Reality Check To Animal Rescuers

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Chris

I’m the Chairman of the Companion Animal Advisory Board at the Georgia Department of Agriculture.  It’s a volunteer position, and I serve at the pleasure of Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.

After Companion Animal Advisory Board meeting last Thursday evening, I posted this question on the Companion Animal Advisory Board’s Facebook page:

Rescue alone will never stop the mass killings in Georgia’s animal shelters. So why don’t more rescuers engage in the political process?

The responses were interesting and varied.  I encourage you to read them.

Though I posted this question using our Board’s official administrative profile, I’d also like to weigh in as a private citizen, and I’m issuing a hard REALITY CHECK to the animal rescue community.

The ONLY way that the mass killings will EVER stop in Georgia will be if ALL OF YOU who are fighting for the animals’ interests become politically active NOW.

Every special interest group that participates in companion animal policy has a powerful lobby – except the rescuers. None of those special interest groups are concerned with the best interests of homeless animals. Only the rescuers care, but we have no money and no unified lobby with which to influence policy and legislation. But we have a LOT of animal-loving people who are NOT ENGAGED in the political process, even though they could collectively SAVE THE WORLD for thousands of homeless animals. Typical concerns I hear include:

  • Time: We’re all running at 1000 mph. Want to compare your schedule with mine?
  • Fear: There are plenty of ways to fight shelters/commissioners who try to limit access.
  • Feeling rejected/ignored: Big deal. Get used to it. Fight on. Make noise. Keep making noise.  Then make even more noise.  When you quit making noise, they win.
  • Don’t know what to do: Then ask me – or ask Valerie Hayes, Davis Cosey, Cheryl McAuliffe, Stacey Hall, or Susan Feingold.  All are committed animal advocates and citizens of Georgia who know their way around local and/or state politics.
  • If you go up against powerful politicians, will you lose? Yes, many times, over and over – but the key to winning the war is never to let the individual defeats destroy your resolve. Once in a while, you’ll win a victory that will SAVE LIVES.

Do NOT simply rely on the animal rescuers on the Companion Animal Advisory Board. We are fighting hard, but are outnumbered by those allied against the interests of homeless animals.  Our opponents are powerful and well-financed, so you must unify, organize, and engage NOW.  They’ve shown up – with their votes and their checkbooks.  You haven’t.  Until you do, animals will DIE.

In the days and weeks ahead, I’ll be discussing how you can help us create a life-saving forever solution to the mass killings in Georgia’s shelters.

Posted in Animal, Animal Protection, Leadership, Strategy | 1 Comment

Cameron on the Riots

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Chris

In a speech earlier today, British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed, “And to the lawless minority, the criminals who’ve taken what they can get, I say this – we will track you down, we will find you, we will charge you, we will punish you. You will pay for what you have done.”

Posted in Humor, Leadership | Leave a comment

1st Wedding Picture – Joanne & Chris on Friday, May 20, 2011

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Chris

Posted in Personal Life | 1 Comment

Startup Ideas & Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Chris

I talk to lots of entrepreneurs (and people that want to be), and many of them have really cool ideas.  I love to engage in discussions with thoughtful people – entrepreneurs or otherwise – because I love sharing in their creative process.  It’s just fun!

But 99% of the time, I won’t sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).  Don’t even ask, unless you are engaging me for paid services in a capacity that exposes me to patented intellectual property (according to the legal definition, which is distinct from an unprotectable thought).  I decided to blog about this, because I have this conversation repeatedly with entrepreneurs who don’t follow the the world of seed-stage venture capital with my fanatical zeal.  If you’re a venture capitalist or an experienced entrepreneur, what I’m stating herein is stuff you probably already know and accept.

Personally, I have ideas for startups all the time – every single day.  I can churn them out by the dozens.  Many of them might be great ideas, but all of them are worthless.  Why?  Because I haven’t successfully executed them.  Period.  I’m happy to discuss my ideas for startups with anyone that wants to engage me.  If you think you can steal my idea and out-execute me on it, then good luck!

In the book Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup by Brad Feld and David Cohen (and numerous other authors, including Tim Ferriss), their first chapter is entitled Trust Me, Your Idea Is Worthless.  In it Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, asserts “Earth-shattering and world-changing ideas are a dime a dozen.”  Tim goes on to postulate that entrepreneurs who insist on having others sign NDAs before discussion of their ideas “clearly overvalue ideas and therefore, almost by definition, undervalue execution.  Brainstorming is a risk-free, carefree activity.”

