Fork in the Road
http://thriveable.com/fork-in-the-road/
This past weekend I was catching up on some yard work and had to burn some old wood. As I threw wood into the fire, I noticed several insects flee from the heat on the edge of the board toward the cooler center of the board. Obviously, this path determined their final outcome. I also noticed a couple of grasshoppers that leapt off the board. One of them landed outside the fire ring and went on its’ way to safety. The relationship to today’s economy and business managers is easy to spot. Managers that take the path of least resistance and flee from danger may inadvertently seal the fate of their organization by failing to act. Nimble business managers that confront the problems that occur may experience difficulties but they will be taking action to salvage the situation.
Does your organization:
1) Confront problems or do you avoid them?
2) Have a process in place that forces you to take action?
3) Know how to “cut your losses?”
Remember, no decision is a decision. Step up and take your best action, right or wrong, you will determine your success or failure as opposed to having fate decide the outcome.
Many individuals struggle with the issue of forgiving others but not being able to forget the original hurt. The above continuum shows 4 levels on the forgiveness scale (forget, recall, nurse, remember) and the relationship to healing or hurting. When the original hurt is constantly remembered, the pain does not disappear. When the individual’s memory has been triggered by an event that the original hurt is recalled, he/she has an option to either dismiss the memory or to relive it and in essence bring it back to life – re-experiencing much of the original pain. If the memory can be dismissed, the healing can continue. The original forgiveness takes place between the “recall” and the “nurse” stage. When an individual is able to truly forget the original hurt, the pain is eliminated and the healing is complete.
Many times you can identify what stage a person is in based on the way he/she describes the memory.
• Forget – “Oh, I don’t even remember that you did that.”
• Recall – “Yes, that is true but we were able to work it through.”
• Nurse – “That time that you called me a “blank”, it still eats at me.”
• Remember – “I forgave them, but I haven’t forgotten!”
The secret to moving along the continuum is the individual’s own freedom of choice. Victim thought patterns will keep a person at the remembering or hurting side of the continuum. Acceptance thought patterns will move a person toward the forgetting and the healing side of the continuum.
We cannot change the past, but we can change the future.
Why do I believe that we are sitting on top of a house of cards? Consider the following lunacy:
Excerpt from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/nyregion/12pension.html
ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson and legislative leaders have tentatively agreed to allow the state and municipalities to borrow nearly $6 billion to help them make their required annual payments to the state pension fund.
And, in classic budgetary sleight-of-hand, they will borrow the money to make the payments to the pension fund — from the same pension fund.
New York Plan Makes Fund Both Borrower and Lender
By DANNY HAKIM
Published: June 11, 2010
We do not have the courage to deal with current problems. We continually pass them off to a later date. Since we do not have the funds to pay for our expenses now, we believe that the problem will magically fix itself at a later date - unmitigated BS.
Most Americans have “come to believe that the political system is broken, that most politicians are corrupt, and that neither major political party has the answers,” observes Scott Rasmussen. Just 27% believe Congress knows what it’s doing when it comes to the economy and 41% say that a group of people randomly selected from the phone book would do a better job than the current Congress. In his new book, Scott adds, “Some of us are ready to give up and some of us are ready to scream a little louder. But all of us believe we can do better.”
Wayne Allen Root Perspective 5/23/2010
http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/america-faces-a-big--fat-greek-style-bankruptcy-94686509.html
The solution to save America from economic Armageddon? Simple. Use the same "austerity measures" imposed upon Greece, in return for this $145 billion loan, to dramatically cut spending on government employees:
-- Freeze government hiring for the next three years.
-- Eliminate bonuses and raises for the foreseeable future.
-- Institute layoffs and across the board wage cuts. Why should government employees enjoy "privileged status" that no employee in the private sector enjoys?
-- Change pensions from "defined benefit" to "defined contribution" pension plans, meaning retirees receive only what has been built up in their 401K type retirement accounts.
-- Raise the retirement age. In Greece it is going from age 53 to 67. Gold-plated pension plans are the single biggest factor that bankrupted Greece. The same problem bankrupted U.S. automakers GM and Chrysler.
-- Require government employees to pay more of their health care (through co-pays and deductibles).
-- Change the way pensions are calculated by eliminating overtime and raises in the last years of employment to "game the system."
Hat tip to http://thecynicaleconomist.com/ "The Cynical Economist.com"
Unbelievable. This clip is only 36 seconds but it is a must listen. Pelosi encourages musicians and writers to pursue their passion and to not worry about holding a job just to obtain health care coverage. The taxpayers will pay for them. This is an example of why our country is rudderless. Every citizen has a passion, be it sewing, cooking, softball, etc. Good, hardworking people should not have to cover the health care cost of able bodied people.
On the other hand, let's elect musicians and artists to congress. They will be more creative, they will be concerned for the entire country and they will give better performances than the lot that reside there now.
California wake up and elect someone worthy of being in congress.
Questions
If someone is an alcoholic – do you give them another bottle?
If someone is a drug addict – do you give them their favorite drug?
If someone is overweight – do you give them candy?
If someone can’t live within their budget – do you give them more money?
If someone is in debt over their head – do you give them more debt?
