San Francisco Green Festival
I attended the San Francisco Green Festival over the 11/5-11/6 weekend and was inspired by the turn-out. It is a beautiful sight to witness speakers, sponsors and attendees coming together from far and near to support their shared vision of a sustainable, humane world. I had long ago logically convinced myself of the rightness and inevitability of a greener economy. After attending the Green Festival, I truly feel it and believe it.
My initial purpose was to network and meet others involved with socially responsible investing, but I found myself most captivated by a presentation from an environmentally/permaculture minded architect demonstrating use of straw bale and salvaged materials to build beautiful homes and commercial building according to "solar aware" design. Here is a link to the Arkin Tilt
design firm's site. Please peruse it and make sure to read the goals section as well as view the photos of past projects. Some of these projects meet the Department of Energy's (DOE) Zero Energy Home designation- quite an accomplishment! According to Megatrends 2010 (which I recently read and will soon be posting a review of under the
Books heading), "buildings squander 39 percent of total U.S. energy, more than factories and automobiles. The construction industry accounts for 40 percent of the waste in U.S. landfills."
Call it a paradigm shift... After hearing the presentation, it's hard to believe all builders don't apply at least some of the design approaches used by Arkin Tilt. These aren't arcane "tricks"; it is common sense based on sound principles. For example, taking advantage of the fact the undesirable Summer sun (think air-conditioning costs at today's -
or tomorrow's - energy prices) rolls high in the sky and that the desirable Winter sun stays low on the horizon, one can design roofs and windows to work together to maximize cooling or heating from passively shunning or welcoming the "free nuclear reactor" at the center of our solar system. Here is a
DIAGRAM from the site that illustrates application of this simple principle, combined with use of thermal mass provided by a rammed earth wall at the center of the building. Another example is the re-use of discarded wood from "tear-downs", much of this wood is old growth and of higher quality than the 2nd and 3rd growth wood being logged and brought to market today. Re-used materials such as discarded railroad beam and rails also add character and charm to the building and pay homage to local history.
Closer to my own circle, my friend and neighbor Kenrick Fischer, owner of Illuminated Landscapes by Design, is currently researching Zero Energy solar systems to power exterior lighting systems he creates. Another friend who works at Autodesk informed me the company plans to stress eco-friendliness and energy efficiency in the design tools it provides to architects and industry. He passed along to me the following piece
Autodesk CEO Carol Bartz published in Forbes. Hybrids are back-ordered at the moment and auto giant GM, that failed to become a leader in that space - can you Hummer "Taps"?, is rumored to be a take-over target for Hybrid-wise Toyota. It can't be long before the a similar play unfolds in the building trades and real-estate markets where the first movers towards supporting or deploying green building concepts outperform and dominate that space. To mangle one of our President's favorite expressions: you're either with it or against it!
This entry was also published on InvestedInterests.
Lesson in Winning Friends & Influencing People
I've had a recent stroke of luck by meeting with apparent adversity in my job search. I have been given the opportunity to refine my approach and validate the lessons from the timeless classic How to Win Friends and Influence People (see my review / notes in the “Books” post). I use an online networking tool called LinkedIn to find people with similar interests and broaden my circle of influence in support on an upcoming career change. A feature of the site is requesting an introduction to people you are connected to by up to 3 degrees of separation. I made the easy assumption that anyone on the “introduction chain” would automatically pass on my request, no questions asked. That was hardly the case when I received a negative response that just about shut me down:
“I do not understand [or] fully appreciate your career objectives, and objectives in linking with [Contact]. Are you dedicated to equity research or SRI or both? What skill set do you have in these areas and how actively have you been investigating the field. Is [Contact] the first point of contact for you in the field of SRI and equity research or have you spoken to others - this is very helpful to know so I can let someone like [Contact] know how informed you are before I contact him for you. Secondly, is your objective speaking to him to probe his firm for an opening, have you already applied to his firm for a job or are you seeking general info on SRI and looking to make a contact?
I ask you all the questions because … you [haven’t] offered me any of this information - I had to go look up what you wrote to [Contact]...and in your note to him you ask for a face to face meeting - which in my mind is more involved for my contact than a phone call.
So I am not happy with this request”
The first temptation was to ignore the response I’d gotten and move on, or let it gnaw at me like a rebuke. Nobody likes to be told “No” and no one likes their motives or aspirations to be questioned, but per Dale Carnegie’s great advice, I focused on the other person’s need to feel understood or important rather than my own. Giving the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that the denial came from a genuine motive of wanting to protect one’s contacts from frivolous inquiries and spam, I composed a point by point reply as honestly and thoroughly explaining my motives and methods:
_____________________________________
[Intoducing contact],
You raise some great questions! I regret that, in a misguided attempt at brevity, I failed to anticipate and address all of them. The LinkedIn “Introduction” process does not reveal the identity of the intermediate contact until they reply nor does it provide a field to correspond with them. Hopefully, I can remedy these mis-steps now, at the risk of burdening you with detail.
