As a result of the congressional interest, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a directive that stakeholders come to the table to work together to create a measurable and more effective damage prevention program in each state and is based on an age-old principle of accountability.

Frankly, we all understand and endorse the principle in our society. It’s not the fine that causes us to drive within the speed limit; rather it is the threat of the fine. If it were not in place, I dare say most would be driving much faster than they do today. And in addition to the threat of the fine, speed limit signs, billboards and other advertising avenues remind us to drive safely. The patrol cars are seen along the roadsides. All of these have been put into place because it is expected that there be a behavioral change to all who drive on our state or county roads and even city streets. They don’t want to fine us; they want us to slow down. If we slow down, then the law is working. Fines are for folks who simply won’t change their poor behavioral patterns.

The object of enforcement on our state’s highways is to keep the public safe. We don’t want our families to be placed in harm’s way by the reckless behavior of others, whether it is excessive speeding or driving under the influence. We have certain expectations that those who disregard these laws will be held accountable for their decisions.

There should be the same expectations when it comes to protecting our underground infrastructure. It is about public safety. The object of enforcement is damage prevention, and damage prevention benefits everybody. Hitting someone with a fine for making a mistake just makes folks angry, and is not effective or fair. Effective enforcement is designed to change behaviors. To expect acceptable behaviors, we must educate all stakeholders to those behaviors.

Effective enforcement in any state is a work in progress. It requires a willingness to continue to look for ways of making it fair. Working out the bugs in any process requires input from interested parties. Stakeholder groups must actively get involved in the process. The MDPC has worked diligently to bring all stakeholders together to discuss this very important topic, and when it is seen as fair, it will be effective.
It is not unreasonable to have higher expectations for those involved in the construction industry. Things were a lot different twenty years ago. People didn’t know to call. There weren’t as many underground facilities carrying the kinds or amounts of emergency information as there are today. It is critical that all stakeholders view their role as the vital link to public safety.

Laws that state what the expected behavior is, but do not state what the consequences are for failing to follow the law will not be effective. Effective enforcement is not now, nor has it ever been, about fines. As a matter of fact, fines are always a last resort. Effective enforcement is about changing behaviors. Behavioral change comes about as the result of education first and foremost.

And because enforcement has a crucial role to play in the criminal and civil justice systems and in a modern, democratic society, there must be ways to enforce rules. Imagine if there were no way to collect property taxes or child support debts or to enforce road traffic laws such as speeding or driving under the influence. People ordered to pay a court judgment, civil penalties, and compensation awards, or to comply with the terms of a community sentence, have little or no incentive to do so if they know there is no effective means of enforcing it. Unless there is prompt and effective enforcement, the effectiveness of penalties and public confidence in the justice system are all undermined.

The model of effective enforcement has already been adopted and embraced by our elected officials. It seems only logical and reasonable that stakeholders charged with looking out for the best interests of the citizens of Mississippi while protecting our underground infrastructure would find a way to develop a similar standard. A document created by consensus would protect those who are doing it right, educate all involved so that the desired behavior is known, and finally hold accountable those who simply refuse to act in the best interest of our communities and families. It should be a lot easier than it will be, but those who are committed to protecting our families and our infrastructure will find a way to make it happen. And it will not be achieved by going around or over someone. It will be achieved by working together with other professionals who recognize what is at stake.

Building on the considerable progress and goodwill that has been achieved through working closely with all stakeholders, the MDPC intends to address this very critical issue in 2012. The Council is working to build consensus to amend the current “dig law” to promote accountability in working around underground facilities. It aims to improve existing good practices, raise the level of professionalism across the entire industry, and increase awareness of all stakeholders’ responsibilities.

Yes, if we are able to control our own destiny in Mississippi in regards to preventing damages to our vital infrastructure, it will be because we were able to put aside our personal agendas and commit ourselves to changing stakeholders’ behaviors while minimizing damages through education and, if necessary, enforcement. The federal government through PHMSA published the nine elements of effective damage prevention programs in the 2006 PIPES Act. Element number seven, “Fair and consistent enforcement of the law,” has identified in part these characteristics of good enforcement programs:

• Enforcement is applied consistently.
• Enforcement is seen as fair and equitable to all stakeholders.
• The enforcement process is accountable to ensure its credibility.
• The enforcement program is transparent to all stakeholders.
• Application of the appropriate enforcement is based on the severity of the violations, the significance of the events, past behavior of the at-fault parties and their willingness to change behavior.

