January 31, 2007
Demanding can create Outstanding
I've often been accused of being overly demanding and expecting too much of people. "I have a life outside ICP" I have heard in the past when reminding colleagues of deadlines, often imposed by external entities.
However, the key in dealing with a demanding boss is that the question is whether he/she is demanding of everyone or just particular people. In my case, I have found myself most demanding of those I believed in the most. They are the ones that I believe CAN rise to a higher level if they asked more of themselves. They have often become the most successful at what they do, even if they went on to compete with ICP Solar.
There are many ways to deal with a demanding boss, and this article on the internet is one of the best I've found. The question is never whether or not you'll one day end up with one, the question is how you'll deal with it.
The key in such situations, which can become explosive if both are strong willed, is respect. Yet it must flow both ways. One-way respect does not last. If you feel disrespected or are disrespecting, expect it back in return. It is rare that you won't get it back. And although we each have our own definition of respect, if we cross that boundary of someone's own definition, it is not for us to redefine the definition they hold true to their hearts, it is for us to recognize that we crossed it, and do two things from that moment on that can make a huge difference with regards to the future of your relationship: apologize and understand that this line is what it is and won't change just because we want it to.
While some people may see the demanding boss' requirements as disrespectful, they have a choice: to understand the reasons for the demands and work in a manner to avoid conflicts, or to choose conflicts and eventually lead to untenable situations which are not sustainable. Demanding can create outstanding. Can you think of any great company which does not have demanding leaders? Does it mean that life is out of balance for all those who are working there or does it mean that they have learned that balance and respect are the key to long lasting employee-employer relationships yet when the chips are down, they can count on each other because in the end, the one who can fire you the quickest and with least remorse..is the customer who has not been served because we won't go the extra demanding mile...
Sass
Posted by sass at 03:36 AM | Comments (1)
January 30, 2007
America...Wake Up and See the Sunshine!
A report out today suggests that of all the citizens of the planet, Americans are the least concerned about global warming.
Although I won't dispute the results of the survey, I believe these are a static picture of an evolving belief-set in the USA. As we've seen with Al Gore's movie and many other recent media events, global warming and climate change are beginning to really take root in America in terms of their importance, awareness and as a priority. With the recent changes in American politics, we can bet as well that the change of Congress will surely make the environment and pollution a much great priority for the future government actions.
The fact is that solar power nor ICP Solar's activities in this industry alone could not solve global warming at the current costs of solar energy, yet these are dropping as I write and therefore can definitely bring to us some relief. Yet the fact that the world is now tabulating awareness is a right step in the direction we must go.
I've never really calculated how much in carbon emissions all the solar panels that ICP Solar ever sold have been saved yet one day, expect to see it here...and we don't even get credit for those savings on the carbon exchanges! The question begs..how can our clients get the credits for they are the ones in the end who are making the final decision to purchase solar power. Hmmm....a business challenge to which I am sure an American will wake up to a solution one day.
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)
January 29, 2007
ICP Board announcement
Dear Shareholders (present and future),
Its with great pride that I announce the addition of Mr. David Dangoor to the board of Directors of ICP Solar. Please see the link for the publication of the press release this morning.
As we are maturing into our own, ICP Solar has undergone and will continue to undergo changes. It is the reality of any company that different stages require different skill sets and experiences. At our core, we are an innovation company which must emphasize best practices of innovation, engineering, quality and marketing to fulfill our obligations to our customers and other stakeholders. We’ve now transitioned from being a privately run show to a publicly listed corporation, and with such moves come changes in requirements ranging from legal to financial to market and even customer expectations.
Following the above sentiment, with David’s entrance, director Terry Chebountchak retired his position on the board. And so it goes for the board that it also goes for our company. We will have new people join us and we will have familiar ones leave, yet despite it all, we will always endeavor to press onto the next height. Terry helped us get to the stage we are at and for that I am very grateful and wanted to emphasize that his guidance through the IPO was of great value and I will always remember his input and patient demeanor as we learned the ropes of becoming a publicly listed company. He has helped me understand my new role as a public company CEO and the increased responsibilities that come with my new position as a Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Thank you Terry, you’ve been a great supporter and we wish you all the best!
