What Utilities Should NOT Do In 2010!

2009 was filled with a lot of bad choices. Below are suggestions for making 2010 a little better, based on some of the insanity I saw last year.

• If you are thinking about giving out big bonuses...don't.
• Thinking about increasing your CEO's or exec pay? Don't do that either.
• Corporate jets are out. Take normal planes, like the rest of us.
• Don't provide money saving CFLs to your customers and then charge them heavily for it. 3 for 0 last year. Don't think you are any different.
• Don't dismiss social media as the "silly Twitter and Facebook stuff that kids do"...information vacuums continue to blind side organizations in these days of Web 2.0.
• Smart meter deployment can be wrecked by a poor communications plan. Don't assume cool technology speaks for itself. Be communication ready before, during and after your deployment. Perception is king and Smart Grid has gotten a lot of taxpayer money and a lot of unrealistic hype, which makes for a potentially volatile environment to work in. Look for a backlash in 2010 - 2011.
• In difficult situations, being opaque and obtuse is no longer a viable strategy. "Silly Matt...what do you know of such corporate operational things?" What I do know is that there is bloody trail of politician, athlete, celebrity and corporate reputation carcasses littering the 2009 landscape. People expect big companies be slimy, so surprise them by explaining what is going on, how it impacts them, how it impacts you, what you are doing about, why you care, and how people can provide feedback that you will listen to.

Is anyone else tired of seeing big baseball players cry as they admit to doing things they didn't know they were doing, but now realize that what they did was wrong, even though they didn't know they knew it was wrong at the time when they were knowingly doing it...but haven't actually admitted to doing anything at all. BAH!!!