The Mississippi Damage Prevention Summit scheduled for November 7-9, 2011, in Biloxi will focus on the details of the proposed effective enforcement amendment. We invite you to attend this important event to share your perspective with hundreds of other stakeholders who realize that now is the time to do the right thing.

You are four independent companies: (1) the one call system, (2) locator, (3) excavator, and (4) utility. So are you a team or not? Regardless of how you answer that question, participants at a recent focus group at the TX811 Summit advanced the notion that the stakeholders could do a lot more to help each other be successful. One participant went so far as to say, “We do a good job at beating on each other.”
There are a lot of differences between the stakeholders. As independent companies, you have different owners and each of you has your own goals along your journey to be financially successful. What you do is different. You’ve got issues within your company that the other entities are not aware of and you might argue don’t need to be aware of. You’ve got your set of personnel issues and struggle to maximize the use of resources.

Let’s address another question: What do you have in common? You want to be profitable, you provide a livelihood to employees and their families, you have common people issues, etc. More specifically, you interact in the same industry. The question is, do these commonalities make you a team?
Before answering that question, let’s list the basic characteristics of a team.

1. Members have a common vision and goal.
2. Each member knows his or her roles and responsibilities to achieve.
3. Each member proactively meets/exceeds the expectations of other team members.
4. Each member gives and receives feedback.
5. There is an accountability system to keep members working to achieve a common goal.

Let’s consider the impact of a common vision and goal. Having worked within organizations as a consultant the past 20 + years, I know that having a common vision and goal is critical for members within a team or departments within the same company to feel as one team. A vision and goal provide direction so employees know where you are going and what is to be achieved. They provide employees a purpose and give meaning to their work. People like feeling like an integral part of something larger than themselves. Consequently, your employees will be more loyal, have a higher morale, and will be more productive when they feel as though everyone in your company is striving to achieve the same vision and common goals.

In your case, you are independent companies working together under the umbrella of damage prevention. You may not have sat around a conference table to define your common vision and goal, but it seems logical to assume that you should have a common vision to prevent damages. Could we be so bold as to say that the glue that binds you independent stakeholders together is the goal to prevent damages? If so, it would seem logical that each of you is a member of an overall damage prevention team.

If you agree, that sets the stage for you to help each other succeed rather than each of you going off in different directions with little regard for other stakeholders. Chris Ernst and Donna Chrobot-Mason report the same in their recent book, Boundary Spanning Leadership (2011). Common sense dictates that we ought to help each other to be successful. Would you agree?
Let’s look at this issue from another perspective. As I’ve said, WHAT each of you does is different. Consequently HOW you do what you do is different. If I were to ask you “WHY” you do what you do, you may respond to “make a profit.” In reality, though, profit is a by-product of successfully completing your job responsibilities so that the excavator works safely. The logical conclusion is that the common WHY among you independent companies is to prevent damages by helping people work safely.

I’m out of space so the next time we’ll continue our discussion of being members of a damage prevention team.

It was six men of Indostan to learning much inclined, who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind), and that each by observation might satisfy his mind.

The first approached the elephant, and happening to fall against his broad and sturdy side, at once began to bawl: “God bless me! But the elephant is very like a wall!”

The second, feeling of the tusk, cried, “Ho! What have we here so very round and smooth and sharp? To me ‘tis mighty clear this wonder of an elephant is very like a spear!”

The third approached the animal, and happening to take the squirming trunk within his hands, thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the elephant is very like a snake!”

The fourth reached out an eager hand, and felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like is mighty plain,” quoth he; “‘tis clear enough the elephant is very like a tree!”

The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, said: “E’en the blindest man can tell what this resembles most; deny the fact who can? This marvel of an elephant is very like a fan!”

The sixth no sooner had begun about the beast to grope, than, seizing on the swinging tail that fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the elephant is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan disputed loud and long, each in his own opinion exceeding stiff and strong, though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!

