THE THREE TENETS OF MANAGEMENT

I have a friend who contends there is no real management going on in business anymore. She argues people are just playing with numbers and not trying to manage their way to success. To illustrate, I have another friend who is a manager of a popular restaurant franchise. I asked him how he manages his people. Interestingly, it is based on such things as sales volume, tips, and satisfaction surveys, which play a major role. From this, a score is computed and the waiters and waitresses are ranked accordingly. These scores ultimately dictate who will be assigned the best serving rotations in the restaurant. Other than this, he does little else in terms of managing his people, and it appears that's how corporate likes it. Interestingly, he also commented to me there was a lack of team spirit by his people; "Nobody watches the back of another," he said with dismay.

"No small wonder," I thought to myself. True, the mechanics of waiting on tables has long been established, but there is a certain degree of finesse required to assure customer satisfaction, and that includes having people work together.

Numbers are useful, but management requires certain people skills in order to maximize work effort. We've always defined it as, "getting people to do what you want, when you want it, and how you want it."

The three tenets of management have historically been: discipline, organization, and accountability. Let's examine each individually:

* Discipline in itself implies standardization, building things or performing services in a uniform manner, hopefully to a high degree of craftsmanship. Communication and leadership skills are thereby required.

* Organization implies structure and the definition of Who, is going to do What, When, Where, Why, and How. In other words, a definition of the methodologies, techniques and tools to be used in the work effort.

* Accountability refers to assuming personal responsibility for the execution of a given assignment.

All three tenets require a certain level of standardization and enforcement. In fact, you cannot effectively implement any of these without some form of uniformity and coercion. How a manager elects to implement the three tenets ultimately defines the corporate culture and the quality of products produced or services rendered.

The reality though is that the three tenets are considered "not cool" by the freewheeling X-Y-Z Generations who adamantly resist structure, control, and responsibility. To them, Discipline, Accountability, and Organization is just that, DOA - Dead On Arrival. I recently read an article by a management consultant who openly opposes the three tenets. He fundamentally argues it is old and tired and should give way to new techniques. Frankly, I see this as a reckless form of behavior. I would agree that classic bureaucracies impede progress and should be flattened, but we still need the three tenets if we want to produce quality products in a uniform manner. In other words, his contention of throwing the baby out with the bath water doesn't hold up with me. Instead, management needs to reexamine the three tenets and the levels they want to conform to.

Instead of trying to take control of the work environment and working with people, management seems more inclined to play with numbers and just hire and fire people (or outsource them). It's no small wonder workers feel blind sided when they get booted from their job.

Maybe my friend is right. Maybe there isn't any management going on anymore; that managers are doing nothing more than just playing with numbers. If she is correct, I'm reminded of the old expression, "Nobody's driving officer, we're all in the back seat." Reckless, very reckless. Let's hope my friend is wrong.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

EDUCATION AS A WEAPON

Prior to the 1800's, obtaining an education was considered a luxury reserved exclusively for the rich. Everyone else had to tend to their livelihood which, in colonial America, was primarily based on agriculture or maritime activities. It wasn't until the mid-1800's when the public school system was introduced as an attempt to educate the nation's youth. The intent was to fight ignorance, improve communications, and make better decisions. Educating the general public was considered rather revolutionary for the times. Today we tend to take it for granted.

By combating ignorance, education was used as a tool to improve the country internally and externally. In other words, it allowed us to become more competitive, something sorely needed for a fledgling country. From this perspective, education was used as a weapon to allow us to effectively compete on the world's stage.

Beyond combating ignorance for competitive purposes, governments found education to be indispensable for pushing forward political agendas. As Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin correctly observed, "Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." From his perspective, Stalin saw education as a vital propaganda tool for controlling the masses, as did Hitler and others. By controlling their education systems, they controlled the masses. Not surprising, the Communist Goals of 1963 included, "Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for Socialism, and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers associations. Put the party line in text books."

There is indeed power in shaping the minds of people, be it impressionable youth, teenagers, adults or senior citizens. As Americans though we tend to naively believe the public school system, which is funded by American taxpayers, is not being used for political or social purposes; that it is being used primarily to combat ignorance and improve the IQ of the masses. However, because of the failure of people to effectively parent their youth, the responsibility has defaulted to school systems which explicitly or implicitly teaches morality, socialization, sex education, and, Yes, politics. Such subjects are most definitely not what American taxpayers had in mind, but sadly this is the hard reality of the times we live in.

