Archive for category Kaizen

Job Tips: Eleven General Orders for Marine Sentries…And for Contractors

Apr 5

Posted by Matt in Job Tips, Kaizen | 6 Comments

I got the idea for this post, while reading Eeben’s post on physical security. It seems like this stuff should be common sense, but for some folks, they just don’t get it. This will hopefully give the reader a starting point to grow from. There are tons of resources on how to operate out there, and everyone has an opinion. For me, I like to keep things basic, and stick to what works. The Marines still use these 11 General Orders, and every Marine must learn them while at boot camp. Although, if you don’t have the time to memorize this stuff, just copy them on a 3X5 and put them in your pocket. Guys do that all the time, with all sorts of information they have to remember. I also run around with maps, nine line, language stuff, compass, frequencies, POC, etc. I also keep a notebook and pen with me, so I can write stuff down–lots of common sense stuff, and excellent for those of us with a rough memory capability. lol

So you’re on your first contract, and you have just arrived in country. You have your gear and weapon, and you have met your team leader and maybe the site manager, and your all ready to do the job. And let’s say your job is site security, which most of the gigs these days are just that, and you have just been dropped off at your post. Of course you read the post orders, and you are told what your specific job is, and what your schedule is, and how long you will be working, and who you will be working with, but after that, you’re on your own.

As a contractor, how do you act, now that you are out on your own? Your a ‘feral jundi’, so what standards do you hold to, now that you are released into the wilds of security contracting? You might be prior military or law enforcement, retired and/or extremely experienced. You might be a young guy that did a few combat tours in Iraq with the Army or Marines, and got out after you did your time. Or, you might be a bouncer or security guy, that knew all the right people and got your foot in the door that way. You found your way to that contract, with that gun in your hand, and a company and customer are now depending on you to do the job your hired to do. So what is the proper mindset to have as a contractor on some boring and tedious site security detail?

How do you act, when you are the new guy, and you’re on post and wanting to do a good job?

Well for one, read your post orders and ask as many questions as you can so you can fully understand your duties. Do not assume anything, and really learn the duties of your post. But what happens when you do not have post orders, or the orders are very light and you really don’t have much direction on how to act? Believe me, some contracts are like that out there. So what is the guidance that will help you to do a good job and leave a lasting impression about how you do business? Or the better question is how do you want to be remembered by your co-workers and managers–the screw off who could care less about doing a good job, or the guy that everyone can depend upon and will do things right when no one is looking?

Well if you want to do a good job, and are looking for some guidance on how to do a good job, then here is something that has helped me over the years on gigs. They are called the 11 General Orders for Sentries and I learned them a long time ago when I was in the Marines. Although a few of these orders have to be tweaked to be applicable for contracting, the intent is still there. I have also given an interpretation for each order, on how it could be applied to the contracting scene. Some of these might not apply for where you are at, but most orders will and they are a great check list on how to operate on a post. Some of you might have your own check list on how to operate out there, and it is all good for your personal Kaizen. So here they are and Semper Fi. -Matt

General Order 1

To take charge of this post and all government property in view.

*To take charge of this post and all customer property in view.

General Order 2

To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.

*To walk my post in a professional manner, keeping always on alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.

General Order 3

To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce.

*To report all violations of the contract I am instructed to enforce.

General Order 4

To repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guardhouse than my own.

*To repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guardhouse than my own.

General Order 5

To quit my post only when properly relieved.

*To quit my post only when properly relieved.

General Order 6

To receive, obey and pass on to the sentry who relieves me all orders from the commanding officer, officer of the day, and officers and noncommissioned officers of the guard only.

*To receive, obey and pass on to the guard who relieves me all orders from the project manager, site manager, team leader and any other leaders of the guard shift only.

General Order 7

To talk to no one except in the line of duty.

*To talk to no one except in the line of duty.(phone calls, internet, iPod, etc.–distractions are not good)

General Order 8

To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.

*To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.

General Order 9

To call the corporal of the guard in any case not covered by instructions.