Admittedly there is more than one moral to this story. But one obvious lesson for us to learn is that it is not enough to gather knowledge. It is equally important to learn to share and pool our knowledge.
Instead of fighting among ourselves, it is time to put our experiences and observations together in the best interest of keeping our families and communities safer. That likely means we must exhibit the willingness to sit down at the table of understanding with the intent of seeing the entire truth.

How was it possible that these six blind men could be so right and yet be so completely wrong? Because they would not consider one another’s perspectives, they settled for being half-right. Such half-knowledge is not just useless, but also dangerous.

From another great writer, we are reminded that none of us are so blind as those of us who will not see.
Won’t you at least consider the possibility that there is another part to the elephant?

During Oprah Winfrey’s last show, she spoke about people she had interviewed throughout her career who had taught her the importance of the answers to the following four questions:
1. Do you see me?
2. Do you hear me?
3. Do you understand what I am saying?
4. Does what I say matter to you?

Lawson Magruder, a retired 3 Star General, tells the story about the “little green book.” At the beginning of his career, the Platoon Sergeant asked him if he was coachable. He then handed Lawson a “little green book” and instructed him to get to know his men. The Sergeant coached him to interview each member of his platoon and to fill his “little green book” with information about his people. Lawson did that during his tours in Vietnam, Somalia and other assignments. Can you imagine the number of little green notebooks he filled during his thirty-two years in the military? The magic of caring.

Now contrast what you’ve read thus far with another true story. I observed an employee talking to his supervisor about the need to be with his father who was having heart surgery later that day. After the employee left, I asked the supervisor why he never used the employee’s name. He said, “Because I don’t know it.” My question to him was, “How long has the employee worked for you?” He responded, “About six months.” I was shocked and dismayed that this supervisor did not take the time to even to know his workers’ names. His last question was, “Do you expect me to know the names of the 100 employees under my supervision?” As the comedian Jeff Foxworthy so proudly states, “Sometimes people have STUPID written on their forehead.” The employee turnover rate for that work unit approached 200%. I wonder why?

The connection between damage prevention and caring for your employees should be obvious. Most managers think that money, employee benefits and job security are the factors that motivate their employees. Numerous studies have shown them to be wrong. Employees of all ages want to be valued. They want to know that their manager cares about them as an individual instead of just another member of the team. It is hard to understand why managers continue to think they need to throw money at employees to motivate them when they need to be “caring” for their employees, which costs nothing but time. Perhaps they don’t know any better or they’re just too lazy to do what needs done. Again borrowing Jeff Foxworthy’s terminology, would you agree that the most stupid thing any of us can do is to continue doing something that we know is not right?

Let’s look at working safely. I could list numerous studies completed in a variety of industries, including my own in the construction industry, which show employees work more safely when they feel that their manager cares about them as an individual.

Showing people you care is easy. Consider the fact that your most valuable asset is right before your very eyes. Take the time to get to know your people. Interview your people and use the “little green book.” Learn about your people, their goals, family and hobbies. Show that you care about their job performance. Empower them with challenging and meaningful work. Provide daily recognition for a job well done and coaching when their performance calls for improvement. Author Terry Paulson offered an intriguing option in his book Optimistic Advantage. He discussed the CEO who met weekly with each direct report to have them answer the question – “What did you do right this week?”

Readers, I am asking you to recognize the magic when you consistently show people that you care! Cut the above paragraph from this article and post it where you will see it every day to serve as a reminder. Remember the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

The U.S. has the largest network of energy pipelines of any nation in the world. There are more than 200,000 miles of oil pipelines and 300,000 miles of natural gas pipelines all across the country. These lines are tucked under our streets, through neighborhoods and communities, and traveling below farmland, forests and deserts. Since Americans consume more than 700 million gallons of petroleum products per day, pipelines are an essential component of our nation’s infrastructure. Without them our roads and highways would be overrun with trucks trying to meet this demand. According to National Transporation Safety Board statistics, pipelines are the safest, most reliable manner for transporting crude oil and other liquid petroleum products. And just like any good neighbor, pipeline companies are ever mindful of the safety of those around them.

Many pipeline companies regularly inspect their rights-of-way using air, foot or vehicle patrols. These trained inspectors look for potential danger to pipelines such as construction activity or signs of gas or liquid leaks. These inspections along their pipeline routes are to ensure the security and integrity of their lines.

