Some legislators have announced their intentions of taking the road of less resistance to achieving local government reform by punting it to the voters for county-by-county referendums.

The Indiana Chamber strongly opposes such actions as it is fully within the authority of the Legislature to make all of the recommendations by the Kernan-Shepard Commission (except for the one concerning the constitutionally required election of certain county officials).

Why do legislators single out local government structural issues to go to a referendum? Primarily because it provides cover for their friends in local government at home and tends to make it less controversial. There are many reasons why there shouldn’t be voter referendums for the local government reform legislation.  For one, a county-by-county referendum would result in a hodgepodge of governmental structures, making things worse than they are now. Our voters elect legislators to represent them in the General Assembly and deliberate on hard issues and make tough decisions, not to pass the buck. Local government tends to be invisible to many citizens. To educate them on the nuances of Indiana’s complicated system of local government is a massive and costly process that can and should be avoided. The Chamber will be working with its allies to ensure referendums related to local government do not pass.

In Gov. Daniels’ recent State of the State address, he said, "The largest and most momentous of our opportunities lies in the area of governmental reform. The cost in dollars, confusion and just plain bad government of our 150-year-old system is by now completely beyond dispute. … The hour for action has arrived."

We encourage you to visit MySmartgov.org to learn more about the issues and what you can do. You can also locate and contact your legislators here.

* This is an excerpt from our weekly Legislative Report. Indiana Chamber members receive the full report each Friday during the General Assembly session.

Sometime early in 2008, Chamber Membership Director Tim Brewer sent me an e-mail mentioning Mike Lantz and LQ Performance Strategies as a good potential story topic or interview source for our BizVoice magazine.

Tim and his membership team colleagues make these recommendations often — and it is much appreciated. (I and others throughout the Chamber try to reciprocate with companies we come across that could benefit from the products and services the Chamber offers.) But enough of that internal team spirit.

Tim, as usual, was on target. Months passed by before I tapped into Mike’s expertise to author a column on methods of tackling workplace training — only one of the most critical topics facing our state and the nation. We can put all the possible training programs in place, but they will do little if they are not designed to give the employee the opportunity to retain and apply what is being taught.

We previewed Mike’s excellent offering in our January-February print edition and offer the full story online today. He concludes:

"The purpose of training is to ignite behavior modification and change. Change is not a typically comfortable place. This is the same for training — learning is not meant to be a place of comfort. Training needs to stretch the participants to think a new way and to do things in a new way. Improved results come when something new is tried."

Take a look at the column and keep Mike’s key points in mind as your company looks to further develop its people and its prospects.

A colleague told me as we walked into our office together, “Michael, you have a little extra bounce in your step today.” Yes, I do. I love a Presidential Inauguration Day. I enjoy soaking in the history, the formalities, the reflections of past inaugurations and speeches that today brings. For a Republic, it is hard to imagine a day more special than today.

From staying at Blair House, attending a church service, riding to the U.S. Capitol with the soon-to-be former President, the music, poetry and of course the oath of office and inaugural speech are all fascinating for this political junkie to watch.  Then to top it off, we watch the former President depart D.C. quietly as the new President takes a slow ride back to the White House for a grand parade in his honor.

For me, other than special moments with my family, the days that I always have that “extra bounce in my step” are Election Days, a Papal Conclave (which is the oldest ongoing method for choosing the leader of an institution), day of the Indianapolis 500 and Presidential Inauguration Day. These are special days and today will certainly be a day to remember.
 
Today, all of us — Democrat, Republican or Libertarian — should be optimistic. We should all be supportive of President Obama and truly wish him well as he leads us for the next four years. Let us not forget that we live in the most powerful nation on earth and we will watch another peaceful transfer of power between individuals of different political parties. History teaches us how rare this is.

Yes, today is a new day in America. Let’s ALL enjoy it.

Inside Indiana Business writes that duck raised right here in Indiana will get the presidential treatment in Washington, D.C. today:

Maple Leaf Farms duck will be the center of the main course for the Inaugural Luncheon, which follows the swearing-in of President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. One hundred pounds of boneless duck breasts are being sent to Design Cuisine, an upscale catering company based in Arlington, Virginia.