For example, let's take the recent Montana proposal to teach a sex education curriculum at the elementary school level (K-5). Supporters contend the curriculum will help students better understand human anatomy as well as both hetero and homosexual relationships which should, in theory, result in students making better life decisions. Opponents see this as a threat to morality and question the necessity of teaching such lessons at an early age. Frankly, I think the proposal is not proper as they would be teaching the wrong people. Instead of instructing the students, the school system should be educating the parents so they can effectively teach their offspring. Undoubtedly, parents would claim they do not have time for such education and would balk at attendance. "Hey, that's the night for watching my reality shows."

The Montana issue begs the question though: Whose responsibility is it to teach our youth certain delicate issues such as sex education and morality? Again, in the old days, the responsibility was that of the parent; today, it is the school's. As an aside, our school systems would do us all a great service by offering adult training in parenting, thereby taking the responsibility off the shoulders of the teachers where it doesn't belong.

There is a fine line between teaching core subjects such as language skills, math, science, etc., and teaching political or social values. Whereas the former is used as a weapon to combat ignorance, the latter is a weapon for manipulating the masses. This is the primary reason why Islamic proponents want more say in education. Make no mistake, education is indeed a powerful weapon. As "Uncle Joe" pointed out though, who is holding the weapon, and who is it aimed at?

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

A GRADUATION TOAST

This past May my son graduated from college. Like many parents on such an occasion, my heart swelled with pride. As the ceremony was held in the morning, we took him to brunch afterwards where we celebrated his achievement. At this time we presented him with graduation gifts and toasts to commemorate the occasion. Below is the toast I delivered which should be universally applicable to all graduates and reflects the times we live in. I hope you will enjoy it.

Welcome to Side 2. Open your books and repeat after me as we learn some new words in English: mortgage, paycheck, insurance, taxes, marriage, job, career, benefits, children, etc.

Congratulations on surviving 16 years of schooling. You'll notice I said "survive" as opposed to "graduate" as you never actually stop learning.

These next few years will be interesting for you as you find your place in the world. Now is not the time to kick back and relax. Now is the time for bold decisions, to exert your creative energies, and make a name for yourself.

The next eighteen years will go by a lot faster than you can possibly imagine. You must be able to adapt, turn on a dime, and take initiative. We've tried to guide you on your journey through life thus far, but now it is time for you to make your own decisions. We will, of course, try to whisper wise counsel to you, but it is now your life, your time, and in a way, I envy you. When I was your age, I wish I knew then what I know now, but such is hindsight.

You are now a grown man and that comes with a lot of freedoms, but it also comes with a lot of responsibilities and burdens. It's not as easy as you might think. When things go wrong, and they inevitably will, don't whine; take your medicine, take the pain. and move along. Now, more than ever, you will have to be resourceful and imaginative.

Yes, you will feel the weight of making your own decisions, you will question your judgment, you will have doubts. But not to worry. Confidence comes from maintaining high principles which will distinguish you from the rest of the world. That your word will be your bond, that you will not knowingly wrong, cheat or defraud another, that you are a person to be trusted, that you will strive to achieve the highest level of craftsmanship in your chosen profession, and that you will honor and keep safe your friends and family. A principled man in this day and age is an anomaly, but it will also give you an edge.

You have heard me rattle on many times about various Bryce's Laws, such as, "There is only one problem with common sense; it's not very common."

More than anything, I want to stress upon you that your personal and professional lives are one and the same. A lot of people want to keep the two separate. Hogwash! Your work is an inherent part of your personality. Yes, I hope you find a job, but more importantly I pray you find a meaningful, honorable, and profitable career. I wish you many years of health, happiness, and success.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

THE DEPRESSION OF 2010

Government officials steadfastly avoid using the word "depression" as it is considered political poison, but make no mistake, we are in the midst of a great depression the likes of which we haven't seen in about 70 years. The fact is our economy is incredibly fragile. As of this writing, the rate of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dropped from 5.6% to a paltry 2.7%. The national unemployment rate is at 9.5% with 17 states experiencing an alarming double-digit rate. So please, stop telling us everything is okay. It's not, and it insults our intelligence.

People have forgotten the effect the last great depression had on the citizens of this country. People were unemployed, hungry, homeless, and scared. President Roosevelt tried many government sanctioned programs in his "New Deal" to put the country back to work, such as the WPA, CCC and the PWA relief programs. Such programs could best be described as "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" as none of them did anything to re-ignite American business. We simply drifted and stagnated. The great depression of the 20th century never truly went away until the outbreak of World War II when the goals and direction of the country became vividly clear to us.

