September 22, 2008

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Staying Positive in a Negative Economy - Article

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Greetings!

Staying Positive in a Negative Economy

Greed is Good. These were the famous words uttered by Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street. By the end of the movie Gekko likely goes to jail and we learn Greed is Not So Good After All. Now the movie is playing out in real life and as we watch the financial world change before our eyes, the cost of greed is more than a movie ticket. It’s our housing crisis, our financial crisis, our economy, our jobs and a trillion dollar bailout. Greed is definitely not good for us.

I emailed a friend the other day that works on Wall Street and asked him his thoughts. He said, “This week the future was changed forever. How, nobody knows yet.”

I was looking for a little more clarity but in reality he couldn’t offer any. The future is uncertain and these are crazy times. So what do we do? Do we get angry? After all, we have a lot to be angry about. Do we seek out people to blame? This wouldn’t be difficult and the list would be a mile long. Do we complain? It’s a justified complaint after all, to complain about a system that rewarded “bad business” and failed us.

We can do all these things but before we do anything we should ask one question, “Will it benefit my life, my career, my team, my organization, and my family going forward?”

I’m reminded of the time, years ago, when I lost my job. It was during the dot.com bubble burst. I was called by the president of the company and in 5 minutes I had no job, no insurance for my wife and children, only two weeks of severance, a mortgage payment and a little bit of savings. At first I was devastated. Then I was fearful. Then I got angry. Then I started blaming others. Then after a few days I realized none of these negative responses would help me get a job, provide for my family, pay the bills and move from where I was to where I wanted to be. I knew that I couldn’t create a positive future by focusing on the negativity of the past. So I made a conscious decision to stay positive, roll up my sleeves and turn my fear into faith, faith into resolve, and resolve into action. This led me to open a restaurant and to the work I do now.

I share this story with you because I believe the choices you and I make now during these challenging times will define us, our team and our organizations success. Unfortunately, there is a lot about this financial hurricane that we can’t control but we can control how we face our own set of challenges.

Regardless of the job you have and the industry you are in, there are principles, strategies and actions you and your team can take to succeed and it all starts with staying positive. Here are a few suggestions from The Energy Bus:

1. Let the Bags off the Bus - We can’t create our future by focusing on the events of the past. We need to let the events of the past off the bus. A confluence of events created this financial fiasco and while our government should make corrections and hold certain people responsible for their part in, for most of us, fretting about all the people who wronged us will not do us any good. Like a hurricane we must acknowledge that we are in the middle of a crisis, we must deal with it and we must focus on the things we can control to improve our situation.

2. Be a Positive Leader - Now more than ever is a time for positive leadership. Now is the time to uplift, encourage and inspire your teams. When your folks talk about the challenges you talk about the opportunities. When others talk about why they can’t succeed you give them every reason why they can. So often the difference between success and failure is belief and as a positive leader you need to inspire this belief and optimism in your team members and teams.

3. Create a Positive Vision - Instead of being disappointed about where you are decide to be optimistic about where you are going. Create a positive vision for your future and the future of your team. Vision helps you see the road ahead and it gives you something meaningful and valuable to strive towards.

4. Invite others on your Bus - Don’t buy into the pessimism of others. Instead invite them on your bus for a positive ride. Send them an e-bus ticket at www.TheEnergyBus.com. Share your vision with your team members and ask them to join you in making this vision a reality. Be a positive influence.

5. Focus on the Fundamentals - Everything happens in cycles. Right now we are in a downward cycle. In a few years we’ll be enjoying an upward cycle. Realize that successful organizations focus on the fundamentals regardless of the cycle they are in. Each business has its own set of fundamentals. The key is to decide what those fundamentals are, create an action plan, and focus on them. Focusing on the fundamentals will not only help you succeed during a negative economy but it will allow you thrive when it turns around.

6. Fill the Void - Where there is a void negativity will fill it. That’s why I’d love to hear more from the Presidential candidates about their plans for the economy and our country. Instead of blaming each other I’d love to hear their vision. I’d love to hear their plans. I’d love to hear their solutions. The same goes for us. We must remember to communicate, communicate, communicate. Keep sharing the vision. Keep inviting people on the bus. Keep talking about the fundamentals. Keep focusing on solutions. The void is big and it’s negative. It’s up to you and me to fill it with positive energy.

As part of filling the void, if you are facing a challenge during this economy and you have a question simply ask your question on our blog and I’ll do my best to answer them this week.

Stay Positive!

-Jon

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