Clearly, we don’t need to look far for reasons to enact change amongst us.  I continue to list the “high hard ones” to capture the dozens of conversations people have shared…and one of the most compelling reason to adopt a change within ourselves is the very fact that we shouldn’t waste a time of crisis.

Now is the time to take action.

A Crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

The perfect storm holds the hidden benefit of justifying extraordinary actions.  Our employers, our organizations, our local-state-federal governments all recognize this and have used this as an opportunity to recalibrate budgets, future plans and aspirations.  It also calls each of us to do the same.

If you’ve read my earlier posts, you know I also treat a horrible accident as a watershed event in my own life as it facilitates a number of quantum changes in me (some still in process). It’s actually been the catalyst (or excuse) for virtually any change I wanted to make.

We can actually use this “Great Recession” as the excuse to change our lives!

Sure, we can change our careers.  Go back to school, follow our dream job (most of us don’t really know what that is), start  our own business or even re-create the one we have.  Just because the landscape has changed, it doesn’t mean we don’t have control over what we do about it.

We certainly are forced to recalibrate our living.  Financially, we are all coerced to justify our lifestyles. How great will things be in a few years if we are able to maintain our “new lifestyles” with so much less stress? Our energy applied to relationships and meaningful endeavors will certainly yield a more rewarding life.

This series of short postings are highlighting several compelling reasons to enact change in our lives.  We each have our own reasons, but I’ve not talked with a single individual that doesn’t agree change is needed.

In my small part of the world, I am already seeing the early signs that people are joining together recognizing this need for change and beginning to shape the next steps.  We inspire each other.

If the recent news articles dealing with employee morale are any indication…our employees are desperate for change! [see example below]

It is inevitable that we all feel a bit separated & isolated after a period of shock.  In fact, I believe it is natural.

I’ve read, and heard of, so many divorces, broken relationships and career altering decisions after catastrophic events put such stress on people they simply shatter their preconceived assumptions.  I don’t for a minute want to minimize a truly catastrophic event, but I have witnessed a number of people that have (or are now) treating the loss of a job or downsized career as a catalyst for completely overhauling their assumptions.  I’m not sure it is all bad, but it can be if we’re not careful.

Keeping things in perspective is easier said than done, but we can help each other when we know we’re not alone.

Downsizing, unfortunately, doesn’t lend itself to team building or camaraderie.  Nor does it foster the beginning of closer relationships in the workplace.

The “I survived 2007, 8 or 9″ T-shirts simply don’t cut it.

As colleagues in an environment that has experienced shock, we must lead the positive change that we all know must occur (even if we don’t know exactly what to do).  It requires us to act — to communicate with one another (maybe for the first time).  It calls us to focus our attention on each other and put our egos behind us.

Putting all of our energy into improving the morale of those around us is the surest way of improving our own lot in life.

As a mentor, finding a way to serve the needs of someone else will strengthen the very network that is broken. You can make a difference in the life of someone else….and quite accidentally take one step closer to feeling what has been missing from your own experience.

We simply need more people serving those around us before we will heal this place.

———————————-

CNN Money.com article

‘Working twice as hard for half the money’

By Jessica Dickler, staff writer  January 25, 2010: 11:16 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Being out of work is taking a toll on job seekers. But even those with a job are getting fed up.

Layoffs, diminished benefits, pay cuts and extra workload burdens are finally pushing many disgruntled workers right out the door.

In a study by CareerBuilder, 24% of workers say they no longer feel loyal to their current employer and 19% plan to move to a new job this year.

Almost one-quarter of respondents surveyed by the Conference Board in a separate study said they didn’t expect to be at their current jobs within a year.

Since the recession took hold two years ago, only the threat of the unemployment line was keeping workers on the job. But as the economy shows signs of improvement, “people will start taking off in droves,” said Rusty Rueff, a career and workplace expert at Glassdoor.com.

Brent Q. hopes to be one of them. Q, who is 36 and works as a flight attendant at a major airline, has seen his pay and compensation cut 33% since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. At the same time, his hours have increased.

“We’re working twice as much than we’re supposed to be working for half the money,” he said of himself and his coworkers.

He has since gone back to school and graduated with an MBA, hoping to find work in arts administration and leave the airlines behind.

Despite his discontent, Q. says he will continue working at the airline until he receives a job offer. “I really can’t afford to quit, it’s a matter of grinning and bearing it until things turn around.”

“Workers feel like they took the brunt of the recession because companies had to do whatever they could to cut costs, and what they cut were programs that directly impacted employees,” explained Michael Erwin, a senior career adviser at CareerBuilder.

Now, with signs of improvement in the economy, employers should start thinking about worker retention, rather than cost cutting.

