The written and unwritten rules of nations, organizations and society

Unwritten rules are the undercurrent of an organization.

Nations should always seek to maintain the singularity of policy and social unwritten rules. Just like in any organization there are official rules and there are also unwritten rules. One will state clearly what the goals and expected behaviors are while the other is the unwritten rules of how things function in reality.  Read Shifting the Unwritten Rules of Organizational Behavior. 

An example might be the official universal law/Constitution as passed artifacts and the unwritten subjective law as applied/lived/realized.  In an organization it could be the policies & procedures as compared to how the work gets done everyday. 

We know these official and unofficial rules exist in every organization. The official rules are essential but its the unwritten rules that make the some of the most profound differences. 

The article discusses how one might write the unwritten rules (i.e. principles) and then seek to adjust and change them for greater national performance. 

Here are a couple of quick examples (See in my outdoor beach bum life I don't need to explain everything. No one listens and for the most part beach bums are expected to say incoherent things. dribble dribble.....)

1. Official and Unofficial Rules: State official codes of conduct/ policies but not enforce them. On a macro scale maybe pass universal laws (most are) but subjectively apply them. I think this is where we are getting hung up through the differences between word and action.

2. Opportunities Through Validity of Performance: Promotion in a merit based system is based directly on performance. We might say on a macro scale that improving the nation would be based on encouraging either realized or potential performance (i.e. the dirty word of broad based human capital development). A negative unwritten rule might be throwing in there who you know, connected groups, racial/religious considerations that demotivate people. 

(For example, a local college ghosting qualified candidates based on bigoted rumors thereby making recruitment and use of tax payer dollars for clan based and religious based employment preferences an unofficial rule. There are official laws but one wouldn't want to upset their preconceived notions and social networks so they find ways to circumvent. If someone challenges they ghost to avoid answering tough questions and then then use that as a tool the next time because the official rules may not be at the forefront of decision making. We may also add. While officially we want these organizations to fulfill a role of exposing and educating people to compete, we also unofficially accept that it is true as long as it helps a certain clan based group, political agenda, or something else. Whatever that else is....)

3. Meeting and Exceeding Expectations: These unwritten rules can also be positive. For example, the policy might dictate X=Y outcome but we go beyond that minimum to improve a situation. We are thinking long term over the horizon and believe that exceeding policies helps our society so people make some extra effort. They are not required to but they go beyond the official.

How we apply our written and unwritten rules is sometimes non-universal and short-sighted. Each leader must find a vision of the organization/nation and determine how they are going to realize that vision. If that vision includes the highest performing society it will need to adjust some of the unwritten rules to maximize opportunities. The same can be said for any other version (indivisible or segregated) as the unwritten rules tell us how things might be functioning in some places. 

Incoherent dribble, dribble...turn the page.....

 

Why I Would Be Unlikely to Make a Good Politician

Stanczyk
A little satire goes a long way.
Can you sell the unsellable?

Ok, this isn't mocking politicians because they have a really difficult job. I can't imagine everyday navigating the political landscape, shifting opinions, constant arguing, and short lived job roles. A new administration comes in and just about everyone from the old gets kicked out and they start over in another role. Thus, its an up and down affair I guess.

The other issue I face is divergence because I never see things as all this or all that (Not never never but you get my point.). If you asked me a question I have 15 different answers of which I know none of them are true unless I have more information. I just think they are possibilities that get ruled out as more information comes available. 

Think of it like a chain of logic. We list all of the options and reasonable explanations. As each piece of information comes in we then break down those logic chains into probabilities. Each one becoming weaker or stronger based on the arguments for or against something (I actually learned that from research citations and studying religion. In Islamic tradition one can argue the strength of a hadith. It is a method of evaluation. That is not an advocacy for or against any religion but just the method used at the time and the preservation of science. It is important to remember that the Renaissance could not have happened without the infusion to Europe of different ideas and science that led to the application of that science through a new cultural lens. If we rejected that knowledge because its not politically correct we might not be the nation we are today.  See Middle East and European Renaissance.)

The three things that really restrict me....

