It's a telling quote. Well spotted, Norbert!<div><br></div><div>j</div><div><br></div><div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 11:19 PM, nhklein <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:nhklein@gmx.net">nhklein@gmx.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>

<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><u></u>

  
    
  
  <div text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
    While I agree with Milton Mueller and others that we have to stay
    focused on our NCSG concerns, I think they are clearly stated as NOT
    having been central to the achievements of the outgoing ICANN CEO,
    as he says in the press release:<br>
    <br>
    “I can summarize my time here in four words: strong execution, great
    teambuilding,” he said. “We have<div class="im"><br>
    built a world-class executive team, and elevated ICANN’s stature
    through </div><b>strategic relationships with<br>
      governments, businesses, top technology firms and international
      organizations.</b>”<br>
    <br>
    Is this the "Internet community"?<br>
    <br>
    <br>
    Norbert Klein<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
    <br>
    <br>
    <br>
    On 08/19/2011 04:05 AM, Milton L Mueller wrote:
    <blockquote type="cite">
      
      <div style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:16px">Maria<br>
        I did not say that it didn't matter who the CEO is. Of course it
        does. But its a fact that NCUC/NSCG had its worst forms of
        persecution by ICANN staff before Rod was CEO, and that little
        changed for us when he was hired.<br>
        <br>
        What I think we need to distance ourselves from are Kierens
        claims that Rod took credit for things that others did and other
        kinds of personality issues. Its just not relevant to us. <br>
        <br>
        <font color="#cc0000">Milton Mueller<br>
        </font><font color="#cc0000">Professor, Syracuse University
          School of Information Studies </font></div>
      <br>
      <br>
      -----Original message-----<br>
      <blockquote style="border-left:2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255);margin-left:5px;padding-left:5px">
        <div style="font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px"><b>From:
          </b>Maria Farrell <a href="mailto:maria.farrell@gmail.com" target="_blank"><maria.farrell@gmail.com></a><b><br>
            To: </b>Milton L Mueller <a href="mailto:mueller@syr.edu" target="_blank"><mueller@syr.edu></a><b><br>
            Cc: </b><a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@listserv.syr.edu" target="_blank">"NCSG-DISCUSS@listserv.syr.edu"</a>
          <a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@listserv.syr.edu" target="_blank"><NCSG-DISCUSS@listserv.syr.edu></a><b><br>
            Sent: </b>Thu, Aug 18, 2011 17:59:19 GMT+00:00<b><br>
            Subject: </b>Re: Fwd: [council] Rod Beckstrom to leave
          ICANN at the end of his term<br>
          <br>
        </div>
        <div>
          <div>
            I have to disagree, Milton. 
            <div><br>
            </div>
            <div>For a start, Kieren resigned at his own behest. (I was
              fired though - and I'm not in this for revenge but because
              I care about how the organisation works.) He's not a
              vengeful guy and is demonstrably pursuing the same
              arguments and issues he did before he ever worked for
              ICANN. </div>
            <div><br>
            </div>
            <div>But to the main point - that it doesn't matter who's
              running the ship - the 'plague on all your houses'
              approach. Of course it matters who's in charge. NCUC has,
              rightly, complained strenuously for several years about
              being pushed aside by staff in favour of the at large and
              other gnso constituencies. That's staff-directed policy
              and can change overnight, depending on who runs the
              show. Even if we care less about the org as a whole,
              there's still a clear benefit for ncuc in some types of
              ceo rather than others. </div>
            <div><br>
            </div>
            <div>Which is not to be completely naive about it. The CEO
              is not going to change our lives, here in NCUC, but she or
              he will have an impact and we can have one back. </div>
            <div><br>
              <div class="gmail_quote">2011/8/18 Milton L Mueller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mueller@syr.edu" target="_blank">mueller@syr.edu</a>></span><br>
                <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);padding-left:1ex">
                  <div lang="EN-US">
                    <div>
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:rgb(31, 73, 125)">Kieren makes some
                          worthwhile points here but you have to
                          remember that Kieren was fired by Beckstrom,
                          so he has a revenge motive in writing things
                          like this. From NCSG’s point of view, a lot of
                          this kind of stuff is a bunch of snarky
                          disputes among insiders and doesn’t affect our
                          status or the policies we care about much.
                        </span></p>
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:rgb(31, 73, 125)">--MM</span></p>
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:rgb(31, 73, 125)"> </span></p>
                      <div style="border-width:medium medium medium 1.5pt;border-style:none none none solid;border-color:-moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color blue;padding:0in 0in 0in 4pt">
                        <div>
                          <div style="border-right:medium none;border-width:1pt medium medium;border-style:solid none none;border-color:rgb(181, 196, 223) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color;padding:3pt 0in 0in">
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10pt">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt"> NCSG-Discuss
                                [mailto:<a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU" target="_blank">NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU</a>]
                                <b>On Behalf Of </b>Poomjit
                                Sirawongprasert<br>
                                <b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, August 17, 2011
                                2:16 PM<br>
                                <b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU" target="_blank">NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU</a><br>
                                <b>Subject:</b> Re: [NCSG-Discuss] Fwd:
                                [council] Rod Beckstrom to leave ICANN
                                at the end of his term</span></p>
                          </div>
                        </div>
                        <div>
                          <div>
                            <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
                            <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt">How about his?<br>
                              <br>
                              ICANN fires its CEO<br>
                              <a href="http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/08/16/icann-fires-ceo" target="_blank">http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/08/16/icann-fires-ceo</a></p>
                            <h1>ICANN fires its CEO</h1>
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><span>by Kieren
                                McCarthy | 16 Aug 2011 | </span></p>
                            <div>
                              <p><img hspace="6" align="right">The CEO of ICANN Rod