*To call the leader of the guard force in any case not covered by instructions.

General Order 10

To salute all officers and all colors and standards not cased.

*To show respect for your leaders, and for the chain of command as per contract.

General Order 11

To be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.

*To be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.

Tags: , general orders, Marines, security contracting, sentries

Training: Is Your Company ‘National Incident Management System’ Ready?

Mar 9

Posted by Matt in Kaizen, Training | 1 Comment

Ok gang, this is an important one, and I am hoping that any company reps that might read this, actually pay attention. Here at Feral Jundi, I have been talking my head off about the importance of the Incident Command System, and why we should be getting ICS smart. Well this little deal below is one reason, in my list of reasons for going this route. If a company is used in a disaster zone or some national security deal, and they are not up to speed on NIMS, then they will certainly be behind the power curve. And seeing how all the federal, state, and local groups have been given the orders of ‘one mission, one team, one fight’ since 2004, we need to catch up in the private industry if we want to integrate well into that effort.

In the Fire Services, all federal/state/local/private industry groups were required to be up to speed on Incident Command. It is actually part of the fire refresher training each year. But notice how I tacked on ‘private industry’, because fire contractors all had to be able to integrate well on an incident. They had to have radios, the fire equipment, a red card stating that they were qualified, and they needed to know who and what an Incident Commander was on a fire. ICS was a necessary bit of knowledge, if a contractor wanted to play with others on fires.

Even if your company does not take the time to learn this stuff or train it’s employees, you as the security specialist could definitely take it upon yourself to learn. If you have questions about Incident Command and how it works, just do a Google or Feral Jundi Search. Or you could just ask me and I will be more than happy to fill in the blanks. I also think the attacks in Mumbai, are certainly an indicator that we must get organized when it comes to managing chaotic environments. During that attack, there was no Incident Management and really no leadership bringing everyone under such a system. The result was chaos and casualties, with extreme blame on the government for not doing enough to deal with such a thing. Things to think about…-Matt

——————————————————————

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Approves National Incident Management System (NIMS)

For Immediate Release

Press Office

Contact: 202-282-8010

March 1, 2004

U. S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge today announced approval of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) (PDF, 152 pages – 7.6MB) the Nation’s first standardized management plan that creates a unified structure for Federal, state, and local lines of government for incident response. “NIMS gives all of our Nation’s responders the same framework for incident management and fully puts into practice the concept of, ‘One mission, one team, one fight,’” Ridge said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , DHS, Incident Command, Leadership, NIMS

Building Snowmobiles: Social Networking and War–MySomalia.com and MyPMC.com

Mar 7

Posted by Matt in Building Snowmobiles, Kaizen, Somalia, Technology | 9 Comments

This is a two part article with one focused on using social networking for Somalia state and nation building. Part 2 is dedicated to using social networking as a tool for business and Kaizen for PMC’s and PSC’s. This was probably my most challenging and thought provocative topic, and it’s hard to say if I really hit on something of value or not. So to me, this is pure building snowmobiles, and certainly unexplored territory. I also want to warn you, that some of these concepts are kind of out there, but still something to chew on around the water cooler. Let me know what you think. -Matt

——————————————————————

(Part 1)

MySomalia.com

I have been thinking about Somalia for a bit after my discussion with Eeben Barlow and after a little research, I have stumbled upon a concept that I think should be looked at. It is a combination of social networking and private military, all with the goal of building the state and a nation.

I think the Somalia government, with it’s new President, should create a MySomalia.com and attract the millions of Somalis world wide, that give money to their families in Somalia anyways. This diaspora of Somalis, could be tapped into as a funding source, and an activist force for the country. The model for such a thing would be MyBO.com (President Obama’s campaign social network site, that made him 200 million dollars in funding, and rallied millions of supporters)

And to take advantage of the power of tribes in Somalia, you could put an option in the profile building pages of MySomalia.com on what tribe you came from. That way other Somalis could identify their tribes or groups, but do it all under the mechanism of the main group of MySomalia.com. That actually would help enforce the idea of nation, but still allow the freedom to express what tribe you came from. The key to success with a site like this is a strong architecture and a strong brand, and letting your supporters do the rest. It would be really interesting to watch how Somalis and friends of Somalis would help that country, if given this kind of social networking tool.

