Feral Jundi

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Kaizen: Jundism Review

Filed under: Kaizen — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:30 AM

   So here is the review of Jundism.  I feel it is important to put this out there from time to time, because it is very easy to forget about it as it sits in it’s own little corner of the website.  Here is what I have come up with over the last couple of months and let me know if I am missing anything. Of course these are concepts that all came from the various posts and discussions that happened on this website.  Most of these are not my ideas, but collecting them all under the banner of a belief system is my idea.  If the mind is the best weapon out there, then these are the concepts that will help to build that weapon and make it truly formidable.

        I guess some of you are wondering what the hell is Jundism?  Good question, and I think in the spirit of Jundism, I was going to put it out there to the readers and ask ‘what is your recommendation’ as to what Jundism means? lol  I am serious though, because my version of of what Jundism is could totally be different than your version, and this is me trying to get some ‘shared reality’.

   As to etymology of the word, the first part of ‘Jundism’ would be Jundi, which means ‘soldier’ in Arabic. I felt it to be most appropriate because that is one of the root words of my blog title.  That, and many of us contractors and military men and women have cut our teeth in the wars overseas in the middle east.

   The second part of Jundism would be the ‘ism’ part, which really opens up the possible meanings of Jundism. So that is where it gets interesting. Although, there is a part of me that really doesn’t want it defined, and part of Jundism’s power is that it is somewhat flexible in meaning.  I think Boyd would have gotten a kick out of that. Or maybe I am wrong on that, who knows….

   My big concern is that I do not want a rigid system of beliefs.  I want something that grows and evolves.  Doctrine or dogma is not what I want Jundism to turn into, I want it to be a system that an individual or group can apply, that will grow with them over time.   I also want all the concepts to work well with one another, but also do equally well on their own.

   The hope here is that one day,  a soldier or contractor will do something uniquely Jundi-istic out there, and someone will ask ‘where did you learn how to be like that or do that’?  And that guy or gal will smile and say, ‘Jundism’.

   And one last thing.  I also think Jundism is necessary, because the global nature of soldiering or contracting is so difficult to control or monitor. That, and I think this war will last awhile, and lethal minds are what we need in order to finish this thing.  My goal is to throw the concepts out there like a virus and hope that it spreads.

     I also believe that in order to change the culture of contractors and the military into a more efficient and lethal force, that we cannot solely depend upon the corporation or government to instill the correct philosophies.  It is up to each and everyone one of us as to what kind of follower or leader you want to be, and Jundism, I believe,  is the key to success. –Matt

*****

Jundism pronounced like ‘Jundee-ism’.

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-ism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The suffix -ism denotes a distinctive system of beliefs, myth, doctrine or theory that guides a social movement, institution, class or group. For example, baptize (literally derived from “to dip”) becomes “baptism,” a distinctive system of cleansing in water to testify to the forgiveness of sins[1]. It is taken from the Greek suffix -ismos, Latin -ismus, and Old French -isme, that forms nouns from verbal stems. Greek baptismos “immersion”, for example, is derived from baptizein, a Greek verb meaning “to immerse”. Its usage has since been extended to signify the ideology or philosophy surrounding the element to which the suffix is added.

Concepts represented by “ism”

The -ism suffix can be used to express the following concepts:

    * religion or belief system (e.g. Buddhism, Mormonism, Protestantism)

    * doctrine or philosophy (e.g. pacifism, olympism, nihilism)

    * theory developed by an individual (e.g. Marxism, Maoism, see also List of ideologies named after people)

    * political movement (e.g. feminism, egalitarianism)

    * artistic movement (e.g. cubism)

    * action, process or practice (e.g. voyeurism)

    * characteristic, quality or origin (e.g. heroism)

    * state or condition (e.g. pauperism)

    * excess or disease (e.g. botulism)

    * prejudice or bias (e.g. racism, sexism)

    * characteristic speech patterns (e.g. Yogiism, Bushism)

Many isms are defined as an act or practice by some, while also being defined as the doctrine or philosophy behind the act or practice by others. Examples include activism, ageism, altruism, despotism, elitism, optimism, racism, sexism, terrorism, truantism and weightism.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Industry Talk: Grief, Shock After a ‘Gentle Giant’ Loses His Life in the Line of Duty

“Never take your guard force or your security people for granted,” Parsons said. “They did exactly what they were supposed to do.”  

   Certainly a tragedy, and from the looks of it, Big John didn’t have a chance to draw his .38. I guess the issue of body armor being requested by the union is on the front page as well.  Although, I think if the guard wanted armor and the company wasn’t providing that, then the guard should have made it a personal responsibility to get that armor.  In this industry, it behooves everyone to get their own armor if they are serious about their job.  

     There comes a point where a person must seek personal responsibility and ‘be prepared’.  So from a Jundism point of view, the company failed to protect their employee with the necessary equipment (.38 revolver and no armor), or a refusal to”Take Care of Your People”.  The security professional failed by not accomplishing the mission of getting a vest, if in fact they thought the post had a threat that required it-“Be Prepared”.  