1. I'm sensitive and really don't like crappy stuff in the world. It bothers me that people can be so short sighted. Dealing with the worst every day must be a downer. For example, I once saw someone mistreat an immigrant and I chased down a central question for many years and came to some profound understandings of human nature (I can't put into a sentence or slogan. Our cultural programming does all types of things to our perceptions that lead to disagreements and cultural conflicts. Something we are seeing in the U.S. for far right and left politics. They are viewing the same exact phenomenon but hyperfocused on only a few observational pieces and conclusions based on cultural programming and in some cases hyped by political enthusiasm. Let us not waste tim eon this, its sort of philosophical dribble but it might make an oddity book to sort of spark a cocktail conversation or two. People might say, there was once that guy who thought we could all get along and solve problems...he believed in some goofy thing called universal principles...hmmmm....what was his name? the Rino-Dino guy? Nope its gone. Can't remember.  🤔 OMG I would be quartered on the first day! 😲😱 Yikes!💨)

2. Just like the piece on Islamic influence on the Renaissance above and me saying things like I'm a Catholic, Muslim, Jew (Think of the universality of such beliefs. Wisdom and Knowledge) who believes Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions have great contributions to our understanding of the world I'm not going to get votes. Think about it. I just confused myself and them. 😂. How do I sell things as amebic as a respect for all religions and religious freedom. They are complex ideas that are hard for me to formulate into a single sentence. Other people are smarter then me when it comes to this stuff I think. (Basically, I think religion is a wonderful thing and I protect it like any conservative should do. I just don't pick a religion to be the only one I advocate for as I have learned from them all. They are the philosophies of the meaning of life and God. I respect their essence and similarities. Some are likely going to be opposed to this open mindedness.)

3. My opinion isn't exactly the same as other conventional wisdom. Carrying the gifted curse of high intelligence and high sensitivity sucks. It would look different depending on one's awareness of life. Awareness can increase by experience, knowledge and education. You don't have to be "educated" but you do need to have reflective insight that leads to knowledge. That comes from experience.  People with this trait (Which is nothing to brag about. Luck of the unlucky draw. i.e. the curse part.) see things in many more layers and depth than others. A better sense of the essence of things and sometimes its not pretty and sometimes its wonderful. 

I don't think politics will be good for me. Besides I'm working on retirement plan #2, I think I'm going to become a beach bum or something. I'm thinking eventual retirement is sipping coconut juice, cut off jean shorts, the local library's latest philosophy book and maybe a part time dishwashing job right before the place automates it. Maybe keep the blog. Not sure yet. Can't beat them, join them.... (The point I'm trying to make is that opportunity and engagement can turn beach bums into billionaires, entrepreneurs, and leaders. I guess it would be the same for society and human capital engagement. The best way to maximize national development is to tap the resources that we can't see in front of us and that is each other. Diversity can be a winner going forward. Something you can't really put into a jingle and sell. There is a lot of quite quitting out there and a generation that isn't fully engaged. We caused that problem. We could fix it but politics sort of gets in the way. Now I'm bummed out. :( )  

Escanaba City Council Regular Meeting (June 15, 2023): Development Still Continues

 

Spinozza

I have been watching these meetings for some time and development is occurring and I believe we will begin to see some fruits of labor soon (We have seen some in terms of development but the interest in the area is growing. We might ponder how or why? See Principles.). There are good discussions on how to improve the area, make it aesthetically appealing, splash parks and other great things. We also find that the DDA is actively trying to improve the downtown (I still think a package of state, federal, local grants with special entrepreneurial financing would be helpful. One could consider looking outside the area like Ann Arbor and other hot spots for would be entrepreneurs that can put up $50 K for building improvements and $50 k for business start up funding. Or something like that.)

We do see some positive changes and adjustments going forward. People are thinking, acting, and making things happen. 

btw the House of Ludington just opened. 

June 15th, 2023 Escanaba City Council Meeting

The principles below are like observations and/or potential truths to explore as factors. They are modeled after Spinoza Ethics proofs and Kant's reason. Its simple and people do it in science all the time. They just break down observations into statements for logic construction. One could then organize them and see what things sort of led to development.

Principle: Motivated mayor and council looking at new ideas. 

Principle: Collaborative interest in development. 

Principle: High trust in local government and solution oriented.

Principle: Investment exposure is rising and PR is growing. 