I point to Noah Shactman’s comment he made on Wired about Obama’s social networking site, and why it worked so well. I think PMCs and Governments would be wise to look hard at the potential of social networks. I know NASA, FBI, CIA, and numerous other private firms are all using social networking sites to exchange ideas and rally the people within those organizations.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: A-Space, facebook, Myspace, PMC, PSC, security contractors, social networking, Socialcast, Somalia, UN

Kaizen: The Expert on Experts; Foxes and Hedgehogs

Mar 7

Posted by Matt in Kaizen | No Comments

This was a tough article to define, because I originally thought this would be great for the Building Snowmobiles category. Col. Boyd would have liked this, because this author echoed many of the philosophies Boyd had. From the importance of randomness in warfare(experts have a hard time with randomness–great for beating an expert on the battlefield), to Boyd’s aversion to being called an expert or committing to one doctrine because of what it implies–that he knew everything or that doctrine was the end all. And according to this article, I would definitely define Boyd as a Fox, and not a Hedgehog:

What makes some forecasters better than others?

The most important factor was not how much education or experience the experts had but how they thought. You know the famous line that [philosopher] Isaiah Berlin borrowed from a Greek poet, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing”? The better forecasters were like Berlin’s foxes: self-critical, eclectic thinkers who were willing to update their beliefs when faced with contrary evidence, were doubtful of grand schemes and were rather modest about their predictive ability. The less successful forecasters were like hedgehogs: They tended to have one big, beautiful idea that they loved to stretch, sometimes to the breaking point. They tended to be articulate and very persuasive as to why their idea explained everything. The media often love hedgehogs.

I also read this and started looking back at all of the examples of foxes and hedgehogs in media and in this industry. From the anchorman on some cable news show, to some jackass you have come across out in the field or even online, all trying to convince us that they are the so-called ‘expert’. With the studies that have been presented by Phil, it is nice to see what really defines a forecaster or so-called expert. I am sure that some of the same rules apply to Opinion Leaders or Mavens, and further solidify the reasons why we even listen to these folks. It also gives a person a set of rules to follow, if they want to be more respected as a teacher, forecaster, leader, or Maven. Be the fox. Be the self-critical, eclectic thinker that is willing to update your beliefs when faced with contrary evidence, and always question grand schemes and be modest about your ability to predict. You can definitely apply that to whatever niche you claim as yours, and constantly improve on your standing as leader in your field. -Matt

—————————————————————–

Why the experts missed the crash

Which forecasters should you trust on the direction of the economy and the markets? Ask Philip Tetlock, who knows the kind of expert worth listening to – and what to listen for.

By Eric Schurenberg, Money Magazine

Last Updated: February 18, 2009: 4:10 PM ET

(Money Magazine) — You’ve probably never wanted expert insight more than today – and never trusted it less. After all, the intelligent, articulate, well-paid authorities voicing these opinions are the ones who created the crisis or failed to predict it or lost 30% of your 401(k) in it.

Yet we can’t tear ourselves away. The crisis has brought record ratings to CNBC and its parade of talking heads. You’re probably still entrusting your portfolio to the experts running mutual funds. Despite everything, we can’t shake the belief that elite forecasters know better than the rest of us what the future holds.

