Looking back: 2000-2003
The first three years of the new century turned out to be extremely dense, challenging and quite unanticipated. Among the high points kicking off the decade were a hugely satisfying 18 months dedicated to my role as Chairman of the International Jury of and program advisor to the Stockholm Partnerships for Sustainable Cities, followed by another year and a half (bringing us up to the end of 2003) as interim CEO charged with devising and implementing a turn-around program for a beleaguered Swiss technology company aimed at putting it firmly on a path of survival, innovation, quality jobs and profits -- GS-Automation in Geneva. Both of these were immense learning experiences: the former convincing me once and for all that I truly wish to continue to be creatively involved with high profile international efforts of this sort to support social-technical innovation and social justice in the name of sustainability. And the latter once again making it clear that with imagination, hard work and a bit of luck, we can indeed harness new technology to save and create jobs while making profits.
Also over these first three years, I had the luck of being singled out in June 2000 for the Stockholm Challenge Environment Prize (not singled actually since the prize was shared with the consistently inventive Enrique Peñalosa, mayor of Bogota for a particularly effective environmental action we cooperated on in his city). And then in July 2002 for the World Technology Network for their 2002 Award for Innovation in Technology and Environment. The latter put their award in words certainly better than I deserve, but here they are anyway: "One of those outstanding innovators doing work likely to have the greatest future significance and impact over the long-term... and who will remain "key players" in the technological drama unfolding in coming years." Hmm. We can hope that it turns out that way.
Let me see if I can balance this self-promoting awfulness, with a few critical words on my own performance over this period.
- The Stockholm Partnerships project made it clear to me once again that without strong colleagues and support from the top, I am more likely to be a drag than a catalyst for success. I was fortunate in Stockholm to have both. The real key to our accomplishment here was the manner in which we made aggressive use of our interactive web site, actively supported with a lot of unhesitating day to day personal follow-up in order to activate our quite substantial international network. We thus were able to put not only our small Stockholm project team to work on the challenge, but also bring in the energies and contacts of our distinguished international jury (linked by low cost videoconferencing technology) and the several hundred projects that eventually became part of our network. This network continues to exist and is now a tool for future programs in other cities, and eventually a return to Stockholm for the longer term future.
- The Geneva industrial CEO experience was even more of an eye-opener in personal terms: not least making it acutely clear to me all those things that a strong CEO has to be able to do which are way out of my reach by training and temperament. Daily financial reporting, discipline and pruning of personnel, and knowledge of the nitty-gritty of the laonly superficial knowledge of the specifics of the engineering technologies that are our life blood there - all are areas in which I clearly do not have what it takes to get the job done on a day by day basis. But it was my job as transitional CEO to spot the deficiencies early and reach out to fill them (though not as quickly as I would have liked). Happily we now have a strong management team in place there, and my role has shifted to one of overseeing the performance of the new team as a member of the Board and helping as as needed as a super consultant and advisor in matters related to corporate image, strategic marketing, electronic communications and new business development. Stay tuned to see how this one works out.
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