Principle: A few anchor investments. i.e. Billerud and infrastructure. 

Principle: The waterfront, marina, and deep port have attracted investment interest.

Principle: Unknown factor.

A few random notes. The agenda and meeting minutes provide most of the information. 

-Appropriations: Method of balancing budgets. 

-Revolving loan funding to expand business with Northern Initiative. There is a packet. 

-Its great they got a new recruit for the local police department. We need good recruits to come help keep our city safe. MCOLES 

-New Dock signage. The harbor master is awesome! Good guy. Helpful. (A cool video of Escanaba Harbor in the winter. Drone Flight in Downtown Escanaba, Michigan What I would love to see someday is a bustling town with docks and boats all around the point from one side all the way over to the new hotel that is being built on the other side. I would like to see that hotel i.e. Hampton put in a fish restaurant, fish market which they can use for their restaurant, a bait ship, and some summer slips for visitors/vacationers. I know its sort of a wish list but I think places like this will get attractive.)

-Seeking funds Music Monday funds. 

-Great Lakes Federal Credit Union. Annual Member Appreciate Day July 28th. 

-Historical society agreement accept. (I love history. I should have been an archeologist. :)

-Splash park. Great! It adds to the appeal of the area.

-$6.5 Million RAP 2.0. They are thinking of a bathroom on the Municipal Dock, more events, and connecting the water front. It looks like there is development interest and some changes to the downtown is coming. A meridian with more greenery appears in the works.

-Nothing wrong with sponsoring new recruits. $35K Extrication equipment is helpful. 

Corporate Bankruptcies on the Rise as Interest Rates Rise (Avoiding Over Leverage)

Bankruptcies are rising. According to the article there have been 324 bankruptcy filings which is nearing 2022 levels. Much of that has to do with highly leveraged firms with high debt loads. A couple thoughts on avoiding such situations....

Principle: Ensure you have significant liquid assets and cushion in financing (Probably get a better rate than more risky firms.).

Principle: Make sure growth and resource use is in balance. 

Corporate bankruptcies and defaults are surging – here’s why

Looking for some reasons as to why that happens I came across a nice explanation. I wanted the explanation to be in non academic language. How do fed rate hikes affect debtors and bankruptcy filings. 

Eating Out and Eating Healthy

 Eating out and eating healthy is not impossible. Sometimes it comes down to choice. As you can tell salads do the trick. Sometimes you make mistakes and you have mushrooms on bread.

Enjoy life! Forget the unimportant stuff!

Wagner Group Stands Down and Leader Leaves: A Win for Ukraine

This is an interesting article on the Wagner Group and its turning against Russia. I'm not going into all the claims of the group but its interesting to see how these groups sort of function under infighting. The Ukrainians were given a gift during their counter offensive. Even if the Wagner leader leaves to another country peacefully there will be a natural shift on the battlefield. Perhaps new leadership, infighting, distrust and many other things. This is something the Ukrainians can use for their advantage. 

Let us see how it turns out. 

Wagner head says group standing down after claims of deal

There are mixed reports I guess. The strategic implications could be profound if it plays out in a certain way. 

Manistique Lighthouse: The meaning of change.

 Over the past few years I have seen things that sadden me as to how they function and operate. They are inherently immoral and in many ways supported in inappropriate ways. Lighthouses represent to me change. I'm changing as a person because there are just some things are that are not justified and they indicate a bigger issue that we need to solve as a society. Thr change is a good thing i think. Those who support certain behaviors because they do not understand the greater value of human life and the purpose of our institutions should be somewhat ashamed. They are not and there are some of us who recognize this inability to fix the issues.

We must find a better way. We need no second class citizens in our society (From a sociological level we do have them and most societies do. We should be more universal in our values and approaches.).  I can accept that wrong is the lay of the land sometimes (beyond just a mistake or two) but I do have concerns over how those weaker values impact other things if they spread. I suppose they also impact the next generation and our society as a whole. As far as I'm concerned, the lessons learned here are invaluable to the issues we need to tackle at some point. The problem is that they are not typically popular issues until we look at the long term consequences of what most people would sort of cringe at right away. 

With good peace and good karma we stick that in the bank of lessons learned and move on.  

Manistique Lighthouse in Gallery