Sincerely yours,
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2007
Even a prince is concerned about his carbon footprint..
News that Prince Charles is cancelling his regular ski vacation in Switzerland to reduce the carbon footprint he creates through such air travel. And partly due to this and other actions, he has just won a "green award" as well!
Anyone know what their carbon footprint is? No, its not what is left in the sand or snow when you walk on it with carbon heels :). This is the amount of carbon gas emissions you produce through your daily life, or that to which you contribute by sharing transportation (of course the Prince was flying a private jet so ALL of those carbon emissions could be attributed to him).
Are you interested to know how much in carbon emissions you're saving the planet when you walk or bike instead of take the car to the corner store? I think its an interesting concept worth exploration....
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2007
My guru children...
Kids today are the technology gurus. They have access to the same information as adults, so why wouldn't they become more adept than us...they foster less preconceived notions and are able to look at things often more objectively than we.
Take Windows Vista for example. It was my two teenagers who first showed me Vista's new skins. That's where they stopped and went back to their games. I asked "Is that it?" to which their response "Daddy, XP radically changed Windows from 98. Vista is just a bunch of Mac OS copycat stuff".
Its quite likely that there's at least a little more "meat" on Vista than simply the skins, yet what this reflects is a simple trend...MAC is the future for these kids. Now they're even engaging me in bets whereby if they reach a certain grade performance, they get a MAC instead of a PC.
The MAC has attained the same kind of status as an iPOD? Not quite. These same kids tell me that when it comes to music playing, it doesn't really have to be an iPod. So the fact is that they are really judging these products on the merits of their performance, and not just the image it may bring them in school. Well, maybe just a little image too!
Interesting how the minds of children can often be much clearer than our own.
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2007
Surprise Discovery?
Well many of you may have read today about the news of the purchase of Discover Power by ICP Solar.
This news probably comes as a surprise to a solar power market which wasn't sure of our direction in this category, yet now confirms to it that we intend very much on being the dominant player in the "end to end" solutions market for home owners, both grid and off-grid.
Discover Power is led by a superb team which has so much experience, they were even repairing charge controllers years ago in their back part of their warehouse. These guys know solar like nobody else, they are located in the largest solar market in America, and they have a superb growth plan which so parallels ours; it made perfect sense for us to buy them.
Above all, its about the people. Crystal and Damian have stellar reputations in the industry and bring to ICP Solar a wealth of knowledge and market information which will help guide our future developments. They have a great brand and will now propel it even further with our support. A flurry of early morning emails already tells me that ICP Solar's own retailers are thrilled to be able to add larger system knowledge and opportunities to their offerings as well. And the fact that Damian personally installed the first ever solar roof shingle system in Southern California, means that he'll be a huge guiding hand in our rooftop tile strategy for that market. Cannot imagine a better person to help ensure our product is RIGHT!
Onwards and upwards the plan goes...and its all pointing to the sun!
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2007
Sustainable vs Unsustainable...
The world is full of people who forget that for every yin there's a yan. Mother nature is the greatest balance tool ever seen by man. Treat her with disrespect, simply because you want to grow industry, and she lashes back. Take for example...China..the development beast!
In a small area of southern China, they can't drink the water nor feed their farms. The mines dump their water, untreated, into streams which the chinese villagers used to take their drinking and irrigation water from. Now they are dying of cancer because nobody warned them that drinking "orange water" would cause this.
And if you think this is limited to one small area of China, it is estimated that 300million don't have easy access to clean tap water!
Every development and every industry growth has a cost, if not mitigated and controlled properly. While coffers and pockets and ipod sales are growing in China, so is the heavy cost of runaway development. I suspect the "environmental cleanup" industry should look there for tremendous opportunities given what I've seen first hand.
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2007
Solar Recharged
Well I'm back from holidays.Two weeks in the Caribbean sun and I'm solar re-energized and ready to go. Heading down to CES where we'll make a major announcement about some great news. Its always an exciting show where our clients, vendors and competition come to check out what's new at our booth. This year is looking to be specially exciting for ICP Solar. Can't wait to get right back down to the sun!
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)