Pipeline companies keep in touch on a regular basis with emergency officials and work with local emergency responders along pipeline rights-of-way in case of an emergency, sometimes even training with fire departments or hazardous materials units. Even though a leak or spill is extremely unlikely, pipeline companies provide information like that which you will find on the following pages that will prepare you in the event that it does occur. Their hope is to continue to be a quiet neighbor and provide you with this important information to help if you suspect a problem in your area. Pipeline companies take the safe operation of their infrastructure seriously, which includes protecting your family, your property and the environment. Because of this diligence, incidents are very rare.

Are You the Elephant in the Room?

As you know, elephants are large animals. Consequently, they are readily seen when in the room. Yet, while they can bring pleasure to those of us who visit them in their habitats, they can also be very destructive. What do people see when they look at you?

About a year ago, I worked with a team that was not making the expected progress. So I asked the team if there was an elephant in the room and to record their answers. There was only one “No” answer. I happened to see who provided that answer and you guessed it – it was the elephant.

The elephant created considerable discontent among the team. He was a nice guy, seemed willing enough to help, but had the reputation to over promise and under deliver. Team members simply could not trust him to follow through. The elephant had been a member of the team for about a year before I started working with them. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to calculate the money this elephant cost this team. But you know that elephants are expensive.

It’s scary to realize the multiple opportunities you have to be an elephant: 1) as a member of your own team, 2) your team could be the elephant in your company, or 3) your company could be the elephant among the other stakeholders in the damage prevention process.

For the sake of this column, I’m assuming that you don’t want to be that elephant. If I’m correct then you need to know what people are saying about you. In a perfect world, your supervisor and/or a close friend could provide valuable information to you. But this isn’t a perfect world. I’ve seen many supervisors who are not willing to talk to the elephant, because the elephant wants to fight back. Or, they don’t want to hurt the elephant’s feelings. There is no positive result to shielding the elephant from the truth.

Should you want to know if you’re an elephant, there are options other than direct feedback from your supervisor or other internal stakeholders The first step is to look in the mirror. Do you see an elephant? Examine what you are doing that could cause frustration in the workplace. If you look for it, I’m confident that you can see it. Most of us can find something about ourselves that we can improve. However, even if you can’t find something that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re as pure as freshly fallen snow. It could mean that you don’t want to see the truth – and that would not be a good thing.

Feedback is critical for your performance as an individual, that of your team, and for your company to successfully meet the needs of other stakeholders in the damage prevention business. Ideally, you should create an environment in which people can comfortably provide feedback, because they know you will listen, understand and put the feedback to work to improve performance.

If the validity of open communication is questionable, there is an assortment of procedures available to obtain confidential feedback. One of the simplest methods is to create a questionnaire and ask people who work with you to rate you. Of course, you should have the results compiled by a neutral party, then rate yourself to compare the two perceptions. Always provide a summary of the results and specific actions scheduled to be taken based on the results to those whom you asked to participate in the assessment. Show them their feedback is being put to work. Yes, it can be embarrassing, but honesty is always the best policy.

As simple as this procedure is to complete, it is disappointing that it is not used more frequently to obtain the crucial information that can help you, your team, and your company to reach the objective to help people be successful. After all, that should be the mission of every one of us. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do with this article. And should you care enough to give me feedback, please send it to larry@aligningchange.com. Thank you.

Larry Cole, Ph.D., founded TeamMax®, Inc. and the TeamMax® methodologies to improve employee performance to maximize financial success. He is the author of People-$mart Leaders: Maximize People, Performance & Profits. Each year he speaks to thousands of people on personal development, change management and measuring behavioral change. He can be reached at: larry@aligningchange.com.

Even if it wasn’t an uncommonly cold and snowy winter, going swimming in the Hood-N-Pile in the middle of February might seem a bit extreme to the uninitiated. Aunt Beulah always told me that those older kids were going to keep me in trouble and that I needed to find kids my own age to hang around.

“Good grief, Auntie,” I said. “There’s only three other kids that live within five miles of here. And besides that they’re only like three years older than me.” Roger Dale, Johnny Wayne and Tommy Ray were all eleven years old.

