Now More Than Ever

How are you viewing the world right now? Do you see the glass half full or half empty? If you state the latter, noone will blame you. We are being bombarded with negative news. Whole businesses closing (Circuit City), the economy in near ruin (federal bailout), and communities in disarray because of layoffs and/or plant closings.

Let's focus on the last one-Within a 100 mile radius of Charleston county, the following communities have suffered significant job loss: Georgetown, Orangeburg, Holly Hill, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, North Charleston, and Walterboro. In Georgetown, the big news was the temporary closing of the steel mill. When its doors shut in early December, I went to the local newspaper's website to read comments posted by locals. The range of comments included despair, anger, and gratitude. Here we had a town screaming for answers trying to understand why this could happen and how life would move on.

Well, we will move on. All this shall pass. It is important now more than ever for leadership to prevail. Voices that speak up and say everything will be ok. Voices that offer prayers for those in true need. Voices that offer solutions and not fuel to the spreading fire.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The government can't totally fix our problems. The true corrective action starts with you and me. Within our communities (churches, etc.), we must be addressing what's in our hearts and souls and making necessary changes. I look at it this way-Our country is as close to rock bottom as we will probably see in our life time. We have nowhere to go but up. But when we do begin to rise, we must do so differently. We can't stay stagnant because we'll eventually face the same doom.

Each of us must work real hard to become better people. Better spouses, parents, employees, and employers. I know this sounds too simple and reeks of a political campaign but I would not be writing this if I didn't speak from my own experience. I could go on and on about changes to my life in the last two years but suffice it to say that as we improve, we see opportunities for our communities and thus the country to improve. Our vision becomes one of continuous improvement; not of mass destruction.

Here are a few suggestions for self improvement:
1. Sit down and write goals for 2009. Get away from family and take time to document your thoughts. I like Starbucks as a place for good thought. I can drink a cup of coffee and listen to wonderful music.
2. Document what you like and love to do. Using a noun and verb, simply write down the things you love to do and the things you like to do. For example, I love to analyze (verb) data (noun). I like to manage (verb) projects(noun). Your time and energy should be centered on the things you love and like to do.
3. Develop a constancy of purpose for your life. For managers, Deming taught of having mission for an organization and purposely sticking to the mission. Wavering at all will hurt the advancement of the company. In life, I see constancy of purpose as prayer and reading. Consistent prayer gives you perspective and a connection to God that sustains you in good and bad times. Reading the Bible and other spiritual books help you undertand how to make sense of life which sometimes seems impossible to do. There are many great books on the market. If you have not read The Secret and The Shack yet, please do so.
4. Take a course to improve your skill set. Make yourself more valuable and marketable. Make it impossible for someone to eliminate your position. Selfishly, I'll offer my website, http://www.cpionlinecourses.com/, as a great source for learning. The site offers many courses (online) in the areas of quality improvement, personal improvement, process improvement, lean, and ASQ certifications.
5. Join a network. There are physical networks such as Rotary and Kiwanis in most communities. Joining one connects you with leaders in the community and makes you more visible. It also gives you opportunities to serve which we are quick to forget about in hard times. There are also networks on the web which introduce you to a global audience. There are social sites such as Myspace and Facebook. For business, there are Linkedin and Ryze.

If you ever need to talk about your situation, please call me (843 814 3864). Count your blessings and remind others to do the same.