Water Cooler Conversations

Written by Pat Perry
President, ERC 

Well, we all got what we were not wishing for – a down economy, layoffs, and a deep recession.  We can all give ourselves a collective “pat on the back” for once again repeating history right on schedule.  It is ironic that the fear of job, business and financial losses caused many reactionary decisions over the past year that resulted in job, business and financial losses.

A quote attributed to a local business person from last week’s newspaper summed it all up perfectly - “We do not plan on making any new investments until the economy gets better”. 

Hello…?

That is exactly the thinking that helps keep this mess going. When are we going to learn?

So many people are holding on to their money and making cautious decisions, waiting for someone else to get the economy rolling.  Seems like an awful lot of people ran for the hills this past year and they are nowhere to be found today. 

The fear-based behaviors exhibited over the past year remind me of some adults taking a dip at the local pool.  They wade cautiously until they become accustomed to the pool temperature.  They do this knowing full well that they would incur less “pain” by just jumping in – yet we go against our better judgment, and take a too long of a time to enjoy a good swim.

You see where fear got our economy – clearly in the dumpers.  Fear based decisions are not a good tactic and never have been in the history of our country.  Perhaps it is time to try a truly
America strategy – creative, innovative and courage based decisions regardless of economic conditions.

Many “experts” believe we have hit bottom and will recover slowly over the next several years.  They are probably right given human nature. 

We love prosperity but seem to be afraid of doing the things necessary to get and stay there.   Go figure.

As the debate begins about health care reform, the center of the discussion appears to be access, reimbursement programs and malpractice premiums.  Noticeably absent is a discussion of a critical component of health care costs – more efficient utilization of healthcare by the consumer.  Excessive or inefficient utilization often occurs either because consumers are not accessing their coverage correctly and/or not managing their own health and well-being.  Healthy lifestyle behaviors and health education do not guarantee perfect health and efficient utilization of health care – but they improve the odds of better outcomes substantially.  Our own program, ERC Health is a ten (10) year testament that it works.

If you are going to have a discussion of health care reform Mr. President, you should probably include health reform in the package.  If as a nation we are truly serious about managing health care costs, then we need to also look at affecting risk factors that influence the health and well being of the consumer.  And, you will need to provide them the tools and dollars necessary to help manage their health and improve their health care IQ. Along with accessibility reform, we must ensure that people utilizing the system, use it well.  Otherwise you will end up with a bigger mess on your hands than you have today.

Providing yet another option to obtain healthcare is a great idea if it is coupled with a true strategy of becoming a healthier, more educated nation. The consumer must become a critical part of the solution.  If not we will be left with just another government entitlement program that will make a bunch of us sick to our stomachs.  This new condition, Government Entitlement Nausea (GEN) has the potential to sweep the country.  The scary part is that no cure for GEN is in sight.

Congratulations to all of you parents out there that just graduated a high school, vocational school or college student.  Great job!  Now, you can stop reading this article and hand it over to your recent grad, because the rest is for him/her.

Congratulations graduate!  Hopefully you just completed a wonderful experience and are getting ready for post high school education or “the real world” of work.  In either case, here are a few pointers about the business world and people.  I wish I had someone tell me some of these things when I graduated from high school and college – I would have avoided a lot of bumps along the way. 

Define Success – Your definition of success will be a critical guiding principle on which you base many decisions.  I have met many people in my thirty-year career who measure their and others’ success by money, title, car, neighborhood and/or power.  If you do, you might find that you end up leading a rather empty life.  As you think about your definition of success, consider the importance of friends, spouse, children, family, ethics and community service in your equation.  The meaning of success may change a bit as you age and perhaps you will find that “climbing the corporate ladder” is a poor second to leading a good life.

Don’t Grow Up – You will find that most successful businesses (the kind you want to work for) reward creativity, innovation and risk taking.  These are attributes we all possess as children.  Unfortunately, in some other organizations, procedures, reward systems and promotions are often based upon employees following the rules, playing corporate politics and being risk adverse.  These types of companies kill the “kid” in people, and then management wonders why their people are not innovate, risk taking entrepreneurial top performers.  Go figure!  Keep being a “kid at heart” as you will be more successful along the way and have a heck of a lot more fun! 

Master Communication – It is critical that you can read, write and publicly present well.  These skill sets are essential in getting along with others, selling your ideas, resolving conflict and contributing to your company.  In addition, your ability to converse one-on-one or with groups will be an essential factor in your career success. If texting has diluted your interpersonal skill sets, you better brush up on how to engage in conversation without the keypad.  One more item – don’t forget to turn off your cell phone in meetings, presentations and your bosses’ office.

Keep Learning – Your graduation simply marks the end of one educational era.  In reality, you are really just beginning the learning process as you have about another forty years to go.   Read all you can, including general literature and career related information.  Ask plenty of questions and don’t be afraid to continually challenge yourself with new ideas, skill sets and technology. 

It’s Called Work – There is no substitute for hard work. You need to show up every day, sometimes early and occasionally work late.  Bottom line is that employers expect you to put in a full day and be incredibly productive.  You slack off, you lose.  Period. 

Flame on! – Probably the most important part of your career is to be doing something that you enjoy.  Living for the weekend is a horrible way to live.  If you are not enjoying coming to work most days, you are probably in the wrong profession and/or wrong company.  If this happens to you during your working career, take action and move on.  Do not stay in a dead end profession or job because you have a mortgage to pay.

Fail – It’s ok to fail once in awhile.  That simply means you are trying something new.  Great organizations recognize this and support employees that at least try to do something different, creative and innovative.  The people they write about in history books had many more “failures” than successes. 

Join the Winners’ Circle – If you plan to work for others, find a great workplace.  Do the research and identify companies that are known for treating their employees well, support career growth, are ethical and have a history of delivering high quality products and/or services.  In addition, surround yourself with other high achievers both at work and outside of work.

Avoid Jerks - There are plenty of great managers out there.  Find them, work for them and learn from them.  Unfortunately there are a few bad apples.  If you find one, get out fast.  They can and will make your life miserable.  Life is too short to put up with their nonsense.

Balancing Act – I wish you a great balance between work, play, friends and family.  Work is not everything; at least I hope it does not become that for you.  If you can figure out a way to manage your life holistically you will find that your time at work is more fun and satisfying. 

Lead – There is a huge leadership void in our country and in business today.  Because of this void, you and your generation have a tremendous opportunity to make a big difference.  Take the lead on ethical business operations, developing and maintaining great workplaces, taking risks and giving back to the community.  

It’s been thirty years since I graduated from college.  It went by in a blink of an eye and it will for you too.  If you believe, know and love what you’re doing, you will find career success rather than just getting a job.  There is a huge difference, you’ll see.

Recently some congressional hearings were being held with executives from AIG. I am not sure if I was watching CSPAN or CNN but the dialogue was incredulous. I find it remarkable that we’re still hearing members of Congress grilling AIG executives on where all the money given to them was spent. All we’re doing is playing the blame game…

I’ve heard interview after interview with “experts” about who’s to blame for the nation’s problems. Here’s a sample of typical responses: “It’s congress’ fault! It’s the banks’ fault! It’s the democrats fault! It’s the republicans fault!”

I would love to Chair or be on a Committee of taxpayers questioning Congress on how they spend OUR money. I find it highly objectionable that they are actually spending time (and more of our tax money) on these proceedings. How about we get to work instead of wasting time pointing the finger at everyone else? Enough talk, we need some action. Start earning your money and quit wasting ours.