We played ball together, went to church together and this particular year we decided that we were going to be the first group to go swimming in the aforementioned swimming hole. Well, actually it was Tommy Ray’s idea and the rest of us just went along with it.

As usual when I had a big decision to make, I wanted to get my friend Dillard’s advice. On the weekend before the great swim was to take place, I asked him what he thought about the idea. As usual, he didn’t say much, but what he didn’t say spoke volumes. We just sat there for what seemed to be the better part of the afternoon before he finally said, “So what are you going to do when you get through swimming?”

Now I’ll admit, I hadn’t thought that through completely before he asked me, “And how long do you think you’ll stay in the creek?”

Well sir, no doubt about it, two excellent questions that I didn’t know the answers to, and as always with Dillard, the answers you came up with were often the right answers to the wrong questions.  As I later found out, the questions could not be answered by a mere boy of eight years. The questions answered themselves and I was just along for the ride.

That question about what I was  going to do when I finished swimming was answered immediately after I came up out of the water.  The answer was that I was going to shiver, shake and get as close to the big roaring camp fire as I could stand, and for a while.

The answer to the second question turned out to be, “Not very long.”  The water wasn’t cold… it was freezing cold.  And that brings to mind the question Dillard didn’t ask until we got ready to go swimming.  He asked me, “How are you going to get in the creek?”

In the summer time, we’d jump from the cliff, or we’d cannonball off the jumping rock. But to get to the jumping rock I had to wade in the water until it was almost over my head and then swim the rest of the way. I learned that day that when you stick your front foot in the freezing cold water, your back foot don’t follow naturally. If you grit your teeth and force yourself to get both feet in the water, as it starts getting closer to your knees, there is a phenomenon that takes place: your good sense kicks in and you back out of the water.

As is always the case, you can overcome good sense with just a little extra effort. The only way to go swimming in February is whole hog or nothing.  I went to the bank on the other side and took off running wide open. Just as I got to the edge of the bank, I jumped for all I was worth and yelled, “Geronimo!”

Years later, I realized that the definition of commitment could be that moment just before you jump.  After you jump, there is nothing left to do but let it happen. The decision has been made and it better be one that you can live with because it is the deal you’ve got.

I came out of that water as fast as I could get out and stood by Dillard and the fire.  “Proud of you, boy,” he said quietly. “Not sure I would have done it just like that, but you were the first this year.”

I said to Tommy Ray who was also shivering by the fire, “That’s the dumbest idea you’ve ever had, and you’ve really had some dumb ones.”

I rubbed my hands over the fire and watched Dillard carefully place another log on the fire.  He looked at me with an amused look and asked, “You OK?”  I nodded yes and then said, “You reckon this can be one of those things we don’t tell Aunt Beulah?”

“Probably a good idea, likely, she’d whip us both,” he said with a smile.

I’d say the odds of me seeing nine years old just got better.

The board is made up of the following stakeholder groups and representatives:

Mississippi Rural Water – Kevin Hand
Mississippi 811 – Sam Johnson
Natural Gas Distribution – John McDill
Transportation – Mark McConnell
Insuranc – Virginia Reames
Electric Power Industry – David Schoggen
Railroads – Roger Bell
Liquid Transmission – Al Davis
Cable Television – John Hilbert
Excavation Contractors – Mike Phillips
Telecommunications – Mike McCall
Utility Locators – Bo Womack
Natural Gas Transmission - Jay Street
Public Service Commission – Mark McCarver
County Agencies – Derrick Surrette
Municipal Agencies – George Lewis

The long range plan established for the group in 2007 included defining, creating and proposing a fair and effective damage prevention program to the legislature in the 2012 session. The proposal would include warnings, mandated training and even fines for violators of the state’s underground protection laws.

A stakeholder committee was assigned to develop a document that would first be submitted to the full MDPC Board. The aim of the group is to gain consensus for the document prior to taking it to the next legislative session.

It was also announced that the MDPC Regional Meetings are being scheduled across the state for the third consecutive year. The purpose of these meetings is to share the intent of the MDPC and ask for feedback from the stakeholders in attendance.
A new online training module was unveiled at the board meeting. The purpose of the training module is to promote a safer Mississippi through partnership and a greater understanding of the current “call before you dig” law.

