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07.07

Tony Blair

by Terrance Malkinson

On 27 June 2007, Tony Blair stepped down after ten years as Britain’s Prime Minister. An Oxford-educated lawyer, Blair was first elected to Parliament in 1983. Articulate and telegenic, he rose quickly in England's Labour Party organization. When he became leader, he endeavored to reposition the party as a moderate center-left alternative. As the youngest British Prime Minister since 1812, Blair, with his youthful exuberance hoped to be able to reshape his country and its politics on the strength of his inexhaustible energy. He moved quickly to implement a program of reducing the governments’ traditional reliance on state action to address social problems; established elected representative bodies in Scotland and Wales; negotiated peace in Northern Ireland; and worked to improve ties with other European Union nations. The latter years of his 10-year tenure were influenced by the war in Iraq. Blair's decision to support President Bush in the 2003 invasion led to a steady erosion of support at home and ultimately to pressure within his party that forced him to leave office earlier than he had hoped.

In an essay published in The Economist [www.economist.com] and referenced below,  Blair reflected on the lessons he has learned as Britain’s leader. A common theme of these reflections is that when you become a leader your activities and legacy are often shaped by unanticipated events and events beyond your control. The test of a leader is how one uses intelligence and judgment to analyze new situations and make good decisions. This theme also applies to us as we journey through life. We must use our intuition and intelligence to make good decisions in the face of new challenges and changes that we experience and have no real control over.

Further Reading

“The Great Performer Leaves the Stage”; The Economist; 383(#8528), pp. 57-59; 12 May 2007.

“What I’ve Learned” The Economist; 383(#8531), pp. 126-128; 2 June 2007.

“How Will History Judge Him” The Economist; 383(#8528), pp. 11-12; 12 May 2007.

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the engineering community:

• New technologies and products often result in new job classifications. In “The New Careers” [Business 2.0, 8(4), pp. 81-86, May 2007; www.business2.com] Michael Copeland and Kevin Kellener discuss five new occupations that you might consider. These include: Robot Programmer, Information Engineer, Radiosurgeon, Second Life Lawyer, and Disease Mapper. When managing your career it is important to think futuristically. Obtain a good education, scan the environment, make good decisions, take risks, and you will find success.

• Today, we are all affected by changes in other areas of the world. In “Time for a Global Welfare System?” [The Futurist; 41(3), pp. 27-32, May-June 2007, www.wfs.org] Anil Hira proposes that a systemic reform of global institutions will create greater security in the world. In the introduction the author states “we are increasingly affected and interconnected from one remote corner to another, and both the positive and negative effects of this transformation are multiplying”. The author discusses the benefits of a global welfare system, how to build a global aid and development agency, and importantly why we need to think about new solutions to the world’s problems. This article intended to spark a greater discussion of this important issue.

• General Electric has been known for many years as a company that works to build a culture that sustains both high performance and high integrity. In “Avoiding Integrity Land Mines” [Harvard Business Review, 85(4), pp.100-108, April 2007 www.hbr.com] Ben Heineman discusses how this large multinational company enforces honesty in today’s highly competitive business environment. He describes a set of systems that combine the communication of clear expectations, with oversight, deterrence and incentives. Principles are applicable to all levels of the corporation.

• Members of a profession often look inward asking themselves “who are we as professionals”? and “what value we add to society”? In “How Professionals Can Add Value to Their Communities and Organizations” [Public Management, 89(2), pp. 32-39, March 2007, www.icma.org/pm] James Keene et al. discuss practices that add value in local government. The authors provide a list of six practices that define the skills, commitments and goals of local government professional administrators. These best practices are applicable to all professionals.

• Many companies offer an internship program which is mutually beneficial to the student employee and to the company. Interns bring new insights and are able to gain valuable experience while making meaningful contributions. In “Quick Studies” [HR Magazine, 52(5), pp.69-74, May 2007] Jean Thilmany discusses many important issues important to a successful internship program. An inset in the article provides links to additional information about successful internship programs.

• Throughout the nation, communities are experiencing a rapid growth of diverse ethic populations. In “Serving Diverse Communities – Best Practices” [Public Management; 89(5), pp.12-17, June 2007, www.icma.org/pm], Julie Hernandez discusses best practices for providing services to growing diverse populations. Several case studies are presented and an excellent list of further resources and lessons learned of the best implementation practices are provided.

• In today’s global business environment all employees, even those who do not travel, need to know the culture and practices of countries where their employer has commercial ventures. In “Show All Employees a Wider World” [HR Magazine, 52(6), pp.99-102, June 2007, www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/], Martha Frase discusses the importance of understanding cultural differences. The author believes that every organization should have in its training and development programming some international business classes. This should also be an important part of the curriculum of our educational institutions.

Terrance Malkinson is a communications specialist, business analyst and futurist. He is an elected Senator of the University of Calgary, a Governor of the Engineering Management Society, international correspondent for IEEE-USA Today's Engineer Online, editor-in-chief of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer Digest, editor of IEEE Engineering Management, and associate editor for IEEE Canadian Review. He the author of over 300 publications and is also an accomplished triathlete. The author is grateful to the Haskayne School of Business Library at the University of Calgary. He can be reached at todaysengineer@ieee.org.