                                Beckstrom has announced he is leaving
                                the organization at the end of his
                                contract.
                              </p>
                              <p>According to a <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/RodBeckstrom/status/103607748717060096" target="_blank">
                                  tweet</a> sent out by Beckstrom at
                                4.20pm PST: “I have decided to wrap up
                                my service at ICANN July 2012”, adding
                                “Press release soon.”
                              </p>
                              <p>The <a href="http://news.dot-nxt.com/sites/news.dot-nxt.com/files/release-16aug11-en.pdf" target="_blank">
                                  press release</a> [pdf] followed 20
                                minutes later and comprised largely of
                                Beckstrom listing his achievements in
                                the first and third person. “I can
                                summarize my time here in four words:
                                strong execution, great team-building,”
                                he was quoted as saying.</p>
                              <p>Board chair Steve Crocker, who took
                                over the post only two months ago, noted
                                that: “The Board of Directors fully
                                supports Rod through the completion of
                                his July 2012 term.”</p>
                              <p><span>Behind the pronouncements lies a
                                  different story</span><span>Behind the
                                  pronouncements lies a different story</span>.
                                It is well known in ICANN circles that
                                there has been significant concern over
                                Beckstrom’s performance for some time.
                                And we understand that Beckstrom’s
                                “decision” was made for him at a secret
                                Board meeting earlier this month.</p>
                              <p>Unlike the three other CEOs that have
                                presided over ICANN in its 11-year
                                history, Beckstrom lobbied hard to have
                                his contract renewed, even giving a
                                public speech at ICANN’s most recent
                                meeting in Singapore in June listing
                                what he had achieved as CEO.
                                Accompanying today’s press release,
                                somewhat bizarrely, is a <a href="http://news.dot-nxt.com/sites/news.dot-nxt.com/files/factsheet-beckstrom-accomplishments-16aug11-en.pdf" target="_blank">
                                  separate PDF</a> listing Beckstrom’s
                                “notable accomplishments”. </p>
                              <p><strong><span>Credit score</span></strong></p>
                              <p>Ironically, it is Beckstrom’s attempt
                                to personally attach himself to all the
                                organization’s successes that is a major
                                reason for his failure as an ICANN CEO:
                                he is seen as too quick to claim credit
                                for others’ work and to put personal
                                promotion ahead of effective management.
                                In two years in charge, almost the
                                entire senior management team has left.
                                Community questions as to why were met
                                with obtuse reference to industry
                                percentages.
                              </p>
                              <p>Having written a book lauding the power
                                of leaderless structures over
                                traditional hierarchy – the first
                                likened to a starfish, the second to a
                                spider – many were surprised when
                                Beckstrom created an even stronger
                                hierarchy within ICANN, with him as the
                                head. And the bottleneck.</p>
                              <p><span>Beckstrom’s claim to have
                                  encouraged “great team-building” were
                                  famously called into question at the
                                  organization’s meeting in San
                                  Francisco</span><span>Beckstrom’s
                                  claim to have encouraged “great
                                  team-building” were famously called
                                  into question at the organization’s
                                  meeting in San Francisco</span> in
                                March this year when former staff member
                                Maria Farrell took the microphone during
                                a public forum to announce her “profound
                                disquiet about how the organization is
                                operationally being managed” and talked
                                of a "hollowing out of expertise” and a
                                “climate of fear stalking the ICANN
                                staff”. Her comments were met with
                                prolonged applause.</p>
                              <p><strong><span>Parachute</span></strong></p>
                              <p>Likewise, Beckstrom’s most significant
                                claim to have negotiated an historic
                                agreement with the US government that
                                saw ICANN gain greater autonomy is
                                largely fanciful: he was in charge for
                                less than three months before the
                                agreement was signed, whereas
                                negotiations had been going on for 18
                                months between ICAN
                              </p>
                            </div>
                          </div>
                        </div>
                      </div>
                    </div>
                  </div>
                </blockquote>
              </div>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </blockquote>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    <br>
    </div></div><pre cols="72">-- 
A while ago, I started a new blog:

...thinking it over... after 21 years in Cambodia
<a href="http://www.thinking21.org/" target="_blank">http://www.thinking21.org/</a>

continuing to share reports and comments from Cambodia.

Norbert Klein
<font color="#888888"><a href="mailto:nhklein@gmx.net" target="_blank">nhklein@gmx.net</a>
Phnom Penh / Cambodia

</font></pre>
  </div>

</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>---------------------------------------------------------------<br>Joly MacFie  218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast<br>WWWhatsup NYC - <a href="http://wwwhatsup.com" target="_blank">http://wwwhatsup.com</a><br>

 <a href="http://pinstand.com" target="_blank">http://pinstand.com</a> - <a href="http://punkcast.com" target="_blank">http://punkcast.com</a><br> VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - <a href="http://isoc-ny.org" target="_blank">http://isoc-ny.org</a><br>

--------------------------------------------------------------<br>-<br>
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