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GERRI KING, from page 5

“We’re exposed completely,” he says. The Miyamoto firm promotes the installation of fiber rein- forced polymer to strengthen columns, tuck-under parking reinforcement, shear walls, and seismic dampers – shock absorbers for a building. Miyamoto is part of the massive engineering process of ret- rofitting as many as 15,000 buildings to comply with the sweeping seismic regulations approved last year by the Los Angeles City Council. In Southern California, the big worry is that the San Andreas Fault will erupt, while up north in Oregon and Washington, the Cascadia Fault is the cause of anxiety. “People are starting to think about it, and that’s a good trend, but we have to act fast, and the private sector needs to take the lead,” Miyamoto says. Increased awareness of seismic risk indicates that the mar- ket in domestic resiliency is on the upswing, a fact that shouldn’t escape engineering students trying to figure out what career path to take. Miyamoto also says that young engineers should consider the prospect of internationaliz- ing their work. “There’s a huge opportunity for young people,” Miyamoto says. “As American engineers, we need to do more [interna- tional work]. We do great engineering design here, and we should share and do it globally.” Miyamoto is known as a great communicator, and his web- site, populated with blog posts, press releases, photographs, field reports, and videos, is a showcase for his love of words and images. “Engineers need to communicate,” he says. “We have a lot to say. We need to talk about our experiences. Communication is as important as the work.” 4) Using teams appropriately. 5) Willingness to fix core processes and systems. The two major reasons for conflict in organizations are role confusion and lack of clear process. 6) Skills alignment or more training to make that happen. 7) Regular review and reassessment of the plan. When the above is embraced and seen as a challenge worth addressing, you are likely to emerge with a successful strategic plan to which people can commit. The by-product is the coalescing of teams, cross-functional commitment, and a generally happier workforce that feels included and valued. So, the good news is, strategic planning is a messy process that results in a strong agenda for a successful future. And, if you think you don’t have time to do it, ask yourself if you have time not to because it is far better to be in a proactive position than reactive. A well conceived and executed strategic plan is your insurance policy. GERRI KING, Ph.D., is a founding partner and president of Human Dynamics Associates Inc. For more information, visit gerriking.com.

Some see this as overwhelming and others as exciting and adventurous. It is, indeed, an adventure and if approached as such, can unite and elevate the staff to levels not imagined. Once immersed, it’s not a given – but also not unusual – for organizations to consider changing their mission and vision statements, business definitions, values commitments, internal and external customer service approaches, and strategic philosophy. In addition, solving some problems may create others. It’s sometimes difficult to keep the energy high, but so worth it to keep going. The usual reasons plans fail include a lack of leadership commitment, turf-protection, cultural malaise and inertia, reluctance to allow the time to engage, inadequate information, and not listening to input from all employees. The keys to successful implementation are: 1) Turning priority issues into measurable action steps. 2) Realignment of the organization with the new objectives. 3) Encouraging accountability without blame or punitive re- sponses.

MIYAMOTO, from page 7

Miyamoto’s work centers on new construction in addition to repair and retrofit solutions. Mindful of the surround- ings, Miyamoto uses available materials and labor, parsing out the strengths and weaknesses, and in the process, of- tentimes develops the “repair guidelines” appropriate for the local economy. Miyamoto has been active for years in Haiti, where a 2010 quake destroyed as much as 50 percent of the country’s building stock and killed around 160,000 people, or per- haps many more. His experience in Haiti, scene of one of the deadliest earthquakes in history, informs his work in other disaster zones. “Little things we do have a gigantic impact. It motivates me to be out there.” The firm is helping to shape a positive outcome in Nepal, where a 2015 quake, at a magnitude of 7.8, flattened entire villages, killed around 9,000 people, and did severe damage to the capital, Kathmandu. Miyamoto has conducted more than 90 damage assessments there for private, public, and international agencies, and has many retrofit projects un- derway. Though Miyamoto has a big reputation as a leading global expert in seismic risk and consulting, it is the human con- nection that drives him – comforting a distraught house- wife, reassuring a nervous business owner, or helping kids return to a safe school. “Little things we do have a gigantic impact,” he says. “It mo- tivates me to be out there.” While Miyamoto’s work abroad captures headlines, his firm deploys a great deal of resources in a place that is extremely vulnerable to a catastrophic earthquake – California.

THE ZWEIG LETTER July 18, 2016, ISSUE 1160

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