The record, unfortunately, proves no such thing. And no one knows that record better than Philip Tetlock, 54, a professor of organizational behavior at the Haas Business School at the University of California-Berkeley. Tetlock is the world’s top expert on, well, top experts. Some 25 years ago, he began an experiment to quantify the forecasting skill of political experts.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Boyd, crash, experts, financial crisis, Kaizen, money, Philip Tetlock

Kaizen: New IPOA Code of Conduct 12 for Private Contractors Ratified

Mar 5

Posted by Matt in Industry Talk, Kaizen, Publications | No Comments

Excellent news, and congrats to Doug and his group for all the hard work they have put into this over the years. I also love the fact that the document is always being improved upon. (this is version 12!) That is pure Kaizen. -Matt

——————————————————————

New IPOA Code of Conduct for Private Contractors Ratified

Thu Mar 5, 12:46 pm ET

WASHINGTON, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — IPOA is pleased to announce that the 12th version of its Code of Conduct was ratified by its 53 member companies and is now in effect.

IPOA is the premier industry association for companies operating in conflict, post-conflict and disaster relief environments. Member companies provide vital services in support of the international community in Afghanistan, Darfur, Haiti, Iraq and other critical global efforts.

The Code of Conduct is central to membership of IPOA. The international companies that form IPOA pledge to uphold the standards and ethics of the Code of Conduct and accede to review by the IPOA Standards Committee. This vehicle of corporate responsibility and industry self-oversight ensures that IPOA member companies are recognized internationally for their commitment to standards and ethics.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: code of conduct, contracting, IPOA, Kaizen

Kaizen: People Will Support What They Help To Create

Feb 21

Posted by Matt in Building Snowmobiles, Industry Talk, Kaizen | No Comments

Hey everyone, this is a treat. I wanted to expand on a interesting conversation in the comments section, that I think deserves it’s own home. This is from the article called The Importance of Shared Reality. -Matt

——————————————————————-

Matt

Been thinking about your post while hiking the Laotian trail–more about that later. Since we are using the auto industry as a source of metaphor for organizational best practices, I thought we might hyper-link to another–the Saturn Car Company concept. Remember the original GM logic for creating Saturn–they realized that they had gotten too big, and too bueracratic to compete with the smaller more nimble company’s–like Toyota. So GM selected 99 people (“the Group of 99″) and turned them loose to identify key founding principles for a new organization (Saturn) and to search the world for the best ideas in all key areas. The group consisted of a functional cross-section of people, including plant managers, superintendents, union committee members, production workers, and skilled tradesmen, as well as 41 UAW locals(which is fascinating because one of their findings was to scrap the Union model) and GM staff from 55 GM plants.

The group split into seven coss-functional teams to explore stamping; metal fabrication and body work; paint and corrosion; trim and hardware; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; and powertrain and chassis. In all, the Group of 99 visited 49 GM plants and 60 other companies around the world (shared reality). They made 170 contacts, traveled two million miles, and put in 50,000 hours of interviews and visits (listening to the guys on the ground).

The group’s findings were presented in April 1984. The keys to success identified included ownership by all employees, the assumption of responsibility by all, equality and trust among employees, the elimination of barriers to doing a good job including the union, giving staff the authority to do their jobs, and the existence of common goals. Specific recommendations included the formation of consensus-driven partnerships within work teams as well as between the union and company management.

Although initially a mega-success, Higher Headquarters eventually reigned Saturn back in and squashed their entrepenuerial decision-making and management methods, the lesson still stands as a precient model for how a large organization can reinvent itself to stary nimble, and stay competitive.

I believe that the Saturn Car Company model is what USSOCOM needs to follow in order to stay nimble and meet the challenges of modern day–I hate to use the word but I have to–assymetrical warfare.

What think you? -Pete

——————————————————————-

Pete,

Laos would be a cool country to check out, and I certainly would like to hear those stories. As for your question, I hope I can do it some justice. It is something that all companies in my industry can learn from, and any ideas about how to better organize and manage a company should be listened to and studied. The concept of Group 99 is intriguing, and it has certainly kicked in the thought machine within my head. I also wanted to make this answer for you, more reader friendly, and include a historical base as well. So you will have to pardon the beginning here, because this is me just priming the pump for the reader.