Tim continues, “There is no market for ideas. Think about it for a second: have you tried selling an idea lately? Where would you go to sell it? Who would buy it? When there is no market, it is usually a very sure sign that there is no value.”  He finishes with, “Ideas, however necessary, are not sufficient. They are just an entry ticket to play the game. Don’t shelter and protect your startup concept like it’s a nest egg.”

Paul Graham, one of the most famous seed-stage venture capitalists in the world, has written in his blog post Ideas For Startups that “startup ideas are worthless“.

Paul states, “They overvalue ideas. They think creating a startup is just a matter of implementing some fabulous initial idea. And since a successful startup is worth millions of dollars, a good idea is therefore a million dollar idea.”

He continues, “Actually, startup ideas are not million dollar ideas, and here’s an experiment you can try to prove it: just try to sell one. Nothing evolves faster than markets. The fact that there’s no market for startup ideas suggests there’s no demand. Which means, in the narrow sense of the word, that startup ideas are worthless.”

So my bottom line is this:  If we’re just talking about your idea at dinner, or over coffee, or on a phone call, I’ll have a blast having a great discussion with you.  But remember that unless you have successfully executed it, I am respectfully starting from the position that your idea is worthless – until you’ve executed on it in a substantial way.  Forget the NDA.  I won’t enter into a legal obligation over an idea.

UPDATES:

 

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Science & Technology, Strategy | 3 Comments

Animal Protection Steering Committee Kick-Off

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Chris

The Animal Protection Steering Committee was created by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black to provide him with a formal recommendation regarding the future of the Animal Protection Section of the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Each member of our team was appointed by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, and except for Venessa Sims-Green, we are all private citizens who are not employed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

On Saturday, April 2nd, 2011, the Animal Protection Steering Committee held its kick-off meeting.  Committee members who attended included:

  • Chris Benson
  • Davis Cosey
  • Gail LaBerge
  • John Barnes
  • Kathy Cowan
  • Venessa Sims-Green

Committee members not in attendance included:

  • Dr. Ed Mahaffey
  • Linda Crumley
  • Reggie Dickey
  • Teri Key-Hoosen

Most of the 3½ hour meeting was spent discussing the priorities that each member brought to the committee.  Despite the varied interests represented, a spirit of productive cooperation framed the conversation, and general agreement was reached to find the common ground between us.

We had been instructed by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black to organize ourselves at our first meeting by electing a Chairperson and Secretary.  I was nominated by Davis Cosey for Chairperson, and subsequently elected.  Gail LeBerge was elected Secretary.  Kathy Cowan had been previously appointed by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black as the Steering Committee Liaison.  As the Director of the Animal Protection Section, Venessa Sims-Green attended as the official representative of the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

The committee agreed that it’s very important for us to engage the public throughout the process, and so after the meeting we set up a Facebook Fan Page for our committee to use as an open communication tool.  It has been wildly successful, with hundreds of posts and thousands of post views.  It has been approved by the Georgia Department of Agriculture‘s leadership team and legal counsel , and “liked” by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black himself.

http://facebook.com/georgia.animal.protection

I hope that every animal-loving Georgian will join the conversation there.  Please show your support for this open transparent process with a “like” of our Facebook Fan Page, “share” a link to it on your own profile, and “suggest to friends”.  Help us ensure that Georgia’s animals have the best possible future!

Posted in Animal, Animal Protection | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Gary Black was elected Georgia’s next Commissioner of Agriculture on Tuesday!

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Chris

Gary Black was elected Georgia’s next Commissioner of Agriculture on Tuesday!  He will take office in January, and will convene the Strategic Planning Team shortly thereafter.  Throughout 2011, we will be reaching out to animal advocacy leaders and animal welfare organizations throughout Georgia, creating new lines of communication, and soliciting input and feedback on a variety of animal welfare issues and initiatives. More to come!

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Please VOTE for Gary Black for Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture.

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Chris

To the animal lovers of Georgia:

If Gary Black is elected Georgia’s next Commissioner of Agriculture this Tuesday, Georgia’s animal welfare community will begin a bright new relationship with the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Pending Gary Black‘s election, I have accepted a position to serve on his administration’s Strategic Planning Team, representing Georgia’s animal welfare community.

In partnership with two other incredibly experienced and respected animal advocates whose names have not yet been announced, we will be responsible for formulating new policy for the Animal Protection Section of the Georgia Department of Agriculture.  As Gary Black‘s advisors / policy strategists for animal welfare, our “team of three” has open-door access to Gary Black to improve the welfare of Georgia’s animals, and we will be highly-accessible to the animal advocates of Georgia’s animal welfare community.

We will be reaching out to animal advocacy leaders and animal welfare organizations throughout Georgia, creating new lines of communication, and soliciting input and feedback on a variety of animal welfare issues and initiatives.  Some will be asked to serve as volunteers on committees that will drive and support specific animal advocacy issues.