The luncheon has been a tradition for more than a century. Approximately 200 guests including the new President, Vice President, members of their families, the Supreme Court, Cabinet designees, and members of Congress will attend the event being held in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol building.

The theme of the 2009 Inaugural ceremonies, "A New Birth of Freedom," celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of President (Abraham Lincoln), will be reflected in the luncheon. The menu created by Design Cuisine is based on the historic ties to the Presidency of Lincoln. Growing up in the frontier regions of Kentucky and Indiana, Lincoln favored simple foods including root vegetables and wild game.

 Kudos to Maple Leaf Farms, an Indiana Chamber member, for this prestigious recognition.

Yahoo! News ran an interesting article today (linked on Huffington Post) featuring some of the worst inauguration speeches presidents have ever made. Let’s hope President Obama can avoid this list. I found Thomas Jefferson’s to be most interesting, mainly because of the caustic nature in which he went after the media (some things are timeless):

After a soaring first address in 1801, Thomas Jefferson was reelected and offered a sophomore effort that was an angry, monotone dud, historians say. Bitter at the "licentious" media and four years of attacks on his administration, the president was on the defensive and not as his inspirational best:

"During this course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been leveled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science, are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness, and to sap its safety; they might, indeed, have been corrected by the wholesome punishments reserved and provided by the laws of the several States against falsehood and defamation; but public duties more urgent press on the time of public servants, and the offenders have therefore been left to find their punishment in the public indignation."

Can anyone else not pronounce "licentious?" I keep saying "licenshish." Anyway…

The worst likely remains William Henry Harrison’s (described in the article), whose 8,000-word address in the dead of winter may have ended up killing him. Now that’s a rough speech.

"Saturday Night Live" star Amy Poehler’s new comedy series will be set in Indiana. Pretty cool. Although, I think I speak for all Hoosiers when I say, "Please don’t make fun of us." 

In the mockumentary-style comedy, Poehler plays a mid-level bureaucrat in an Indiana city parks and recreation department who’s looking to get ahead.

The still-untitled series debuts 8:30 p.m. EST April 9.

Poehler’s portrayal of Hillary Rodham Clinton opposite Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin on "SNL" was a highlight of the show last year.

The new series isn’t intended as a satire on national politics but instead offers a comedic take on how government works in an American town, said Michael Schur, who’s executive producer along with Greg Daniels (of "The Office," NBC’s other mockumentary-style comedy).

Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, finds her love of the democratic process tested as she faces defensive government workers, selfish residents and real estate developers.

 Bureaucracy? In Indiana? Well, I never…

Ronald Shaw of Shaw Marketing Partners, Inc. in Carmel recently penned a column in BizVoice articulating how businesses should truly listen to their customers. As an example, he referenced the late Tim Russert, acknowledging the "Meet the Press" host was known for his genuine approach to listening and offering thoughtful, effective follow-up questions.

Shaw advises companies to follow eight specific guidelines:

• Listen to customers continuously. Instead of just taking the traditional “annual snapshot,” monitor your most strategic customers’ attitudes by talking to a portion of them every single month.
• Get the big picture. Avoid getting a distorted view of a customer’s attitudes by getting feedback from individuals at various levels and within various parts of the customer organization.
• Use a variety of listening methods. In addition to the traditional one-on-one depth interview, incorporate executive advisory board sessions, roundtable discussions, etc.
• Don’t just talk to your own customers. Talk with prospective customers too in order to gain broader industry perspectives and get an objective view of how your organization is viewed in the broader market.
• Ask engaging questions. In the customer feedback conversation, ask interesting, provocative questions that engage the emotions to get richer, deeper responses and more valuable insights.
• Listen objectively without the usual built-in filters. Consider using an independent researcher to eliminate the possibility of bias and to ensure that vital insights are gained and channeled directly to company leaders.
• Capture the exact words of your customers. Record and disseminate lots of verbatim comments so others will interpret their meaning exactly the way the interviewee intended.
• Link employee compensation to customer attitudes. Realize that customer attitudes are leading indicators of their future behaviors. Then shape employee behavior by linking at least part of their compensation to customer attitudes.