The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) or what I will call SOCOM was originally created out of the ashes of Operation Eagle Claw(the failed Iran hostage rescue mission), and I think it is important to look at this first. The investigation of this incident, chaired by Admiral James L. Holloway III, cited lack of command and control and inter-service coordination as significant factors in the failure of that mission. So this is one side of the story.

The other side of the story, is the reality of what the Special Operations Forces (SOF) were up against. Whereas my belief is that the SOF community was getting the short end of the stick well before Operation Eagle Claw, and certainly were aware of these command and control issues. The guy on the ground was not being listened to, which is too bad. It was classic conventional versus unconventional mindsets, and of course the bigger of the two will win. So no one of importance or influence was really sold on the concept, and looked upon SOF with skepticism, all while gobbling up budget money for their projects. ”All of my forces are special” was the mindset, “and money needs to go to my tanks, jets, and large scale infantry forces”.

And Carter, when confronted with a situation that required a clean and sharp scalpel, to cut those hostages loose from Iranian control, looked to the military to solve his problem. Did they have a developed Special Operations capability, or were they too focused on tanks and planes? No wonder things failed, but I put that responsibility on the top leaders who were not forward thinking enough to even acknowledge the potential for a situation like what happened in Iran. So this is where SOCOM came from, and what it’s purpose in life is–to prevent another Operation Eagle Claw and effectively manage today’s Special Operations community.

Then over the years, they have done much to work on the command and control issues and inter-service coordination, and have conducted numerous missions all the way up to the present wars. But really, the current wars are the true test of the effectiveness of SOCOM, and I think this is why a conversation like this even takes place. The true test of an organization’s strengths is not when all is well, but when they are tested and pushed to it’s limits. Much like how does a company like Toyota weather the storm during a bad economy?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Google, Kaizen, SOCOM, Toyota

Kaizen: Get Serious About HRO(High Reliability Organizations)

Feb 7

Posted by Matt in Kaizen | No Comments

This deserves further investigation, as to how this might apply to our industry. Is your company an HRO? -Matt

——————————————————————

Get Serious About HRO(High-reliability Organizations)

By Mike DeGrosky

Jul 1, 2008

Everyone in this business knows that wildland-fire management involves complex work with many inherent and unavoidable risks. Wildland-fire personnel operate in an uncertain environment, often at a high operating tempo. In the course of routine work, fire management personnel often confront unexpected events and conditions that easily can escalate beyond control. However, experience shows that certain organizations can operate in similar high-risk environments, with similar operating tempos, and still achieve their operational objectives while keeping human error and accidents to acceptable levels. Experts call these “high-reliability organizations.” These organizations manage their activities according to five organizing principles:

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: HRO, Kaizen, Mike DeGrosky, organizations

Kaizen: Is Yours a Learning Organization? Find Out With This Online Tool

Feb 7

Posted by Matt in Kaizen | No Comments

This is a new category, and here is the definition of Kaizen:

Kaizen ( Japanese for “continuous improvement”) is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. When applied to the workplace, Kaizen activities continually improve all functions of a business, from manufacturing to management and from the CEO to the assembly line workers. By improving standardized activities and processes, Kaizen aims to eliminate waste (see Lean manufacturing). Kaizen was first implemented in several Japanese businesses during the country’s recovery after World War II, including Toyota, and has since spread to businesses throughout the world.

——————————————————————

So back to the post. Thanks to Harvard Business Review for putting this together, and this tool could easily be applied to the military or our industry. Find out if your organization is a learning organization, and I would be interested to hear your feedback on this. -Matt

——————————————————————

Interactive Tools from the Harvard Business Review

Content adapted from the March 2008 Harvard Business Review article, Is Yours a Learning Organization?,

by David A. Garvin, Amy C. Edmondson, and Francesca Gino.

This survey will help you to determine if your unit(team, group, or entire company) is a “learning organization”. At the end, you’ll receive feedback based on your answers and a list of recommended resources to help you accelerate learning in your organization.

Go here for this easy to use, online survey.

Tags: Harvard, Kaizen, learning, management, organizations