Executive Stands for Execution, by John Carrino

We are surrounded by great ideas that have remade or changed our way of life.  Thomas Edison brought light to the dark, vaccinations are available today for polio which ended many lives before scientist Jonas Salk discovered its vaccination and distributed to the world in 1955 and English scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web that sparked our modern day information revolution. 

Persistence is one of the most common traits in these modern day revolutionists.  One of Thomas Edison's teachers once said he was, "too stupid to learn anything."  He was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive."  As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb.  When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times, the light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

Edison wanted to bring change.  He wanted there to be light when it was dark.  While persistence is a mandatory trait that allowed him to continue every time he failed to bring about this change, people often miss the third ability.  It's the ability to execute.  Change and persistence is the desire to see something succeed and execution is one's actions that allow one to succeed in my opinion.

While I highlight some of the World's most distinguished inventors, many of our everyday people possess great ideas.  Heck, I've even have a few of my own.  Many times, these ideas come and go through the minds of people.  Some draft an executive summary or go even further to design a business plan.  The ideas that never made it into tangible form, lacked the new inventors ability to execute at its most basic level. 

While I'm an attorney by training, one thing I pride myself more on than my legal skills, is being someone that has the ability to execute.  Think about it, the foundation for change to happen is the ability to execute on all levels at the time you need to execute. 

As a teenager I recall moving a pile of dirt on a weekend for low wage.  The pile had to be ten feet high.  At the end of the day, I was so happy.  The guy that hired me said to me why are you smiling, do you like this type of work?  And I said, not really.  That guy didn't get it, and we both went on with our lives.  I made a few dollars and he got what he wanted. But I got just a little bit more.  I realized something.

It was the element of change and that my work made an impact.  Granted, it effected virtually no one except the guy that needed the dirt moved, but at the age of 15, I knew what brought me happiness and it was results.   When I started at 9am, that dirt was in one place and when I ended my day, that dirt was in a different place.  That result was realized because I executed.

Now the want to change needs to first exist and the persistence to keep going, whether it's to get paid, or to make a difference needs to be there as well.  But when things actually happen and results are shown, is when we execute.  When I picked up that shovel, I started to execute regardless of the task or my motivations to make a few bucks.  What I didn't realize in the beginning of the day, was that the difference I made really satisfied me at the end of the day.  My result was shown. 

Fast forward 20 years, that same desire still exists as I'm sure it exists in many people with more important decisions to make then moving dirt.

Ideas that are designed from somebody's desire to see or make change, always hinge on that individuals ability to execute. If they don't execute, they're ideas never have impact and are never known to anyone. 

Our most well-known executives have one thing in common that make them successful.  They are executives that know how and when to execute.

So next time you have an idea, ask yourself, are you ready to execute on it?  The journey may be long and the desire to bring your idea to fruition will require persistence, but even more so, it will require execution.  And that ability to execute is what will make leaders great and inventors genius'

/ John Carrino /

People Power Government

When People Power Government, by John Carrino:

Like a small business, Government has important and very large decisions to make.  We’re going through some trying times right now where Governments, especially the local Governments, are trying to stretch every nickel in hopes they don’t have to lay off any employees or cut important services.

The question our elected elite need to ask, is how do we make things better, without spending more money?  I enjoy many of the services that in my home town of Nutley, NJ we have that other municipalities just simple don’t have, and the leadership should be commended.

Our small town of Nutley, www.nutleynj.org, has engaged community and volunteers, built groups that look to motivate others through programs, consolidated all services into an online portal that provides more information, access and convenience to all the citizens of Nutley.  Isn’t this the true measure of success of our local leadership?  Opening government to all its citizens?

Have all governments thought about how the Township of Nutley is succeeding?  Citizens care about very few things, but they really want to know when their garbage won’t get picked up, if they can register and pay online for their child’s t-ball team instead of trekking down to town hall, or that if there is an emergency, their town will reach out to them, before they call the police for an update.  It’s about proactive governance.

Has government thought about these factors?  Because they don’t cost more money.  Stuff like:  Family, Friendship, Community, Values, Environment, Achievement, Fulfilling Work, and Well-Being.

And how can government take on improving or customizing their services to fit the above?

Combine the right political philosophy, thinking, with the information revolution, there is an opportunity to remake government and public services that will allow us to achieve by making substantive improvements to well-being.

If you give people more choice, more tools, provide them the power and access and a better sense of control, then you can create a stronger, better society, and combine it with the information we have available, we as a people can remake public service.

Nutley is doing it online for their town and other municipalities should do the same.
Governments need to embrace where we are now.  We are in an information revolution and it costs less.  People power is now possible and it's cheaper than the traditional ways of doing business, sending email is cheaper than sending a letter, uploading a flyer for others to download is cheaper than printing it for the masses, giving citizens more active tools to assist in the government process, cuts down on resources and builds in efficiencies.

The technology has been here.  We are a changed society, the way we shop, travel, and conduct our day to day lives, so why can't government, especially local government, also adopt these services who ultimately answer to the community, catch up?  Other sectors have.  Small businesses live and die on the decisions of managing cash and information.

It ultimately breaks down to these three things:  transparency, greater choice and accountability.  The Township of Nutley understands its people, their needs and developed processes online by which to engage them, assist them and cultivate them.  They recognize that if you go with the grain of human nature, and you can achieve more as a government.

The good news is that we can build a stronger society because we have the best advantage, information.  / john carrino /

The Start of the John Carrino Blog

This blog will be the start of important content that will focus on many important subject matter and content, such as, local governments saving money and working truly for the citizens, how supporting your community makes a big difference and lasting local impressions that matter and important lessons learned on leadership and character.