I have never seen the country as lost as it appears today. To illustrate, during the 1970's and 1980's there was a sense of excitement and ambition in business. Whether it was over the lunch table, at a party, or simple get-togethers, the talk was about what products needed to be built and how to tackle them, size was irrelevant; what contracts we were closing on, our pride in craftsmanship, and how our businesses were growing. We all knew where we were going and couldn't wait to get there.

You don't see anything remotely like this anymore. The only sign of success I've personally seen is a friend who owns a company that manufacturers titanium hips and knees. Everyone else is as muddled and confused as that described in the 1930's; and you have to remember, I know a lot of people, including builders, lawyers, accountants, programmers, waiters, cooks, teachers, administrators, and across the board in corporate America. Instead of enjoying a sense of confidence, achievement, innovation, ambition and conquest, we now possess a defeatist mentality. As a result, malls are empty, employee morale is down, cutbacks are common, bills go unpaid, credit ratings fall, customers are few and far between, and people are learning to live in what is called a "survival mode." Our "can do" mentality has been replaced by "can't do."

As in the great depression of yesteryear, we suffer from a lack of direction and vision which is rooted in the lack of trust in government. Frankly, I do not see any political party articulating a clear direction for the country to take, to wit:

"What are NASA's long range plans?" Nobody knows.
"What are our plans for transportation?" Nobody knows.
"Communications?" Nobody knows.
"Energy?" Nobody knows.
"Commerce?" Nobody knows.
"How do we plan to eliminate the national debt?" Nobody knows.
"Where are the incentives to encourage business to pursue certain paths?" Nobody knows.

If we do not know where we're going, how will we know how to get there?

President Obama's programs are having as much success as Roosevelt's "New Deal," creating "make work" programs yet failing to re-ignite business. I hope it doesn't take another World War for us to realize our priorities.

The great depression of the 20th century taught us an important lesson: as long as we remain rudderless, we will continue to float from one disaster to another and never be in control of our destiny. The depression we are experiencing is our own doing, there is nobody else to blame. Frankly, I never expected to see such irresponsible behavior in my lifetime and I'm mad as hell about it.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

WHY WE NEED A MIDDLE CLASS

Do people truly understand the power of the middle class? I think they're starting to overseas. We may not have invented the concept of a middle class, but we sure perfected it, and everyone wants to emulate it. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, countries around the world have been reconfiguring their economic policies in order to remain competitive in a global economy. In case you haven't been paying attention, new middle classes have slowly emerged in such places as China, Belarus, Brazil, Russia, Vietnam, and amongst South African blacks. People in these countries now have spending power thereby causing a demand for products and services, not to mention a call for construction of new houses and businesses.

The rise of middle classes around the world is significant as it is a recognition that capitalism works as opposed to socialism or communism. A sizable middle class represents an economic engine for a country. Capitalism encourages people to work and to invest and spend their money and allows a country to collectively compete. The average person wants nothing more than to earn a respectable livelihood, so they can enjoy life and raise a family unencumbered by overbearing government regulations. As President Calvin Coolidge observed, "After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world. I am strongly of the opinion that the great majority of people will always find these the moving impulses of our life."

In order for capitalism to work, you need to be allowed to have certain freedoms, such as the freedom of expression, the freedom to innovate and invent, the freedom to choose your own path, the freedom to conduct legitimate business, etc. This is why it is rather ironic how some of our former communist foes are now embracing capitalism.

In the absence of a middle class, you have just the rich and the poor (the "have's" and the "have not's") which lends itself to being a feudal state controlled by dictators or monarchies. Such a state does not operate harmoniously, corruption is rampant, and unrest is common. The "have not's", which is a sizable majority, have little to earn and spend. Consequently, the economy sputters and stagnates which our communist friends discovered the hard way.

As mentioned, in order for capitalism to work, certain freedoms have to be permitted to allow a person to work, earn, and save their money, not to have it redistributed to others by government decree. This means there is an explicit relationship between freedom and capitalism. Implicitly, it means capitalism requires a certain amount of democracy to allow the citizens to participate in how the government runs, which means capitalism cannot work under a dictatorship (see Cuba, Iran, North Korea, et al). As an aside, it is the middle class who elects government officials, not the upper or lower classes. The upper class may support politicians economically. but it is the middle class that casts the votes.

When someone asks me about my political leanings, I tell them I am an unabashed capitalist. This of course means I believe in liberty, and the right of the individual to lead a meaningful life, and I abhor any attempt by government to alter this or forcibly redistribute the wealth earned by the individual. I can understand government monitoring the legality of someone's occupation, but aside from this they should not hinder a person's right to earn a living.

