Clayton_Morris's Blog

My main goal and function as host of Good Day is to provide you, the viewer, with context for the news of the day.  It's not to sit up there and read news AT you.  You can do that yourself by just picking up a newspaper.  When I was hired by FOX, they told me that my skill set was such that I could provide context to stories that other people couldn't, that viewers don't have time, with their busy schedules,  to read 3 newspapers and garner context across a variety of sources on one topic.  I'm flattered by FOX that that's my job, and I hope I'm able to do that for you.  But....

But I need your help, because the other part of my job is finding the answer to this question:  WHAT IS THE VIEWER BENEFIT?  Our business is our viewers and that's the most important question I can ask.  What is the viewer benefit for doing this particular segment or that particular story on the show?  I have great communication with you 'the viewers' through email and blogs, so I thought this would be the perfect forum for you to answer that question.   What do you 'the viewer' want to see when you wake up in the morning?  What value can I add to your day before you leave for work or stay home to take care of the kids?  Do you want broader dicussions about the biggest issues of the day?  Do you want to leave the house with a smile on your face?  When you turn to Good Day... what do you want?  I'll even make it more specific:  give me three specific things you want from your morning news from 7-9 AM.  I'm hoping that this will open up a discussion that's never taken place before in local news, actually asking our viewers what they want instead of telling them what we think they want.  You won't see this at other stations!!!!

I'm back from my Quebec City trip, and I wanted to thank all of the viewers who wrote wondering where I was.  I really appreciated it.  Rather than write back each and every person with the same response...  I figured I'd just write a blog about it.  Thanks again.  Quebec City was just like a beautiful European city without the trash on the streets.  It was perfect.  I plan to post some pictures under my blog section tomorrow!  Thanks to everyone.

Clayton

Recently I had the wonderful honor of being invited to a discussion with Dr. Stephen Covey's son Stephen M.R. Covey, as a part of a intimate leadership forum.  Wow!  What a landmark, penetratingly fantastic experience.  I wanted to share some of what Stephen calls "leading at the speed of trust."  This is especially beneficial for bosses and entrepreuners who are wondering why their companies simply aren't performing. 

Stephen describes Trust as the key accelerator, the key extender, and the key motivator for all that is accomplished in life today.  Therefore, lack of Trust is the key frustrator in business.  I work in television... which is a business built on lack of trust, just like the law profession.  How do you build trust with an audience when so much of what we cover is simply based on lack of trust?  Good question.  And it's one that's frustrated news directors for years.  My take:  you listen to your audience first, tell them the truth, treat them as equals, and never talk down to them... and you'll see amazing value added results.  In the end you ask yourself the question as an anchor:  What is the value to the viewer?  How can this benefit them? 

Trust, as Covey describes it, always affects two outcomes in business:  Speed and Cost.  Through voluminous research, Covey has realized that Trust is a measurable value that can be placed on a business transaction.  When trust is low, you're going to see speed go down, and costs will go up.  When he's talking about trust he's really talking about Confidence.  If you have confidence in someone during a business transaction you are more likely to move quickly... getting quick results. 

How's this for results?  A recent study of 12,000 managers, which contrasted high-trust organizations versus low-trust organizations, discovered this:  The high trust organizations out-performed the low-trust organizations by 286%.  That's three times higher!!!!   Covey says If your boss rules by edict then the employees will never feel valued, and the business will underperform and get beaten everytime.  If the boss listens and values the skills of each employee, instead of ruling with an iron fist, he'll win everytime.  Imagine an employee being told to create spreadsheets when, if asked, that employee would have explained that that's not one of his strong suits.  His skill set could be better utilized in other, more beneficial areas... but he'd never know because the boss never asked, and he probably didn't care.  And that's no way to run an effective business.

To end, Steven quoted the former CEO of Johnson and Johnson, "I have found that by trusting people until they've proved themselves unworthy of that trust, a lot more happens."  Great quote!

"Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?"  That's a great quote from George W. Bush back a few years ago.  Despite the terrible grammar for which it's been abused, that quote belies a bigger more poignant problem in Philadelphia's school system.  Is, I mean, are our children learning?  No, at least not remotely close to the level other students in similarly large cities operate.  So what's the problem?  Enjoy this fantastic editorial by Debra Kahn:

For the Philadelphia public schools, it's déjà vu all over again: massive budget deficits, the exit of a leader under fire, parent protests and political infighting. It may be familiar - but that doesn't mean it has to be this way.

Let's remember that when the state-city governing partnership was launched in December 2001, people of different experiences, philosophies and political stripes came together to secure a better future for our children.

The initial goals set for the partnership have largely been achieved. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania assumed more accountability for the performance of Philadelphia's public schools, and, with the city and federal governments, hundreds of millions of dollars have been pumped into the school district. Most important, test scores of elementary school students have increased significantly.

For a time, the governance, and the financial deal, including $300 million in deficit financing, did what they were supposed to do: buy time and stability to show that money does matter. If spent well, schools really can get better.

But no one should have thought this would be the end of the story. We always wanted a long-term solution to the school district's funding and academic woes. Still, today, the essential goal of achieving statewide school funding reform has not been realized.

