Johnny-on-the-spot as a noun means "an unusually alert fellow who is capable of decisive action, and seizing an opportunity!"

Coaching

Definition:

Work to improve the immediate performance of others; facilitates their skill development; and gives feedback in a manner that facilitates confidence and maintains self-esteem.

Behavioral Indicators:

- Reinforces effective behaviors or results through acknowledgement, recognition and/or feedback in a timely manner

- Clearly states actual performance compared to expected or desired performance

- Devotes time to providing task-related help to others

- Asks questions that help other people recognize the need for performance improvement

- Expresses confidence in an individual's ability to meet or exceed expectations

- Takes time to listen to other's issues and concerns

- Discusses problems immediately, before they are forgotten or out of control

- Encourages others to voice their concerns and constructive criticism

Stay tuned for monthly 'Johnny-On-The-Spots'

N. Dakota oil, brought here, could help gas prices

BY JOHN COX Californian staff writer

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | Sunday, Apr 08 2012 07:00 AM

Last Updated Sunday, Apr 08 2012 11:53 AM

Something curious is happening here in the heart of California oil country.

A 26,000 barrel-a-day refinery on East Panama Lane is buying large amounts of crude from North Dakota and paying to have it hauled by train to Bakersfield, where it's turned into mostly gasoline and diesel for the California market.

That's like selling coals to Newcastle, as the British say. Surely the refinery could find raw material closer to home.

The ingenious part of Kern Oil & Refining Co.'s strategy is, the company turns a bigger profit using midcontinent crude than if it were buying roughly the same grade oil strictly in Kern County.

Strange though this may seem -- and people in the industry admit the situation is more than a little odd -- there's every reason to believe other refineries will soon follow Kern Oil & Refining's lead.

Oil marketer Bob Devine said more California refiners are gearing up to bring in midcontinent crude.

"I know that there are a number of people looking at it and looking at making arrangements," he said.

Depending how widespread the trend becomes, it could push down barrel prices for Kern County oil producers, and potentially lower prices at the pump. It could also reduce California's growing dependence on oil imported from the Middle East and South America.

A better price

Simple math is the driving force behind the shift, which appears to have begun in 2010. Math, that is, and a technology-fueled oil boom that has outpaced pipeline companies' ability to deliver oil to refining hubs.

Widespread use of hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling in what is called the Bakken formation have opened up vast oil reserves in and around North Dakota. The state's oil production has shot up to about 550,000 barrels a day, more than four times the volume achieved just five years ago, bringing it roughly even with California's production rate.

But while California's 2 million-barrel-a-day refining industry thirsts for oil, North Dakota is awash in it. Pipeline companies caught off guard by the boom are estimated to be at least a few years away from connecting Gulf coast refineries with the midcontinent.

In the meantime, a glut of Bakken crude has contributed to a historic price imbalance. At the end of March, oil from the Bakken was selling at about $92 a barrel. Heavy Kern County crude, meanwhile, was going for about $112 a barrel.

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I’ve done some crazy things in my life. I can remember one day some friends and I were riding our bikes when I was about 10. We were having a great time riding trails through the brush, splashing through puddles, finding anything we could make a ramp out of...all the things that boys love to do. We happened upon a trail that led to a large hill. We thought we had struck gold. We would go to the top of the hill and ride down as fast as we could toward a ramp at the bottom of the hill. The ramp was no more than a pile of dirt, but to us it was a dream.

We started out just coasting down the hill. We could pick up some pretty good speed for the ensuing launch off our little dirt pile at the bottom, but soon that wasn’t enough. We began to pedal down the hill to get more speed. With each pass, we goaded each other into going faster and jumping higher. That is when we spotted it. On the hill, down a little from where we were, was a ramp (dirt pile) in the middle of the hill. It was larger than the one at the bottom we had been playing on. It looked quite daunting.

At first, no one mentioned it, but it didn’t take long until we were asking each other who was brave enough to take it on. It seemed as if I became the fall guy. All at once, everyone began pressuring me to take the risk. Terms like, “I dare you,” and “what are you, Chicken?” Began to come my way. Finally I agreed to take the risk. With visions of grandeur I lined up with the jump and started down. When I got to this mound of dirt, I tried to jump it with everything I had. What ensued was anything but glorious.

I had what I’m sure was the most glorious wipe out in bicycle history. I landed on the front wheel and went head over heels down the rest of the hill. When I came to rest at the bottom, the bicycle was on top of me and I thought I had died. I was in so much pain. It was in that moment that I realized that listening to my peers isn’t always a good idea.

We have heard many times not to be the victim of negative peer pressure. I have learned that we have to stand up for what is right. If I would have listened to my gut that day, I would have avoided much pain. I knew taking that jump wasn’t a good idea, but my friends got the best of me. I would guess that many of you reading this today have also been the recipient of bad advice from your peers. Standing up for what you know is right is sometimes tough, but always necessary. If we learn to do that, we might avoid the pain of a crash and burn in our lives. My encouragement to you today is to stand up for what is right. It might not always be easy, but who knows what pain might be avoided if you take the high road.