Trolling for Dollars, Camp Murray Lands a Big One

"Do all fishermen lie, or do all liars fish?"  Nick Powers' fun little 30-page booklet by this title illustrates anglers in situations deserving of this reputation.

Replace 'fishermen' with 'politicians' currently fishing for votes - or most any organization driven by the bottom-line - and for them I know of a boat for rent as they cast about for support.  It, like too often much of their argument, is full of holes.

Trolling about for dollars, Camp Murray is in that boat, leaking fast, but with a big one on the line.

Camp Murray recently landed a $21 million maintenance shop.  At 64,000 square feet, that's $426 a square foot given the land is presumably free - over three times the construction cost of a warehouse in the civilian sector.  This new facility was a deal made with the City of Lakewood in which the military would move some of its personnel to JBLM in return for the city's support of a new gate - throw in another $5 million catch.

Now, as of October 10, 2011, both shop and gate are in Camp Murray's creel.  With a mid-morning notice to the Tillicum Action Committee, Lakewood has netted for Camp Murray its long-sought-after illusive prize - the permit to create a new entry control facility.

This new, need-not-substantiated, gate will impact the interior of Tillicum's community, adding 900 military employee cars per day down residential streets to access the military department's preferred-and-only gate option - one that would enhance the environmental, esthetic, and pedestrian-friendly campus Camp Murray intends to create.

Never mind the hundreds of pages of protests, rallies, and the like over the last couple years by Tillicum resident 'bottom-feeders'.  Our lowest-on-the-food-chain status has left us to flop about among the speed bumps, roundabout, decreased property values and increased traffic.

In this age of spin-not-spine - sound-bites, sandbagging, and truth-stretching - all is not as it appears.  Place this catch of the gate on the scale and we may not have one for the record books after all.

"It is the honor of kings," per ancient wisdom, "to search out a matter."  The presumptive duty of those in authority was to render a verdict based upon the evidence.  After inquiring diligently, investigating thoroughly, examining fully, decisions were to be made accordingly, and explained publicly.

But that was then (ancient proverb) and this is now (political - and financial - expediency). 

Now, hidden away in Executive Sessions, and buried within organizational behavior - away from public view - whether truth was ever separated from error; assuring 'search' was actually a part of 'research'; and determining that discovery was in fact based upon investigation of the nitty-gritty - for all of which there would be significant measure of accountability - well, in the words of John Hamm, that's not the norm.

"Unusually excellent leaders build a primary and insatiable demand for the unvarnished facts, the raw data, the actual measurements, the honest feedback, the real information."

John Hamm, San Francisco, California, teaches leadership at the Leavey School fo Business at Santa Clara University, and is the author of the book "Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership".

"Leaders," suggests Hamm, "must act in ways that transcend employees' fears of organizational power."  Exchange 'residents' for 'employees' and Tillicum has  legitimate concern as to what part power and what part people actually played in the decision to grant Camp Murray a permit.

After literally hundreds of pages of protest letters; another 100 people physically stepping up to the microphone; and three rallies, the perception - which is nine-tenths of reality - is that there is something fishy about this permit-granted story.

"Your task as a leader," Hamm chastises employers, organizational leaders, and for that matter elected representatives, "is to be as forthright and transparent as is realistically possible.  Strive to disclose the maximum amount of information appropriate to the situation.  When you feel yourself starting to bend what you know is the truth or withhold the bare facts, find a way to stop, reformat your communication, and tell the truth."

That sage advice applies to both fishermen - known for stretching the actual truth, and elected representatives - responsible to tell the unvarnished truth.

In this instance, the truth got away.