October 2007



November 6th Election on the Trinity River Plan for Dallas

On November 6 the citizens of Dallas will be voting on a referendum to change the current Trinity River Plan. If you are in favor of the current plan VOTE NO to keep the plan as is. If you are not in favor of the current plan and wish it revised, vote yes. For more information go to http://www.votenosavethetrinity.com/



Mayor Leppert at the DRT

Dallas Mayor Leppert spoke on Tuesday to the Dallas Round Table regarding his view on the city of Dallas. In essence he indicated his belief that Dallas was at a crossroads - with tremendous opportunities and big issues that need to be addressed. He indicated that the real measure of success for Dallas is in pursuing those opportunities that have huge impact on the city 15 - 25 years out.

His guiding principles for his management (really his beliefs) are:

• Dallas needs to be more focused on international competition. What this means is that we as a community should not be thinking of competing with other domestic cities; but become a destination internationally.
• We need to pursue more opportunities that help the diversity of the city - providing a rich environment for different groups to thrive in.
• Environmental issues are hugely important. Help improve the environment through regulation and other activities is crucial for the long term viability of the city.
• Finally our community needs to take more pride in the city. It is often easy to overlook the tremendous beauty and depth of our city.

In line with these principles, the Mayor provided his insight into two major opportunities for the city. First is the idea of building a major convention hotel to compliment the convention center. Dallas is the only major city without plans for this type of facility. Second, he gave his arguments for the Unified Trinity Vision plan and why he believes that it should go forward as planned.

Another key point about the Mayor’s leadership strategy is the fact that he uses his guiding principles and beliefs to focus his energy and efforts on those projects that meet them. For any leader, focusing on a few core issues based on your guiding principles is the only way to accomplish anything. Too many times leaders try to please everyone - but by having a focused set of core beliefs a leader and manage time and expectations on those things that matter.

You can learn more about Mayor Leppert at http://www.dallascityhall.com/government/mayor/mayor.html .



DRT Members meet Rudy

A couple of weeks ago, several members of the DRT had the opportunity to meet with presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

Pictured here from left to right…

Karl Chaio
Scott Ryan
Rick Sapio
David Goodrich
“Mr. President”
Michael Krywucki
Jay Hull



Rand Stagen and the Drama Triangle and TED

Rand Stagen presented today one of the most interesting analysis of the human dynamics and how this dynamic can shift into a more positive and powerful catalyst for change in improve business operations.

At the heart of what Rand presented was the idea of the Drama Triangle, first developed by Stephen Karpman. In summary this Triangle outlines the three roles we typically play in human interaction; the roles of Victim, Persecutor and Rescuer. These interactions manifest themselves in a variety of methods but at their core they tend to re-enforce the status quo and do not lead to the successful resolutions of the “drama” that initiated them.

A key component of changing the dynamic of Drama Triangle is in the method by which you alter each point. This is the bases of TED, The Empowerment Dynamic. In this idea, the Victim becomes the Creator, the Persecutor becomes the Challenger and the Rescuer becomes the Coach.

So instead of blaming others for problems (the Vicitim), you acknowledge your responsibility and become self-determined to address the circumstances head-on. Instead of pointing out flaws of others (the Persecutor), you Challenge people to improve themselves without regard for their outcome. And finally, instead of trying to fix other’s problems (Rescuer), you concentrate on how to Coach them to improve themselves.

While this is a drastic over-simplification of the idea, it is non the less a very powerful idea. The DRT greatly appreciates the insight Rand shared with us today and we highly encourage everyone to visit his website at http://www.stagen.com/ to learn more about their company. The insight he shared today was invaluable!!