    This is why I have bought all of my own equipment for this work, because it is not enough to depend upon the government or companies to provide everything.  And if cost is an issue, then start creating a gear fund or put the word out and borrow that equipment until you can afford it.   That is the Kaizen way, and to not continually prepare mentally or physically is not good.  Invest in yourself, and do what you have to do to get ready-people’s lives depend on your readiness.

    We should never stop holding these organizations accountable either, so that they do get this equipment to employees and contractors. But you cannot depend on them to do so and for every contract, until it is mandated by law or by the contract or both.  

     And if you are a student of OODA, and Destruction and Creation, and understand the concept behind OODA, then you can really see why ‘being prepared’ and having your own stuff or training is so important. Here is what Boyd had to say in his ‘Goals’ section of Destruction and Creation. 

   And of course, Big John could have had his own body armor, and wasn’t wearing it.  Who knows, but I do know that he had been working that post since 2002. In this case, he made his judgement about the threat by not wearing a vest.  And all of us do this out there, constantly weighing in on wearing the vest or having certain gear, and not having it or using.  Mobility, actual threat and practicality issues are the big one here. Either way, it is hard to say in this case, but this is a story that all of us can learn from in the context of whatever job we are on.     

   Rest in peace to Big John, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. He died in defense of others. –Matt

*****

Destruction and Creation, by Col. John Boyd

(second paragraph) 

Studies of human behavior reveal that the actions we undertake as individuals are closely related to survival, more importantly, survival on our own terms. Naturally, such a notion implies that we should be able to act relatively free or independent of any debilitating external influences—otherwise that very survival might be in jeopardy. In viewing the instinct for survival in this manner we imply that a basic aim or goal, as individuals, is to improve our capacity for independent action. The degree to which we cooperate, or compete, with others is driven by the need to satisfy this basic goal. If we believe that it is not possible to satisfy it alone, without help from others, history shows us that we will agree to constraints upon our independent action—in order to collectively pool skills and talents in the form of nations, corporations, labor unions, mafias, etc.—so that obstacles standing in the way of the basic goal can either be removed or overcome. On the other hand, if the group cannot or does not attempt to overcome obstacles deemed important to many (or possibly any) of its individual members, the group must risk losing these alienated members. Under these circumstances, the alienated members may dissolve their relationship and remain independent, form a group of their own, or join another collective body in order to improve their capacity for independent action. 

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In this image provided by the U.S. Holocaust Museum, museum guard Stephen T. Johns, is seen. Johns was killed Wednesday, June 10, 2009, in Washington, when an elderly gunman opened fire at the museum. (AP Photo/U.S. Holocaust Museum)

Grief, Shock After a ‘Gentle Giant’ Loses His Life in the Line of Duty

By Christian Davenport and Paul Duggan

Washington Post Staff Writers

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Colleagues called Stephen T. Johns “Big John,” for he was well over 6 feet tall. But mostly friends recalled the security guard’s constant courtesy and friendliness.

“A soft-spoken, gentle giant,” said Milton Talley, a former employee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where Johns was killed yesterday in the line of duty — shot, authorities said, by an avowed white supremacist who entered the museum with a rifle.

Details of the shooting remained sketchy last night, but apparently the 39-year-old, who was armed with a .38-caliber revolver, did not have time to react when James W. von Brunn walked into the museum, according to police sources.

“Immediately upon entering the front doors of the museum, he raised the rifle and started shooting,” D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said of von Brunn, 88, adding that he “was engaged by security guards, and there was an exchange of gunfire.”

When the smoke cleared, von Brunn was critically wounded. The only casualty among the guards was Johns, who lived in Prince George’s County. At least one bullet from a small-caliber rifle hit Johns in his upper-left torso, according to Johns’s employer, the Wackenhut security company.

“Two other . . . armed security officers opened fire with their service revolvers,” the company said. “The intruder was hit at once” and wounded.

Johns died at George Washington University Hospital.

“There are no words to express our grief and shock over these events,” the museum said in a statement, describing Johns as “an outstanding colleague who greeted us every day with a smile.”

Johns, a 1988 graduate of Crosslands High School in Temple Hills, lived in an apartment in the Temple Hills area. Friends said he had a son.

Allen Burcky, another former museum employee, said last night that workers there considered each other “like family” and that Johns was “very courteous, very helpful.”

Lourdes Padilla, the mother of a close friend, said that Johns trained as a plumber but that she didn’t think he had ever entered the trade. He remarried about a year ago, Padilla said.

Johns’s sister, Jacqueline Carter, declined to comment as she entered her home in Temple Hills. “She’s in bad shape right now,” said a man who was driving her.

Wackenhut describes itself as the U.S. government’s “largest contractor for professional security services.” An official with the union that represents Wackenhut employees at the museum said Johns was paid about $20 an hour.

“It’s a heavy loss,” said Assane Faye, the Washington district director of the Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America.

Like other guards at the museum, on Raoul Wallenberg Place SW near the Mall, Johns underwent training for which he received the D.C. police designation of “special police officer,” which permitted him to carry a revolver on duty.

Faye said that during contract negotiations with Wackenhut two years ago, the union pressed for company-issued protective vests. Although Wackenhut seemed open to the idea, vests have not been issued, Faye said.

