Radio Free JoJo

Having been a non-profit CEO for 14 years, I know how important it is to protect your status with the Internal Revenue Service. Recently, there was an IRS filing requirement for non-profits that unfortunately dozens and dozens of Erie area NPO’s missed.

Now, in looking at the list, probably many of these organizations are long-defunct. However there are some surprising names of unions, and community organizations that for now no longer have a deductible status for their donors.

Here’s the list for the 164 and 165 zip codes (all data available at philanthropy.com):

Sounds like tax lawyers may get a bump in business as some of these NPO’s fight to get their status back.

It just occurs to me that if today was April 5, 1911, my boy, Joel Natalie Jr, a son of Silician-American and Irish-American parents, would not be celebrating his birthday getting a good education, making plans, overall enjoying his life and looking toward a bright future.

Today would just be another 10 hour work day in his 6 day work week, pouring molds at a foundry, or working the fields getting them ready for planting. He probably would have been working the past six years, since turning 14. Working conditions were brutal, pay was weak. It’s hard to tell if he would ever have the opportunity to break out of the immigrant social class he might have found himself in; certainly options at the time were few.

His world would be amazingly small. Information would be limited to the daily newspaper, if he was fortunate enough to have gone to grammar school and was literate. It might have been a dream to save up for a Model T, which was released three years earlier. Technology such as commercial radio, TV, and of course the internet were still years or decades away.

I just wanted to take a moment and note what a difference four generations makes! Even with all of the negativity and strife in our day, no one can deny that the best time and best place to live is here and now.

We are blessed to have Joel in our lives these past two decades, and know God continues to unfold His amazing plan for him. We are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for his rich blessings on our family, our community, and our country.

For the first time in many years, the mayor of the City of Erie has declared a snow emergency this weekend from Friday at 2:00 PM through Monday at 8:00 AM.

As a citizen who rarely gets worked up over a bunch of snow in our city, you might wonder what exactly is a “snow emergency?” Well, the primary effect is to extend the “odd/even” parking regulations in the inner city through the weekend, as opposed to ending Friday. However, there are other parts of the ordinance that need attention, such as unless you drive a vehicle with four wheel drive or front wheel drive, you must have snow tires and/or chains in order to drive on the many snow emergency routes.

Also, you can get a ticket if you are stalled on a snow emergency route, no matter what the reason is.

Click here to read Article 512 of the Traffic ordinance.

Finally, if you do get a ticket, the fine is only $10 under the snow emergency ordinance. But be warned: I’m pretty sure that the police could find a few other violations to cite you with if they end up having to call the tow truck to get your vehicle out of the way.

In case you didn’t know, I’m a big proponent of regional cooperation. My nearly four years of living in metropolitan Nashville showed me the benefits of regional government and the metro area all living under the same rules for services.

The wealth and growth experienced by cities like Nashville and Louisville are not shared by the shrinking tax base and business-crushing regulations in Pennsylvania’s cities. The problems facing PA’s cities was the topic of SmartTALK a Harrisburg-based public affairs program aired on WQLN Thursday evening. I weighed in with an e-mail that was aired and discussed. My contribution aired at about 29:55 into the program.

Watch the full episode. See more Smart Talk.

A letter to the editor of the Erie Times-News that I wrote ran today (8/12/2010), you can read the published version here.

The only difference between what I sent which is printed below, and the published version was that the editor entered the full names of the officials I referenced and he/she left out the last line, which I thought was the most powerful. It was probably a space issue, but…whatever.

I want to explain the context in which I sent the letter. I’m not one for much criticism, especially of law enforcement. My father reached the highest levels of the Erie police force, and put his life on the line every day for over 35 years to promote peace and prosperity in the city of Erie.

My note is in response to what I see as a general “tin-ear” to concepts such as public opinion and communications at City Hall. When the news hit that the little two-year-old girl, “Bitty” was found murdered, it was shocking and a shot in the gut to everyone who calls Erie home. After a spring and summer of shootings and violence in this town, this senseless act was the final straw that wrecked us.

Fully understanding that the police and the DA were in the middle of an active and intense investigation, from the news reports I saw there was little consideration on the part of the officials on how to communicate this awful news to the public.  Instead of an official news conference in the Mayor’s office or the steps of City Hall, the cameras seemingly caught the police chief at the door to his office. Instead of strong words of resolve and comfort to the community, it was the quote of “this sometimes happens across the country.”

It was in the context of bewilderment and hurt in which I wrote this note last Monday night:

To the editor:

With all due respect to the difficulty and tragedy that accompanies the jobs of our highest-level civil servants, I have to say that law-enforcement’s public response to the murder of the two-year-old girl is totally inadequate.