1). My career objectives and reasons for contacting [Contact]:
First priority, I would like to pursue a career in SRI (supporting causes such as environmental sustainability through decisions in the financial markets). Secondly, I want to align my job duties more closely with the investment management process to qualify for the 3 years of “related experience” required by AIMR / CFA Institute. Although I have successfully passed all three levels of the CFA exam, I do not believe that my current role in IT project management at a mutual fund company would qualify. I cannot claim the CFA designation on the basis of my job. I plan to stay in my current job until at least 2/15/06, so it is premature for me to apply for current openings. I am open-minded as to specifics of a position at this point in my search.
I have identified 3 firms (Parnassus Funds, Forward Funds, Trillium Asset Management) in the San Francisco area I am researching. My interest in contacting [Contact] is that he has worked at Parnassus in the recent past. I hope to find out from him and others with insight into Parnassus if I would be a good fit for the needs of the firm and if it would be a good match for my aspirations.
My method is to expand my personal network through searching out others with similar interests and inviting them to LinkedIn. As my network grows, through this process and through organic growth via my social and professional connections, I will periodically enter the target firms’ name into the search field to locate individuals who are or have been associated with these firms. I will then seek an introduction to these individuals (for example [Contact] ’ name appeared on a search on Parnassus due to his past internship there).
On meeting (in person, by phone or correspondence) with these contacts, I would attempt to complete a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of each of my target firms. I would also keep an open ear to any other firms the contacts identify as a good potential fit. I will take into account any reasonable advice I receive on how to adjust my search.
2). My research on SRI to date:
My research on SRI has been mostly through books:
Socially Responsible Investing : Making a Difference and Making Money, Amy Domini,
Investing With Your Values: Making Money and Making a Difference, Jack & Harry Brill
Socially Responsible Investment: A Global Revolution, Russell Sparkes
What Matters Most - Jeffrey Hollender & Steven Fenichell
The Ecology of Commerce- Paul Hawken
Investing with Your Conscience: How to Achieve High Returns Using Socially Responsible Investing- John C. Harrington
Currently, I am reading Naomi Klein’s book No Logo. Next on my list, (and just received from Amazon) is Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism recommended by Helen Schweitzer.
I have only just started reaching out to people in the field or somehow connected to it. The first person I have met with is XXXXXX, one of my LinkedIn contacts. He is only peripherally connected to SRI (writes buy-side institutional research with a focus on alternative energy) but raised some interesting concerns about the big name SRI mutual funds diluted impact.
Until I start to meet people who are more directly working in SRI, my search will not gain much traction.
3). Meeting in person vs. by phone:
You make a great point. I should explicitly offer the contact the option of sharing information via phone or email. Otherwise, I would be inconsiderate of their busy schedule. I should reiterate that I am not looking for an opening at [Contact]’s current firm.
Thank you for taking the time to explain why you rejected my request. I appreciate your candor and would gladly take into account any advice you have to improve my career change strategy. If the above has sufficiently addressed your concerns and you now believe it appropriate to pass on the introduction to [Contact] , or if you believe I am entirely misguided on this job search, my email is frank_galea@yahoo.com , feel free to contact me directly.
Respectfully,
Frank Galea
The reply I got was positive, enthusiastic and honest. I got what I was initially looking for, which was an introduction to a person who has worked at a firm I am interested in, but I did so in a manner that respected the conditions of the introducing contact and probably made me realize that people are busy and also concerned not to trouble others with requests from a third-party. I’ll post the text of the reply so that others who are also searching for job leads or otherwise requesting favors from strangers can understand and anticipate the same concerns:
Hi Frank -
I am impressed with your sincerity and interest in SRI and time and effort you took to respond to my concerns!
As an analyst at [Big Money Management Firm], my days are jam packed with stress and deadlines. I do not know [Contact] (he and I linkedin through a common experience) but I suspect he will appreciate the thought you have put into your ideal career choice and geniune interest to explore options.
So several bits of advice. If I were you I would emphasize your interest in SRI, the readings you have done, your specific interest in speaking to him, and lastly your present qualifications. I would also explictly say that you do not want to take more than 15-30 minutes of his time and perhaps even list off one or two of the most important questions you may have for him. I would also only ask for call time - I personally hate meeting people for informationals (I get contacted by students from undergrad,grad school, and friends of friends requesting such meetings at least 3-4 times a month). Personal meetings only convey a benefit for someone on your end - there is nothing in it for
people on my end and there is a lot of risk. I do not know these people, how credible there are, and its harder to escape if the individual is complete waste of time. I personally am happy to help people - but I dont take requests for in person meetings until I have had time to digest the individual.
Hope all this advice is helpful. Your are welcome to send me another request for an intro to [Contact]. Best of luck in your endeavors.
Regards,
[Introducing Contact]