It was proposed that CEUs or credit hours be given to all who complete the course. To access the training module, go to the MDPC website at www.msdamageprevention.com and click on the “E-Learning” tab.

Follow the prompts for registration and you will be ready to take the course. The module is interactive and will take 40 – 50 minutes to complete. After you’ve completed the final assessment, you’ll receive a certificate of completion from the MDPC.

It was mutually agreed upon that with all the national attention being given by Congress, DOT and the Office of Pipeline Safety, it is reasonable for stakeholders in Mississippi to evaluate how best to respond to the latest call to action from the U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Mr. LaHood intends to make this issue a top priority for this year. He stated, “We have a responsibility to work together to prevent the loss of life and environmental damage.”
The MDPC encourages all stakeholders to attend one of the regional meetings nearest you this year and visit our website to stay informed on this very important topic.

Aunt Beulah knew something about making biscuits and gravy, and even though I was only seven, I knew something about eating them.  You might say that when it came to eating Auntie’s biscuits and gravy, I was a child prodigy.
The fact that it was Saturday made getting up easier, and then there was the promise of a ride to town with my old friend Dillard. It was only about six or seven miles over a dirt road to town, but when you rode with Dillard, you knew you weren’t just going to ride.

Sometimes he’d pick out trees to see if I knew what kind they were.  And just saying oak was never good enough for Dillard. Was it a white oak, red oak, pin oak, or post oak? He allowed as how a boy couldn’t get very far in life if he didn’t pay attention to the important details.

We went to town that particular day because something was amiss with Sarah Jane. Both of my regular readers recognize Sarah Jane was his 1946 Chevrolet pickup. We were headed to Shorty Cannon’s service station because that’s where Levere Fox worked on cars. And Dillard said that Levere was the only one who could make Sarah Jane run like a fox, and he’d just laugh out loud when he said it.

We got there and walked inside. Levere and another man seemed to be in a heated discussion about the man’s truck. I heard the man say, “I don’t no more believe that it’s a cracked distributer cap than I believe pigs fly.  It’s the plugs. I stopped by and bought some at the son-in-law’s store. Just change the plugs and I’ll be back after a bit to pick it up.” And with that, he turned on his heels and walked out the garage.

I followed Dillard as he walked toward Levere. They shook hands and Levere smiled and said, “He’s going to learn something today, and it won’t do him a bit of good.” Then he said, “What can I do for you?” Dillard said to him, “Old Sarah Jane’s running kind of rough. Check her out and do your magic. Me and the boy will just hang around if it’s ok.”

Levere nodded and said, “Sure, but let me change the plugs out in Emmitt’s truck right quick and I’ll get you fixed up.”

Dillard and I walked over to a couple of chairs near the old nickel Coke box and sat down. Between the chairs was an old tub that was half filled with wood chips and saw dust that the grownups spit in. There was a domino table set up as well. This was a really cool place to hang out.

Levere changed the plugs in Emmitt’s truck and cranked it up to back it outside. Even I noticed it was still missing pretty badly, but he backed it outside and brought Sarah Jane in the garage. I looked at Dillard and started to say something about Emmitt’s truck and he looked at me and shook his head. I knew that meant we’ll talk about this later.

Levere had his head under the hood when Emmitt came back and hollered, “Get them plugs changed?”  Without looking up, Levere said, “I did. You can pay up front.”  Emmitt walked up front through the garage, paid his bill, got in his truck, and drove off.

In just a few minutes, Emmitt came busting back in the garage and said, “You didn’t fix my truck. It’s just as bad now as it was when I first brought it in here.”

Levere stood up and replied, “Emmitt, you didn’t tell me to fix it.  You told me to change the plugs. If you’d told me to fix it, I would have replaced the distributer cap, because it is cracked.” If you want me to fix it, you are next in line after these guys,” he said nodding in our direction and returned to Sarah Jane without fanfare.

Emmitt just stood there a moment and slowly walked over to the coke box and sat down. It was downright painful to sit there and not laugh out loud or say something, but it didn’t seem to be the right thing to do.

In a few minutes, we loaded up in Sarah Jane and headed south across the railroad tracks to a less complicated way of looking at things. We drove a couple of miles in complete silence except for the purring of the engine.