Capitalism is our greatest export. It represents the seeds of freedom and economic prosperity. If it spreads, it could lead to world stability and peace which, of course, certain tyrants and crackpots openly reject. For example, Iraq will be an interesting experiment in capitalism. If Iraq succeeds, freedom and democracy will succeed, which is why Middle Eastern terrorists desperately want to see it fail as it represents a challenge to their authority. It's not so much about religion as it is about control. Capitalism is a genuine threat to feudalism, a system which has no regards for the rights of the human-being and respect for the human spirit. Make no mistake, feudalism is barbaric.

To summarize:

1. In order to effectively compete in a world economy, you need capitalism.

2. In order for capitalism to flourish, you need freedom and democracy.

3. A byproduct of capitalism is a sizable middle class with spending power.

4. Therefore, any attempt to change capitalism is a threat to freedom, democracy, and the middle class.

No, I am not a proponent of government sponsored bailouts, stimulus packages or the creation of artificial jobs. Such devices does capitalism a disservice and is unnatural. It is not government's role to tamper with capitalism, only to establish the environment for capitalism to flourish, namely assuring freedom and democracy, serving its constituents, and providing incentives to encourage new avenues of business.

Yes, the failing financial companies and automotive manufacturers should have been closed. They were corrupt, made bad decisions based on greed and stupidity, and do not deserve any sympathy for their plight. If they had been allowed to fail, new institutions would have surely been created to replace them which would have been leaner, stronger and smarter. It's called "evolution." By bringing back our right to fail, you assure our right to succeed.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

TIN HEADS - INTRODUCTION

JULY 6, 2010 - Today I release my new eBook, "Tin Heads." Unlike my editorials and management papers, "Tin Heads," is a work of fiction. The chapters are much longer than my other papers but this will be a fun read which I hope you will find entertaining.

As a prelude to the book, I am enclosing the Foreword and Introduction below. You can read sections of the new eBook exclusively at my web site:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

I hope you will enjoy it.

FOREWORD

The Tin Head concept as described herein came to me several years ago after making one too many business trips. Air transportation had transformed itself from being a fun and exciting experience to an expensive and laborious proposition. I don't think anyone relishes the idea of traveling by airplane anymore. You're prodded through long security lines like cattle, strip searched by people who do not speak your language, squeezed into uncomfortable seats, flights are seldom on time, the meals are horrible, and you're nickel/dimed to death by the airlines. Regardless what class you're traveling, passengers are treated like galley slaves. I can hear the sound of the monotonous drum beat now: boom-boom-boom-boom... Best of all, you get to pay exorbitant prices for this privilege.

People no longer enjoy the adventure of travel and consider it a colossal waste of time. They would much rather be at their destination performing their chosen activity, be it business or pleasure.

It occurred to me there has to be a better way for people to meet and discuss business. Teleconferencing is nice, but it lacks the personal touch. People tend to lose interest quickly if you are not physically present in the room with them. Technologists typically believe in exotic solutions which tend to be complicated and impractical to implement. I tend to be more pragmatic; automate as much as is practical to do, but leave the complicated portion to the human being. This is the premise behind today's aerial drones used by the military and deep-sea drones used in marine research, cheaper and more practical solutions for exploration. If we can create drones for the air and sea, why not devise a land based solution for simpler applications, such as to conduct business at remote locations? Frankly, the Tin Head concept is a viable solution for communications, maybe not in its robust form as described within these pages, but a simpler version could easily be assembled and deployed. Such a device could have a profound effect on our culture socially and economically. It could revolutionize business, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and greatly improve interpersonal relations.

Not only is it possible for the Tin Head concept to occur, it is highly probable we will see something like this emerge within this decade.

- Tim Bryce

INTRODUCTION

by Greg Stewart

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Tim Bryce is a man of limitless energy, and with that energy comes a limitless vision. In the body of work collected herein, his "Tin Heads" vision takes shape in a way that seems absurd at first, but as we progress through the pages, absurdity gives way to a reality waiting for us right around the corner.

The truth becomes stranger than the fiction.

Let me take a few steps back. The concept of Tin Heads isn't too far fetched. Anyone with a finger in the material culture has had a chance to see how robots can intersect with our daily lives. Whether it's the friendly companion Robot from "Lost in Space," the Roomba robot vacuum, or the extreme where robots take over mankind as in the "Matrix" trilogy of films. Robots are a part of our collective conscious in some way or another. The idea of a robot companion isn't such a stretch of the imagination, and likely has already intersected with your life in several places today without you even knowing it. Every form of automation employs some degree of robotics to facilitate its process. Robots assemble cars, robots traverse distant planets, and work to avert disasters in the depths of the Gulf. Robots are fast becoming a part of our daily lives, and behind those robots are operators and programmers to command them to do what they want. In short, they go where we want them to go making them our proxy to do what we cannot. So, as the world becomes progressively more complex, why not a robot to navigate by proxy through it?

