www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org
NEXT Meeting (The Read
House)_____________________________________________
Topic: “Are We There Yet? Current Status of Fuel
Cell Technology” - Dale Bradshaw, CEC
member and former Manager of TVA’s Energy Research & Technology
Applications
Imagine a
world where every nation is energy self-sufficient. There’s no more global climate change,
acid rain or ozone depletion. What
if there were no more wars over foreign oil? Could fuel cell technology help get us
to that scenario? Dale Bradshaw
will brief us on the current status of fuel cells and explain if they could
possibly be the panacea we need for our energy
needs.
Invocation/Pledge Chair: Terry
Reynolds
Menu: Grilled Chicken Alfresco, Chef’s
vegetable, salad
OUR PREVIOUS
MEETING________________________________________________
Topic: “Leadership for Geeks” - Steve Smith (www.coalsmith.com)
Steve Smith
presented a summary of a management course he is developing called “Leadership
for Geeks.” The old slang
definition of “geek” is a slang word that can mean a person regarded as foolish,
inept, or clumsy. Today, the more
common use is to describe a person who is single-minded or accomplished in
scientific or technical pursuits but might be socially inept. Mr. Smith showed pictures of some famous
and not-so-famous people and talked about their jobs and how they approached
doing them to help the audience understand and apply the second meaning of
geek.
Steve introduced the
idea that all types of personalities cannot be managed in the same ways. Geeks hate to be micro-managed. Their value is in thinking rather than
in the number of products they produce.
They prefer to be told the general concept of what needs to happen and
then be given flexibility to decide how it could be accomplished. Geeks need an environment conducive to
creativity thinking and sometimes it may appear they are playing rather than
working, but that may be how they get themselves into “the flow” to think about
the problems to be solved. The
typical office filled with cubes will not entice an accomplished geek to your
company. An office with a door may
help them to concentrate. They
often take work home or to other places where they can think better. Their single-mindedness causes them not
to excel in some tasks. For that
reason they sometimes become frustrated with company procedures. They are interested in how things work
rather than money or people. That
is why the work of geeks should be represented to the company or to the
customers by a spokesperson or manager.
The success of some companies depends on the creativity and
resourcefulness of its geeks.
Leading the creative energy and developing geeks, along with leading and
managing geeks, will be the topic of a 6-hour seminar to be led by Steve Smith
(www.coalsmith.com) and Dr. Zelma Lansford in
Thanks to Judy Driggans for the meeting
summary.
SPECIAL NOTE - OFFICER
ELECTIONS______________________________________
Officer elections are coming up. If you would like to serve as an officer
or nominate someone (with their consent), please contact any member of the
Election Committee. Members are
Lulu Copeland (lcopeland@aol.com, 697-3212), Jack Wagner (892-4593), and Uwe
Zitzow (uwe@chattanooga.net, 756-4123).
FUTURE MONDAY
MEETINGS_____________________________________________
November 15:
“Nuclear Non-Proliferation
and Security: Keeping Us Safe at Home and Abroad” - Michael Whitaker,
ORNL's Nuclear Science and Technology Division
November 22:
“Nanotechnology” - Doug
Lowndes, ORNL
November 29:
TBD
December 6:
TBD
TBD: Fusion Technology -
ORNL
TBD: Nanotechnology - Jayesh Doshi, E-Spin
WHERE WE MEET
_______________________________________________________
We meet at The Read House, and lunch is $11. Parking is free at the Days Inn across
QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS?
______________________________________________
If you have any questions or
suggestions about program items please call Tiffany Gibby at
423-751-3168 or by email at tjgibby@tva.gov. You can find references to other
Chattanooga Engineers Club members at our web site: www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org.