If Gary Black becomes our next Commissioner of Agriculture this Tuesday, the future of animal welfare in Georgia will become much brighter.  There will be genuine hope for the animals of Georgia.  Only your VOTE this Tuesday can make this happen!

Please VOTE for Gary Black for Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture.

Feel free to forward and cross-post to Georgia’s animal lovers.

Thank you,
Chris Benson
chris@chrisbenson.com
http://chrisbenson.com/animals

Posted in Animal Protection | Leave a comment

Leadership Series: Virtue

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Chris

Installment #2 of the Leadership Series.

Great leaders are virtuous people. It is the foundation upon which all other leadership skills are built.

Leadership is built on trust. Be a trusting person. Make leaps of faith all the time. Unless you do, you will not create the sense of empowerment in people that allow them to grow into leaders in their own right.

You must be completely trustworthy. Your followers will buy into your vision only if they trust you explicitly. Never violate that trust, even if the violation might be considered “small” or “reasonable” under the circumstances. Leaders who violate trust do not recover.  Be transparent and open in your relationships.

Integrity means that you represent yourself consistently to everyone with whom you interact.  You know you’re going off-course when you have a conversation with one person that you wouldn’t want another person to hear.  Whether it’s the CEO or the janitor, you must be the same to all.

I must constantly remind myself to be humble.  It is my own personal weakness.  As you become a better leader over time, and a more capable person in general, it’s easy to allow your sense of confidence to affect of your behavior and interactions.  I have a couple of close friends who do me the favor of correcting me when I need it – which happens more often than I care to admit.  There is no room for arrogance in the halls of leadership.  It reduces your effectiveness.

Leadership is inherently about proactively managing change.  That can be incredibly hard to do, because change is scary to most people.  Leaders take us to a place that is different from the status quo.  To lead is to be the first person traveling down a new path – exposed to risks and dangers unknown.  It requires confidence and discipline to overcome the fear that the unknown creates within us all.
Approach challenges with discipline and a positive attitude.  Learn to balance idealism and pragmatism to get the job done, and have the strength of character to do the right thing – always.

Back to the Leadership Series.

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Leadership Series: Introduction

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Chris

Installment #1 of the Leadership Series.

Today is my birthday.  I am 40 years old.  As I look back on the broad themes that have dominated my life to date, one stands out above all others – my passion for the pursuit of excellence in leadership. I first became interested in leadership as a teenager, and have been actively studying and practicing leadership ever since – more than half my life.

I have been privileged to serve in many leadership roles through the years, have read dozens of books about leadership, attended lectures and workshops, and have been exposed to thousands of leaders – both good and bad, with the vast majority somewhere in between.  When I find great leaders, I learn everything I can from them.

All these years later, I still have much to learn about leadership.  I would claim to have already made every mistake there is to make as a leader (meaning a lot), if my experience didn’t tell me I’ll continue to make mistakes for years to come.

These days, people often tell me that I’m a “natural leader”.  They are usually surprised when I reply that I’m not.  I’m a “learned leader”;  I was not born with this knowledge.  It is a practiced art.  Anyone can learn it, though it comes easier to those who already have some of the necessary attributes.

Despite being one of the most analyzed and documented topics in human history, few people define leadership the same way.  If you ask ten different people what leadership is, you’ll typically get ten different answers, though there will be commonalities among them.  They know it when they see it, but they have a hard time describing exactly what it is.  I’ve spent years thinking about what leadership is, and will attempt to define it hereafter in a clear and concise manner.

As John Maxwell teaches us in his many books on the topic, leadership is about influence.  As leaders, we want to accomplish specific objectives that require the participation and commitment of others, and it’s our responsibility to influence those people in order to achieve those objectives.  Easier said than done.

So how do you develop influence with others so that they’ll commit to an objective?  There are many right ways to organize the activities and attributes that make up or contribute to leadership.  I use the following model to simplify and clarify.  As I learn more about leadership, the model evolves.

In the following posts, I will address the ingredients to the development of influence.

Back to the Leadership Series.

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The Adventures of Lexie & Chris – Part 3

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Chris

Please read the Adventures of Lexie & Chris – Part 1, and the Adventures of Lexie & Chris – Part 2, before reading Part 3.

Lexie received less attention than usual from me over the past few weeks.  Between a father who spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, and my dog Yonah’s chemotherapy treatments, Lexie got the short end of the stick.  Even so, her life continues to improve.

