi-final game against the Soviets, Brooks told his players: "You're
meant to be here. This moment is yours. You're meant to be here at this
time." I remember this game very well, particularly the tension of the
last 10 minutes and the celebration as USA won 4 – 3. With the victory, Coach
Brooks headed to the locker room, leaving the ice to his players. His team went
on to win the Gold Medal by beating Finland in the finals.
Brooks was
named “Sportsman of the Year” in 1980 and was a successful coach in the NHL for
many years. He concluded his coaching career with the USA Olympic team in Salt
Lake City in 2002; his team lost to Canada in the finals. Despite the fame as
coach of the “Miracle on Ice” and all his other victories, he was most
proud of his reputation as a teacher and a motivator. Herb Brooks died this
week in a car accident; he was 66.
I can’t
think about teaching, coaching and winning without also thinking about John
Wooden, College Basketball Player of the Year when the 3rd
Winter Olympic Games came to Lake Placid in 1932. Most noted for his winning
ways at UCLA where he coached his teams to 10 NCAA championships between 1964
and 1975 – a period that included seven consecutive titles, 88 consecutive
victories, and 4 undefeated full seasons!
Coach
Wooden is rightfully proud of his 80+ percent won/loss record, yet speaks more
often of his years as a teacher: 11 – high school, 2 – Indiana State University
and 27 – UCLA. The teachings in his books are cited by leaders from across the spectrum,
as is his Pyramid of Success. Coach Wooden’s view of this topic:
“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in
knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” He turns 93 on October 14th.
Does this
have anything to do with conferences and improved operating performance in our
process plants? Of course, the need for effective teaching and motivation is
universal and seldom in excess. PlantSuccess attracts outstanding performers as
speakers and attendees -- all are with us to share their experience and to make
the rest of us (and themselves) more successful.
Join us for
our 5th anniversary conference in the Philadelphia area, 15 – 16
October at the PHL Airport Marriott. This year’s theme is the very
appropriate “Best Practices Driving Plant Performance.”
Sponsors
for PlantSuccess Northeast 2003 include Skire Inc, a privately held
company with headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif, noted for its product Unifier,
a 100 percent web-based suite of enterprise applications that enables customers
to better manage the entire facility lifecycle, from pre-project planning to
post-construction operations and maintenance.
Visit www.PlantSuccess.com to review or
download presentations; visit personnel from Skire and other sponsors, AVEVA,
The Shaw Group and Ivara in the Solutions Marketplace at PlantSuccess
Northeast 2003, 15-16 October at the PHL Airport Marriott. Visit www.PlantSuccess.com for more
information and join us.
Best
regards,
Carl. Howk,
Chairman
*****************
Current
Links
*****************
The $50 Billion Gorilla
It seems
as though everything about Microsoft is “larger than life,” including
the current value of the company’s Cash and Short-term Investments -- $50
billion -- greater than the market capitalization of many of the world’s
largest companies, including DuPont. The impact of this software industry giant
will continue to grow, also fueled by another big number – the company’s
investment in R&D, at $6.9 billion, an increase of 8 percent over last
fiscal year.
There are
plenty of resources to make sure the goals stated by CEO Steve Ballmer
are met: winning more customers, improving customer satisfaction and improving
profitability. READ
MORE.
Study
Proves: Benefits Go to Early Adopters When Driven by the Business-Side
The current
issue of Optimize Magazine includes an article on a study recently
completed by industry consultant AT Kearney, with Harris Interactive, on
the value of IT that is derived by early adopters. This study proves that when
the strategy is driven by the business-side, the value is high.
The study
is clear: “Early business-driven adoption of
technology can lead to competitive advantage. Not only do early adopters and
companies that focus on innovation grow faster than their peers, but they also
have a tighter linkage between their business and IT strategies.”
How can a company reap the benefits
of early technology adoption? “… by changing the way it views three important
elements: its own strategy-development structure, the process it uses for
evaluating IT, and the potential technologies themselves.” READ
MORE.
The
PlantSuccess Newsletter generates a substantial number of visits to our
website, we welcome the interest and the access to previous issues of the
Newsletter which are available there. If you'd like to share this newsletter
with a colleague, just forward a copy. Subscribe or cancel by sending a request
to Carl.Howk@PlantSuccess.com
Full links to Volume III, Issue 16 Newsletter articles: