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Issue #41 ~ January 19, 2010 Printer friendly PDF file
Measuring Up!
By Scott Gillespie
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
I love that quote because it complements one of my favorites that, paraphrased, says “Life is only 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it!” We certainly aren’t living in a time of comfort and convenience. We are faced with many challenges. Opportunities? Hmmm…!
In broad and general context, Dr. King’s quote provides the basis for dealing with several aspects of life such as your personal journey, your family, as a member of a team and many others. It also specifically captures the manner in which we act in, and react to, the ups and downs experienced on a day-to-day basis.
For the purposes of this article, let’s take a look at how it applies to us as small business owners, entrepreneurs, consultants, sales reps or any other position we hold in the business world. And I’m not writing this with kid’s gloves on - I’m just calling like I see it!
Throughout the past 40 years or so, there have been plenty of harvest cycles in business. There were seasons of plenty, seasons of excess and seasons of near-drought conditions. More recently, over the past decade or so, there were some very distinct seasons.
There was the big boom in the late 90’s, especially with all of the “dot-coms” (website businesses) that exploded onto the scene. Then there was 9/11 that knocked the legs out from underneath the economy. Gradually, consumer confidence grew and we witnessed the economy recover along with it. Next up was the dive that occurred a couple years ago with the housing market crash and other variables that reduced many businesses to a crawl and caused some to fold.
So where do we stand during today’s time of challenge and controversy?
I’ve seen both the valiant and the meek. I’ve seen those that hide behind the tanking economy and allow it to control their life’s journey. The going got tough, and they crawled home. You could hear it in the way they talked, the words they used and the fingers they pointed at why their sales were down.
At the same time, others in their exact same position or industry forged through and made some lemonade! You could say these folks “measured” up! It almost became cliché among these troopers that they weren’t going to participate in the recession and their actions and results proved it.
Now we are slowly starting to see economic signs of life. Maybe not for everyone or in every industry, but we are hearing success stories. We are seeing new businesses open in a time where many still say it is crazy to venture off into such a thing! Although we may have a ways to go, it is those people that are standing tall and not laying down that will be the frontline to our recovery as well as their own.
Let’s throw a little caveat into this recovery. What if, in our near future, we don’t see the same level of recoveries we have in the past? Are we going to relegate ourselves to a position of wait and see? Are we going to keep one eye always looking for the hope of the return to better days? (My friend Tony Rubleski says that “Hope is not a strategy!”) Or are we going to focus on what we can do today to serve our customers and provide our own stimulus package of sweat, courage and perseverance?
Like I said last week - Opportunity does not discriminate! It is there for all of us to grab. I invite and encourage you to stand tall with me, measure the challenges we face, encourage each other along the way, and epitomize the words of the late Dr. King.
Now, Let’s Go Get ‘Em!
By Scott Gillespie
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
I love that quote because it complements one of my favorites that, paraphrased, says “Life is only 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it!” We certainly aren’t living in a time of comfort and convenience. We are faced with many challenges. Opportunities? Hmmm…!
In broad and general context, Dr. King’s quote provides the basis for dealing with several aspects of life such as your personal journey, your family, as a member of a team and many others. It also specifically captures the manner in which we act in, and react to, the ups and downs experienced on a day-to-day basis.
For the purposes of this article, let’s take a look at how it applies to us as small business owners, entrepreneurs, consultants, sales reps or any other position we hold in the business world. And I’m not writing this with kid’s gloves on - I’m just calling like I see it!
Throughout the past 40 years or so, there have been plenty of harvest cycles in business. There were seasons of plenty, seasons of excess and seasons of near-drought conditions. More recently, over the past decade or so, there were some very distinct seasons.
There was the big boom in the late 90’s, especially with all of the “dot-coms” (website businesses) that exploded onto the scene. Then there was 9/11 that knocked the legs out from underneath the economy. Gradually, consumer confidence grew and we witnessed the economy recover along with it. Next up was the dive that occurred a couple years ago with the housing market crash and other variables that reduced many businesses to a crawl and caused some to fold.
So where do we stand during today’s time of challenge and controversy?
I’ve seen both the valiant and the meek. I’ve seen those that hide behind the tanking economy and allow it to control their life’s journey. The going got tough, and they crawled home. You could hear it in the way they talked, the words they used and the fingers they pointed at why their sales were down.
At the same time, others in their exact same position or industry forged through and made some lemonade! You could say these folks “measured” up! It almost became cliché among these troopers that they weren’t going to participate in the recession and their actions and results proved it.
Now we are slowly starting to see economic signs of life. Maybe not for everyone or in every industry, but we are hearing success stories. We are seeing new businesses open in a time where many still say it is crazy to venture off into such a thing! Although we may have a ways to go, it is those people that are standing tall and not laying down that will be the frontline to our recovery as well as their own.
Let’s throw a little caveat into this recovery. What if, in our near future, we don’t see the same level of recoveries we have in the past? Are we going to relegate ourselves to a position of wait and see? Are we going to keep one eye always looking for the hope of the return to better days? (My friend Tony Rubleski says that “Hope is not a strategy!”) Or are we going to focus on what we can do today to serve our customers and provide our own stimulus package of sweat, courage and perseverance?
Like I said last week - Opportunity does not discriminate! It is there for all of us to grab. I invite and encourage you to stand tall with me, measure the challenges we face, encourage each other along the way, and epitomize the words of the late Dr. King.
Now, Let’s Go Get ‘Em!