Systems

We're into the final week and it's crazy and hectic. I honestly don't know how Jim is doing it. Today, while we went over, rehearsed and revised his speeches for tomorrow, he must have been interrupted at least half a dozen times with requests, questions etc. etc.

And in the middle of all that he managed to get a new rack card designed and printed - something that everyone else told him couldn't be done - not under these time constraints.

I'm seeing a whole new side to him - a "doing" side and an "unreasonable" side I didn't know existed, at least not to this extent. Boy, if he's elected, fur and feathers are going to fly - in a good way.

He hit on something really important this morning - that one of the problems at City Hall is underlying systems that were established years ago. If the systems aren't changed, nothing will change substantially.

True. I remember learning this a long time ago. I wish I could remember who the wise person was who pointed out that you could take an entire corporation like IBM, fire everyone, hire everyone new and within six months, the company would be behaving exactly the same way if the systems had not been changed. This is true everywhere. Look at politics in the US and Obama's promises of change. I believe he was sincere. But he fell into the system and he didn't know that he had to change it.

It's good to know that Jim understands this fundamental truth.

If it ain't broke, don't change it. However, if it is broke....