Comments
We have given money to companies that were too big to fail.
We have increased the size of government when private corporations have been forced to cutback on employees and expenditures.
We have increased national debt to a point that recovery may be impossible.
We have forgotten that value is created in the private sector not the government sector. The government sector exists to do one thing only and that is to serve the taxpayer – not the other way around.
We have unemployment (U-6) approaching 20% and some would suggest in excess of 20%. We have hired people in non-value adding jobs (many of them in the public sector) which are only temporary support to the overall economy.
Solutions
We need new solutions to old problems:
1. No tax increases – period.
2. Current level of government at all levels must be reduced by 10%.
3. Government expenditures must be limited as a % of GDP (% never to be increased or GDP never to be gamed).
4. Congress must be subject to any legislation that they pass for the taxpayers (pensions, social security, healthcare, etc.)
5. Lean processes must be implemented across all levels of government.
There is a gold mine in retired workers. The recession has significantly increased the unemployment level in the country. Many "older workers" have left positions but still maintain significant lifetime and industry experience. Businesses should seek out retired workers that still want to contribute. Their financial needs may be lower and their flexibility may be higher. This can also be a "win-win" situation for the retired worker as well.
They need to make up for lost retirement savings.
They want to be valued.
They want to have purpose.
They want to lead a longer life - yes a longer life! Workers that are unprepared for retirement will most likely have a shorter lifespan.
When I was traveling, I saw a program on NC public TV that discussed the concept of an "encore career." I think this is a wonderful concept and more emphasis should be placed on this idea. People will live longer, need more financial resources and want to have a quality retirement.
Too many people waste time due to interruptions by e-mail. Listen to the brief podcast and understand the impact of turning off your e-mail notification on both your ability to focus and your ability to become more efficient.
NBER Says ‘Premature’ to Declare End of Recession in U.S.
By Tim Homan
April 12 (Bloomberg) -- The committee responsible for determining when U.S. recessions begin and end said it’s “premature” to declare an end to the current slump, which it reaffirmed begain in December 2007.
“Although most indicators have turned up, the committee decided that the determination of the trough date on the basis of current data would be premature,” the Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research said in a statement.
To contact the reporter on this story: Timothy Homan in Washington at thoman1@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 12, 2010 07:50 EDT
(Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aQgDSuxGlHgU&pos=6)
The good news is that rail traffic is beginning to rebound. The bad news is that everyone is comparing to 2009 which was an abysmal year. In the attached image (based on the reports from the AAR.ORG), note the underlined columns in red. When you compare 2010 to 2009, the increase is obvious. However, compare 2010 to 2008 and there is still a significant decrease from the 2008 levels. With unemployment expected to get worse, it will be difficult for us to have a sustained recovery. There is also a strong probability that credit tightening will further dampen recovery efforts (let alone the inevitable tax increases).
I post the following chart of the historical daily volume of the the ETF QQQQ's. The "pink" line represents the 3/30/2010 daily volume extended across the entire time-frame. My concern is that the current economic environment is playing havoc with normally functioning markets.
What is the ramification? I do not claim any type of investment expertise, but it appears that the run up may have run out. The wild economy continues - hang on!
The making of a great leader is the successful combination of many skills. The illustration depicts two main characteristics: people skills and technical skills. When a leader has neither, they are a complete failure (as a leader). Too many times people are placed in positions where they are destined to fail. It is obvious where they are lacking to everyone but those responsible for the placement, promotion or appointment. With serious mentoring/training/coaching and a willingness to learn it is possible for them to become a successful leader.
When leaders lean too much to either people or technical skills, a couple of things might happen. Too much people emphasis can lead to a feel good culture without accountability. Too much technical emphasis can lead to a sterile environment that lacks any caring or compassion.
Ultimately, the great leader is a balance of people and technical skills. The great leader is comfortable using both areas to move an organization towards its goals. What sets the great leader apart from the merely adequate leader is the gift of conviction. Conviction is the unshakable belief without need for proof or evidence. In many ways it is similar to the rudder that steers a ship. Without conviction, an organization is rudderless. Great Leaders provide the following:
• Conviction
• Vision
• Belief
• Passion
These qualities will inspire other members of the organization to action. Any company that desires to be successful must have the balance in leadership (people / technical) and the qualities above. An individual that aspires to be a great leader must incorporate all of the above.
Cat on the Edge!
Courtesy of http://www.jenisfamous.com/dev/category/cow
I love cats. They are fun creatures to watch and play with. I am amazed at how they can hang on the edge of a table and seem oblivious to falling off. Even when they roll around and find themselves slipping off the edge, they have an innate ability to "right themselves" and land on their paws.
In many respects it's similar to our economy. Our country is rolling around on the edge of a recession. The government seems oblivious to the danger, and from many critic's perspectives, continues to do the wrong things. The fear is that our country is going to roll off the edge. I wonder if our government is as nimble as a cat and has the ability to land on its feet?
The cat also has one other gift - nine lives. With all of the missteps and overspending, I wonder how many of its' original 9 lives our country has left?
Too many upper managers complain about not being included in the Strategic Planning process. Inclusion is easy when one becomes a Servant of operations. Listen to the brief podcast.