Lexie recently made a huge upgrade in lifestyle – she’s now living out of the crate in the Learning Center.  She and Lenny are free to hang out and play all the time, though Lexie is restricted to the downstairs so that Lenny has his own refuge.  Their friendship has grown ever stronger, and I’m fairly convinced that Lenny thinks he’s a dog too.  He certainly knows how to handle Lexie, even in her more exuberant moments.  The willingness of our entire care-giving team to accommodate Lexie’s newfound freedom has truly inspired me, and is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our volunteers.

A big part of Lexie’s ongoing socialization process is learning how to meet and get along with other dogs.  She has attended several recent group K9 Coaching classes on the front lawn with the other OPP dogs.  As Sandy Adcock, Director of Training, noted, “She did a wonderful job keeping calm and paying special attention to Chris during class. Even when other dogs were barking at her, Lexie was a perfect lady. She’s come such a long way.  Class ended with a game of 123 Red Light – Lexie and Tito tied to win.”

My step-son Eric and I took Lexie on a second walk with our dog Peri over to Kell High School.  After a challenging start, Lexie and Peri settled into a working (walking?) truce, which eventually finished with friendly butt sniffs and nose touches.  First Bruiser, now Peri.  With her developing social skills, Lexie is learning to get along with other dogs.  Each time she is introduced to another dog, she becomes a little more accustomed to the proper canine etiquette that she knows I expect from her.  She gazes into my face with intensity, and I return the same.  Then I nod towards the other dog, and tell Lexie to “be good”.  She knows what I’m asking, and she genuinely tries.

Lexie really shines through as a great family dog.  She recognizes the road between Kennesaw Mountain and my parents’ home, and becomes so excited on the way there that I have to push her out of my lap so I can drive the car.  We arrive and she eagerly leaps from the car up their front stairs, dragging me by the leash.  She is the queen of her new home domain; she knows it, and she knows that everybody else knows it as well.  After a warm and loving greeting to my parents, she does her duty by making sure that each room is thoroughly investigated, the trash cans carefully inspected, and the kitchen counters diligently patrolled.  Then she and my mother conspire to get rid of me, knowing that I will protest the goodies that Mom sneaks to Lexie when I’m not looking.

The day before Thanksgiving, Lexie spent four hours at my parents’ house while I helped them prepare to host our large family the following day.  My nephew Alexander and my 5-year-old niece Lilly played with Lexie through the afternoon.  There were smiles all around and lots of puppy kisses.  When my sister Alyssa arrived to pick up Alexander and Lilly, she met Lexie for the first time.  After 10 minutes, Alyssa commented, “This is the most well-behaved dog I’ve ever seen”.  Then she asked me why my mouth was hanging open.  I decided not to mention that just before she had arrived, Alexander had dropped two hotdogs on the floor.  My mother had rescued one, but Lexie had dexterously stolen the other.

Alyssa left to go home with the kids.  Except for the hotdog, Lexie had been a marvelous family dog for 4 straight hours.  Now she broke down and had one of her notoriously mischievous moments.  My parents had recently installed a long handicap ramp for my father.  It goes from the parking area outside their house, and winds up to a side door.  My mother asked me to retrieve something from the closed room where that door is, and Lexie pranced along beside me.  As we entered the room, I noticed that my parents had left the glass door to the outside open – with only the mesh screen door closed.  Lexie felt the breeze blowing in, looked at me with a “catch me if you can” expression, and launched herself THROUGH the closed mesh screen door – mesh door, no more.  In panic I gave chase, bellowing at her to come back.  Paying no heed, she raced down the long ramp – gleefully exuberant to show off her sudden freedom and independence.  She flew by my car, and raced out the long driveway into the darkness towards the road.  I knew she wouldn’t run away, but I was hoping she’d turn around before she got to the busy road.  In a moment of inspiration, I dashed first to the kitchen, and then bound out the front door, having decided to sacrifice the lone survivor.  “Lexie!!! Hotdog!!!”, I screamed into the night.  Then she was there, back from the darkness.  Her jailbreak concluded, the escapee had turned herself in for a tasty morsel.  Through so many adventures, it was the first time she’d ever gotten away from me.

Possibly her most precious moment occurred just a few days ago.  Dad came home from the hospital, so of course I took Nurse Lexie over to help him get settled.  She trotted straight over to him, and gently – delicately – stood on her hind legs, and momentarily put her front paws on his chest – ever so careful not to press on him with her weight.  Just letting him know that she loved him with a tender touch.  She simply knew.  I watched with a lump in my throat.

Lexie has become a new dog through the second half of 2009, and 2010 will be even better for her.  I’ll continue to provide quarterly updates on her progress.  On behalf of Lexie and Lenny, we wish you a very merry holiday season and a Happy New Year!  And as always… I love Lexie.

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