Dillard looked at me and said, “Son, let that be a lesson to you.” “What lesson?” I asked. He continued, “There is a marked difference between the man who knows it all and the man who thinks he knows it all.”

I nodded in approval. I thought to myself, apparently nobody knows less than the man who thinks he knows it all. At least that’s what I’ll always remember when I watched Emmitt walk to the Coke box.

I pointed up ahead and shouted, “Chinkapin!” I didn’t understand much about the north side of the tracks, but I sure knew what was important on the south side.

Several years ago I was traveling on company business, and after the meetings were done for the day and dinner was over, I returned to my hotel room, switched on the TV, and proceeded to settle in for the evening. It had been a long day. I was looking forward to relaxing a bit, maybe checking some scores on ESPN and turning in early, but as I flipped through the channels, a movie caught my attention. Since I love movies, and this one had several actors in it that I enjoy watching, I sat down, and within minutes, it had captured my full attention. The name of the movie was Pay It Forward and it was just starting …

Now Pay It Forward is not one of those blockbuster action/comedy, adventures where good triumphs over evil, and the hero gets the girl. Those are usually my types of movies. This movie is about a boy in middle school who receives an unusual assignment from one of his teachers. The assignment is to write a thesis on how he, a middle school student, could change the world in a practical way, put his plan into action, and document his progress. Friends, that is a tough one for us as adults, but this is a middle school kid! He is young and not fully educated yet. He has little experience, not to mention limited vision and perspective on the world around him. He is not even one of the popular or influential kids in his own class! But what this kid does in this movie is truly inspiring. He takes a negative concept that he has personally experienced and is very familiar with, that being the age old concept of “paybacks,” you know the one that says, “you wrong me, and I will pay you back double at my first opportunity” and completely redefines it. His idea is to do something good for three people, something big, with no strings attached, asking only that they pay his goodness forward to someone else, and so on. In his mind, instead of paying bad back, he is paying good forward. This concept and the boy’s actions initiate a string of events in the movie that is interesting, often amusing, and sometimes touching. I won’t ruin the rest of the movie for you, but I recommend watching it to see how the series of events plays out. Pay It Forward is insightful, entertaining, and inspiring.

So, you ask, “How does all this relate to damage prevention in Mississippi?” My answer is, “more than you might think.” For years there have been good folks in our state championing the cause of damage prevention, trying to make Mississippi a safer place to live and work. Then in 2006, along comes the PIPES Act which spells out and defines nine critical elements of effective damage prevention programs for all states. Furthermore, communications were given that if states did not comply with the nine elements in a timely manner that the federal government would effectively take over the state’s damage prevention program. Suddenly there is a very large spotlight on improving damage prevention in Mississippi and a sense of urgency that is providing momentum for this important cause.

These are truly unique times we find ourselves in today. Never in my 17 year career in the natural gas industry have I witnessed so much attention given to this subject, both statewide and nationally. Groups like Common Ground Alliance (CGA) have given us a national three digit number (811) to call before you dig, a national reporting tool (DIRT) that is confidential and helps identify industry damage trends, millions of dollars worth of national advertising exposure, and a “Best Practices” document that is so sound that some states are adopting pieces of its language into law. On the state and local level, groups like the Mississippi Damage Prevention Committee (MDPC), Mississippi 811, and the Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) Pipeline Safety Division are working together to provide all sorts of damage prevention training and educational opportunities, as well as to raise the awareness level in Mississippi. The MDPC has also been very successful in the last few years in sponsoring improvements to the damage prevention legislation of our state. All of this work and activity is being done with one goal in mind: to make Mississippi a safer place to live and work.

Friends, the time is right, and my challenge to you is to GET INVOLVED! The MDPC is looking for membership and holding regional meetings all over the state again this year. Mississippi 811 has local Damage Prevention Coordination Councils (DPCC) that need your support. Your company or community may need someone to help raise awareness. The opportunities are plentiful. And, in contrast to the boy in the movie, you are not too young or inexperienced. Your level of education is not too limited. Your span of influence is not too small in your community or business. It really doesn’t matter who you are. We all have a stake in the safety of our communities and state. We need your help, your insight, your energy, your voice, and the benefit of your background and experience. Look around you: I bet you already know someone that can help you get involved so that you too can “pay it forward” in Mississippi.