We don’t need Chief Franklin saying that this kind of senseless act happens across the country, while warning parents to lock their windows and doors as if there was some deficiency on the parents’ part.

Right now we need strong words and action. Where was the press conference with Mayor Sinnott, District Attorney Daneri, County Executive Grossman, and the Chief pledging their commitment to use the full capacity of their offices to protect our community from such unspeakable events?

Where was the passionate and stern warning to potential evil doers to put them on notice that if they are contemplating even a petty burglary let alone a heinous murder they will be hit with the overwhelming force of our judicial and correctional systems?

After words are spoken, the leaders need to take action, using all of the tools at their disposal to fight crime while protecting civil rights. They need to smash this dangerous and cavalier attitude that repeat offenders approach criminal activity.

Finally, we need to see that our mayor and chief, county executive and DA are grieving with the rest of us who claim Erie to be ours over the loss of this innocent little girl. We are shaking our heads and asking our leaders, “When is it going to stop?”

Joel Natalie

This story has transformed over the ten days it took the paper to print my letter. My prayer is that the police will get the complete picture of what happened and justice will be served for little “Bitty.”

When Leaders Fall

A week doesn’t go by when a leader doesn’t have a moral failure.

Schaffer Institute study: 30% of pastors surveyed admitted sexual impropriety during their ministry

How do we handle this as a church, and why do church leaders fail

We need to reach out to people who are broken as Jesus would.

Not one of us are in the place to cast stones…we want to be a redemptive church.

Five R’s of resisting temptation:

• Remember who you are – child of God, someone’s husband or wife, daddy or mommy
• Recognize the consequences of your actions – will I feel better, more or less human after I do this, who will be hurt by my actions/fantasize the worst possible actions
• Rededicate yourself to God – stop and pray
• Reveal your struggle to a trusted friend – when it’s secret it has power, when you find someone you trst is has no power
• Remove yourself from the situation – erect more clear boundaries, change reporting structures, change churches.

Big ideas:

• We are called to Sanctification – control your body to be holy and honorable
• All of us struggle with this part of our lives, there are consequence when we fall

Remember we serve a Lord that is the friend of sinners.

Never, Ever Give Up

Good is the enemy of great.

Greatness is a matter of conscious choice and discipline.

If we only have great business, we will only have a prosperous nation. But we must have great social organizations, schools and churches.

How great enterprises stumble: How the Mighty Fall If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone. No one is immune, anyone can fall.

You can be sick on the inside and look fine on the outside.

Five stages of decline:

Five Stages of Decline

Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success: outrageous arrogance, and neglect. Bad decisions taken with good intentions are still bad.

Three Level 5 leaders: it is not about them, never, ever give up. Humility separates the Level 5 from the Level 4 leader

A passionate ambition to do “whatever it takes” – humility and passion

Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More: overreaching, too much growth, beyond their ability to execute with excellence

Regulate growth and reach: do we have our key seats filled on the bus with Fantastic People

Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril: warning signs appear. A culture of denial appears. On the outside, you really look great.

The Stockdale Paradox: Vietnam vet, POW. I never waivered in my faith that I would not get out, but this is the defining event of my life and I would not trade it. The optimists did not do well. This is what you must learn: don’t confuse faith and facts…never give up.

Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation: The companies that fell were looking for the silver bullet, the outside savior. Greatness is never a single event but an accumulative process. The flywheel, disciplined people engaged in disciplined thought and taking disciplined action, turn upon turn.

Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death: its over, you give up. You squandered your capital, avenues foreclose, game over. Why in the face of all adversity did the 18 Built to Last companies endure the struggle? Because they had a reason. If you measure your success by money, you always lose. We must continue the struggle, we have to endure! Driven by a purpose beyond money and fame. Rooted in core values.

The paradox: core values are not open for negoitiation or change…if we lose our soul we lose it all. The signature of mediocrity: inconsistent effort.

The genius of the “And”: Preserve the Core and Stimulate Progress

To Do List:

1. Do your diagnostics “Good to Great” Diagnostic tool http://jimcollins.com
2. Count your blessings: literally in a spreadsheet! Account for all of the good things that happened that we did not cause, it’s humbling.
3. What is your “questions to statements” ratio and can you double it in the next year. Great leaders ask the right questions. Invest more in being interested than interesting.
4. How many key seats do you have on your bus?
5. Do your How the mighty fall teams up/down diagnostic
6. What are the “brutal facts”?
7. Have a “Stop Doing” list
8. Define results and show clicks on the flywheel/milestones. How do you demonstrate clicks on the flywheel.
9. Double your reach to young people by changing practices without changing values.
10. Might be time for a new BHAG in these times. Drucker: “Be Useful!” Never give up.

To truly set out to be useful, you can never capitulate, never, never, never give in.