For Philadelphia, we knew that, if there were not adequate preparation and planning, the jig would be up when the deficit bond proceeds ran out. That day of reckoning was predictable and predicted.

So what are the lessons and what should be the guidelines for the adults in charge to demonstrate that they, too, have reached proficiency in their own performance?

First, there is more than enough blame to go around, and everyone should take his lumps. The chief executive officer overspent; the School Reform Commission didn't exercise its oversight responsibility; the state and city didn't communicate and plan adequately with each other or the school district; and the media and business and community leaders bought into the "balanced budget" rhetoric year after year, failing to ask critical questions about what would happen when the deficit financing ran its course.

Second, for all its accomplishments, the SRC has, from Day One, preferred secrecy over dialogue. Going all the way back to the pairing of schools with private providers, the commission rarely explains its rationale for major decisions.

Genuine public discussion and input usually result in better decisions and, at the very least, foster a healthy respect for the decision-making process. Is it any wonder that blindsiding the public with its choice of an interim CEO or budget cuts results in the kind of outcry that took place at this week's SRC meeting?

Third, there should be no sacred cows: not educational management organizations, charters, or district schools. A failing school is bad in any package - and a good one should be celebrated in any form. The most controversial aspect of the school reform plan easily became the use of private companies to operate some schools. Unfortunately, we are still arguing today, when we had plenty of time to review evidence to resolve some of these debates. Our kids deserve strong analytical thinking, not politicking.

It's time to stop safeguarding sacred cows, whether they be this or that type of school, outdated work rules, or pet programs. It is downright intellectually dishonest and makes it nearly impossible to marshal scarce resources to keep improving the school system.

Fourth, change must continue, though we may be wary of it, because our job is hardly done. Especially at the high school level, we clearly need bolder, more radical action to reach students and enable them to experience academic success. We are fortunate to have some schools that are great examples of doing things differently and better. We should listen to and learn from their students, teachers and principals.

Remember what's at stake. Anyone who thinks Philadelphia will prosper without top-quality public schools is deluding herself or himself. If the schools don't improve, and if city parents have no range of choice, the young professionals we court to enjoy the city's nightlife won't (and don't) stick around when their children reach school age. Families who try to stick it out often get fed up and move out. And job growth won't happen if we don't have enough well-educated workers across the city to fill positions, or act as entrepreneurs to create jobs.

With another school crisis in our midst, let's take a deep breath and remember what happened almost six years ago, when people of different interests did work together for the sake of our children. If there is an enterprise that better merits our coming together amicably to invest time, good will and money, I don't know what it is.

In yet another sign that hell has officially frozen over:  President Bush will be removed from those ‘Welcome to Texas’ signs.  Two years after writing a law requiring highway ‘Welcome to Texas" signs to tout the state as the home of President Bush, state Rep. Ken Paxton [yesterday] passed a bill that will remove the designation once the 43rd president leaves office.

Of course, his name would have remained on those signs long after leaving office, but even in Texas Bush's approval rating hovers somewhere around 31%.  Many people jokingly refer to him as the worst president in modern history but I take offense to that!  I was born and raised in the only state that can lay claim to the worst president in US history... James Buchanan.  Hey even Pennsylvania doesn't have signs welcoming you to "Pennsylvania:  Home to James Buchanan."

I received quite a few emails yesterday telling me that Iraq was a winnable war, and many more emails that said our troops should get out now.  That's fine, I like a little outrage from time to time but let's be honest here, if you are going to tell me that George W. Bush has done a remarkable job in Iraq and that this war is winnable and that I'm an idiot, you've got to back that up with some facts!  Leave emotion out of it.  I ask you these questions:

Since you disagree with the Generals who led the war and have said that there is no military solution in Iraq, how then do you define victory? Now that the Iraqi government is about to dissolve, who should lead it? Should our troops continue to absorb bullets from enemies they can't identify? Should our troops, who are trained to fight, be asked to build a nation between groups that don't want a unified nation in the first place? Since you disagree with the Generals who say a political solution is the only way, how do you define a military victory? The stage is yours! 

You can always call me an idiot, I welcome that, but the other stuff needs facts to back up your arguments. 

It's hard to believe that 4 years ago today President Bush landed on that aircraft carrier announcing "Mission Accomplished."  The war is, of course, a long forgotten memory; but whatever happened to that fantastic banner?  Does someone have it?  Is it hidden in someone's closet?  Who knows?  What do you think should happen to that banner?

1.  Put it on display at the George W. Bush Presidential library?

2.  Sell it on Ebay?

3.  Ask for their money back?

4.  Not sure? 

On this morning's show I featured a new Detox Smoothie that has really helped me kick start this whole program.  It was designed by a dietician to taste surprisingly good!  Here are the ingredients:

*1/2 cup spinach

*half a cucumber sliced

*1/2 cup of water

*1/2 cup of ice

*2 tablespoons of flax seed

*1 banana

*1 stalk of celery sliced

put all of these ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Try to drink this for breakfast along with some lowfat cottage cheese or yogurt for protein.  I've been doing two of these smoothies a day.... once in the morning for breakfast after the show, a normal lunch, and then another smoothie for dinner with a side of grilled chicken breast for protein.