“I hammered this in our negotiations two years ago because of how sensitive that museum is,” he said. “Our guards needed more protection.” He said that one of the guards at the museum was “verbally assaulted by one guy walking by, saying anti-Semitic remarks. For that reason, I made that the center of the negotiation.”

Authorities said Johns was not wearing a protective vest.

Susan Pitcher, a Wackenhut spokeswoman, declined to comment on the shooting beyond the company’s statement.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and director of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, said officials at those institutions took immediate steps to enhance security after the shooting in Washington.

“The key component is not only to have your own security, but to work with the local police force,” he said. “In our case, the LAPD has a very good grasp of where all sorts of extremists might be and are able to deploy very quickly.”

William S. Parsons, the Holocaust museum’s chief of staff, praised Johns and his colleagues.

“Never take your guard force or your security people for granted,” Parsons said. “They did exactly what they were supposed to do.” 

Story here.

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Union Wanted Bullet-Proof Vests for Holocaust Museum Security Guards

June 11, 2009

The union representing security guards at the Holocaust museum in Washington had been fighting for bullet-proof vests, but the company hadn’t issued them at the time of Wednesday’s deadly shooting.

One guard was killed when police say, a lone white supremacist gunman burst into the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and opened fire.

Stephen T. Johns, 39, wasn’t wearing a protective vest when James W. von Brunn allegedly shot him, according to The Washington Post.

The Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America said the union lobbied security contractor Wackenhut Services Inc. for protective vests during contract negotiations two years ago, the Post reported.

But the company-bought vests weren’t provided, even though Wackenhut seemed in favor of the proposal, the union’s Washington district director Assane Faye told the Post.

“I hammered this in our negotiations two years ago because of how sensitive that museum is,” Faye said. “Our guards needed more protection.”

One of the museum’s guards had been “verbally assaulted by one guy walking by, saying anti-Semitic remarks,” Faye told the paper. “For that reason, I made that the center of the negotiation.”

Wackenhut spokeswoman Susan Pitcher declined to comment on the matter.

Johns worked for Wackenhut, which has contracted security services at the museum since 2002, according to a company statement. Johns had been posted at the museum since joining the firm in 2003. The museum has about 70 officers and supervisors on the force.

Guards are armed with .38-caliber revolvers and dress in police-type uniforms, the company said. It said preliminary details indicate the officers responded appropriately when facing the gunman, who opened fire with a rifle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Story Here

 

 

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Cool Stuff: Jundism

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Kaizen — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:12 AM

     That’s right, Jundism.  Pretty cool huh?  Check out the pages section labeled ‘Jundism’ to the right, and you will see what I am talking about.  These are just my thoughts on business, leadership, contracting, etc. and the list will probably grow over time.  Or not, and maybe it will become more boiled down and refined?  Jundism is constantly evolving, and certainly a work in progress, much like Boyd promoted with his ideas. Although unlike Boyd, I plan on keeping a record here on FJ. I am also taking suggestions, because for some of the readers, you probably see a pattern in philosophy here that I might not be seeing. –Matt

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Kaizen: The Expert on Experts; Foxes and Hedgehogs

Filed under: Kaizen — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:07 AM

   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    

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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.

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Building Snowmobiles: The Rypple Effect

Filed under: Building Snowmobiles,Technology — Tags: , , — Matt @ 5:29 PM

 This really grabbed my attention, because it touched upon a technological reality of today’s work force, to include even our workforce.  This is an idea that seeks to work with the mindset of today’s younger generation, and certainly enhances a learning organization capabilities.  Did you hear that?  Yes, learning organizations is the theme for any company and it’s culture or even today’s military and it’s culture if they want to be successful.  And constant feedback is essential for the health of that learning organization.  It is not good enough to do a yearly review, or a monthly review.  Today’s youth, and I would argue even our older work force (once familiar) would want more feedback about how they are doing, if there was a technology available to them to make that an easy process.  Emails and forums are ok, but they are not specifically designed for feedback generation, so what next?

   Enter Rypple.  This is still in the Beta, and only a handful of companies are using this, but it is some radical stuff.  It is a evolving program, that is free to sign up with, that has created a tool for the free flow of feedback, back and forth between bosses, mentors, and employees.  I challenge today’s security contracting community to take a hard look at this kind of thing, and see if this is something they could use.  Your older workers might be intimidated by this, but your younger workers might really appreciate this tool.

   Imagine, you feel really bad about your performance at the range or on a mission, and you want to get some feedback about how you did or what you could have done differently from some of your cherished mentors or instructors or team leaders.  But scheduling time or circumstance just couldn’t allow that to happen.  Using a system like Rypple, where you ask the question of your network, and they answer back(or at least a few of them) so that you can get that feedback could be the answer.  I guess you could use an email or forum, or you could use something that is actually designed to facilitate this feedback network. And for bosses and employees that hate doing evaluations every year or every month, something like this would be cheap and easy to do as a form of evaluations.  Every company should be using evaluations, so that everyone knows where they stand in the company and how they are doing.  Rypple would be a very easy program to initiate. 

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