A robot proxy.

It's a bit of a stretch to imagine one day we will step out from our "reality" into a machine that connects us to a virtual one, but only so virtual as the monitor, controls, and artificial sensors allow us. One part proxy, one part surrogate, all "you" in the flesh, virtually wherever you choose to be transported to (franchise permitting).

Robots, like computers, give us a complex set of tools to do more than ever, even to replace an aspect of our being or to make ourselves virtually anew. It's quite a concept and Tin Heads takes us full circle - out past the realm of the fantastic and back to a present reality of just what this technology can do for us as our proxy. But more so, to look at the ways in which we humanize with it going from a passive user to it becoming an extension of our self, a cocoon of sorts from the external reality that our previous self was either too frail to move around in, too lost in our work to escape from, or too absorbed in our limitations to realize our potential without new technology.

Building from a base of mankind's relationship with computers, the steady escalation of personalized devices and technology can only lead us towards a reality in which these proxies become a reality. Not the pinnacle, but the next step in our use (and abuse) of evolutionary technology. Tin Heads is not just glimpses into how robots make our lives better but how they connect us to the things that matter most, and thereby provides us with a glimpse of our own humanity.

Because it is woven so tightly into the story, the very human complexity that we all have around us, Tin Heads isn't so much about the robot but about the way we make use of it in the telling of our own lives. What evolves in these narratives are the very real human stories, every bit as engrossing as the science fiction genre that they come from but with a warm beating human heart at its robotic center.

The beauty of Tim's vision in Tin Heads is the ability to make cold robotics relatable on a human level. As artificial as these machines may seem to be, they offer the ability to extend ourselves as human-beings; a product of vision, and very much a component of our daily lives whether we know it or not. Tin Heads tells the story that we create every day by our very existence only through the cold electronic eye of our proxy, which in the end is every bit as human as the operator.

Truth, stranger than fiction, is still very moving. No matter the means of locomotion, robotic or human, Tim's vision of this imaginary future is a very real peek of what lies ahead - right around the corner of our collective vision.

- Greg Stewart
Los Angeles, California
June 2010

GOOD REVIEWS

According to reviewer Wayne Brown of Dallas, Texas: "I think you have a fantastic idea here which, in this day and time, is not too far fetched from reality. Your writing style is superb. It is comfortable and really helps the reader's mind paint a picture quickly. I also like the humorous undertone. It really keeps things interesting."

John Siggins of Jamestown, New York said, "I have read Tin Heads and enjoyed it very much. Your unique perspective on the technology and management aspects open all kinds of possibilities."

Click here to go to Tim's web site to read sections from the eBook:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Click for free PREVIEW EDITION (PDF format).

Click HERE to learn more about the eBook and to order a copy.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

We're going to be celebrating Independence Day again this weekend and to commemorate the event, I went back and reread the Declaration of Independence. I first read it when I was in elementary school in Connecticut, along with the U.S. Constitution. However, due to the convoluted political times we now live in, I thought it might be wise to revisit this important American landmark.

A lot of the verbiage in the Declaration always seemed rather prosaic to me: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." In other words, I was always impressed with the choice of words, sentence structure and the overall organization of the document. Simply beautiful.

Even though war had broken out one year earlier, the Declaration is still a bold document in that it was an attempt to publicly rationalize the necessity of independence not only to the people of our fledgling country but the world as well. To draft the document, Congress appointed a "Committee of Five," consisting of the best minds of the day including John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. Jefferson, of course, is best remembered as the principal author.

To justify independence, the authors built a strong case against the King of England and enumerated the various offenses he allegedly committed against the colonies and why such acts were intolerable. The document is truly "revolutionary" as it totally dismissed the current form of government as provided by the English; that something better was needed than an aristocracy based on a monarchy. The specific charges brought against the King also paints a grim picture and gives an interesting historical perspective of life during this period of time. If you read it carefully, you will doubtless conclude that England left us no other alternative but to revolt against the current system.

After you have read and digested its contents, you come to the realization that the signers of the Declaration were men of true resolve and determination for if independence failed, they most certainly would have lost everything, including their lives. This aspect alone is inspirational to me; to be among such men of character would be priceless.

Interesting, one of the charges brought against the King read:

"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance."

I couldn't help but chuckle over this one as I'm sure someone could use it to describe our own government today.

Happy Birthday America; 234 years young!

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

COMING NEXT TIME: "Tin Heads" - where transportation merges with communications. What is Bryce up to now?