Feb 1, 2010 | Leadership, Personal Rant, Strategy
The emerging reality of the emerging “carbon economy” irrespective of the regulatory regime that emerges is not only an operational and regulatory management issue, but a strategic one because of its potential to create and destroy asset value.
Over time, emissions intensive assets will be replaced by those that create the same outcome without the emissions, and new businesses will emerge that provide the technical tools.
This is not an ideological view, it is based on 250 years of commercial history. The same way the internal combustion engine replaced the hay driven horse transport, the telephone finished off the telegraph, the silicon chip finished off vacuum tubes, and the net is in the process of finishing off the CD, renewable/low emissions energy source will finish off coal fired power stations.
As Australia’s politicians, today, start again the wrangling, point scoring, verbal gymnastics, hubris, personal views paraded as facts, dissembling, and plain untruths in the debate about the regulatory framework to be built in this country to supposedly “manage” climate change, they would do well to leaven the mix with some commercial and strategic reality.
Dec 3, 2009 | Leadership, Personal Rant
Here I am in a regional NSW town, now a bit late at night, engaged by a client to assist in the strategic development of their business, and after a very long day, lifting my head to discover the premier of the state has changed, again. This follows yesterday, when there was a meltdown at federal level with the other lot.
My client is a manufacturer, they employ people, train them, make stuff, and contribute to their community, whilst dealing with the crap imposed by a series of governments trying to be relevant to voters, whilst satisfying demands of their various looney back room brokers.
On another TV channel to the press conference o f the new NSW premier, (what is her name, what has she done to demonstrate she can run a multi billion dollar business like NSW) is an old concert by Stevie Nix. Loved her as contributor to Fleetwood Mac’s best days, but she has passed her best, even when warbling some of the old classics.
Point is, I would rather have a broken down old pop singer in the background than the new premier of the state where I live, and need to make my living working with businesses that produce stuff.
Will the state be better off tomorrow with the fourth premier in four years, will the trains run on time, the emergency wards save lives, will the teachers in the schools feel they have an important task ahead of them for which they will be recognised? I think not.
Aristotle may have been right, but what did we do to deserve this shallow bunch of sycophantic twits, bleeding us dry whilst assuring it is all for our own good.
A pox on both their houses.