“Morale is in the toilet,” said Glassdoor’s Rueff. “Morale issues lead to productivity issues which lead to results issues.”

If employers do not communicate what employees can expect going forward in terms of reinstating salaries and benefits, then that’s going to cause a lot of friction, Rueff explained.

Joan Marie Verba, 56, couldn’t take another day with her former employer.

“I worked for a nationally advertised weight loss company. Our pay was basically minimum wage, with commissions for each client,” she said. “However, ever since the recession started, the number of clients diminished, which meant that the pay essentially was reduced to minimum wage.”

Plus, “they were cutting hours and the opportunities were just shrinking,” she said.

“I was just so frustrated, I had to make a change,” Verba said of her decision to quit in December.

She has since been looking for another job while taking additional classes in health coaching and working as an independent weight loss consultant.

But experts say employees need to keep their emotions in check and think twice about whether to jump ship without a back-up plan.

“It’s going to be even more competitive than it was last year,” Erwin said.

Workers should start thinking about their next move, update their resumes and build up networks. But quitting on the spot as a form of protest is not advisable considering the alternative of getting lost in a sea of job seekers competing for few openings.

“People who are in jobs need to think long and hard before they jump up and say that the grass is greener on the other side,” Rueff cautioned. “I don’t think they want to be out there on the street right now.” 

There is a terrific metaphor in Lance Secretan’s book “Inspire!” that provides one of the best descriptions of many corporate workplaces I’ve seen.  I’m surprised I haven’t seen it in Dilbert!

We all know the term “copycat” as it applies to someone or something who imitates or adopts the behavior or practices of another.  Although it is cute when we are kids, it can be annoying later.  While imitation may be the best form of flattery, it can prove to be disastrous if we are following the WRONG behavior (even inadvertently).

The “copyfrog” label, however, combines this notion of imitation with the story of how a frog is boiled.

It seems that if you place a frog in HOT water it will immediately jump out.  However, if you place a frog in cool water and slowly heat it, the frog will stay until the water boils and it is too late to escape.

Lance Secretan lists one of the reasons we find it difficult to change is this copyfrog effect: …someone who is afraid to speak up for fear of ridicule or feeling alone, or appearing not to be a team player, even though many others may feel the same way, and are also afraid to speak out.  The result is that we copy the perceived (but not the real) beliefs of others — we copy others who are copying us.

Quite simply, by not jumping out of the water (or changing behavior) we are endorsing the status quo and ultimately leading to our collective demise.

If we model ourselves after those who have been successful (or appear to be so) rather than being authentic to our own souls it is easy to be trapped in denial when things turn bad.

Is it possible we have all been guilty of being a Copyfrog at one point or another in our lives?

You won’t have to look far for compelling evidence that we need to embrace dramatic change.

While I will reference my own workplace, I have been bombarded recently with so many similar examples (even outside of automotive) from acquaintances, that I am convinced we need a new type of leadership at all levels in our workforce.

In prior postings, I referenced the loss of passion in employees due to the massive downsizing we experienced at Ford. I stand by those observations even though I have drawn some criticism for my perspective.  What is becoming more obvious, however, is the fact that a recovery (a real recovery) requires a fundamental change in leadership styles for all of us.

In an attempt to lead myself to full engagement I have been reading a great deal and doing a lot of “soul searching”.  Many of the thoughts in the next few postings were from a handful of authors who have specialized in the areas of value driven business (Nadine Thompson, Angela Soper, Ben Cohen, Mal Warwick) and next generation leadership (Lance Secretan).

It is clear to me that the traditional manager who has mastered the skills of motivation, project lead or program management, and delivering terrific shareholder returns (especially in the short term) may well be a detriment to recapturing the hearts and minds of people.

We have systematically trained (and have been trained) based on a flawed business paradigm. As one management theorist wrote in the Harvard Business Review (May-June 1998, pp 98-105), “Organizations need to remember that their ultimate goal is performance, not employee satisfaction and morale.”

The skill sets and convictions of the leaders that brought us to this place won’t inspire anyone to re-engage.  It’s time for all leaders, influential program or project managers and team members to raise our sights to a higher level if we want to sustain a true recovery.

More to come…

I just returned home from spending the day with our youngest son attending the NASA broadcast of the launch of the 2010 F.I.R.S.T. robotics competition and the subsequent “initial strategy” meeting his high school team held to get started with this 6 week challenge.

I walked away more impressed than ever with the future of our world.

Without getting too deep into the logistics of what the FIRST initiative stands for [For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology], I can tell you that it has far more impact in changing lives than ANY other activity I’ve witnessed to date.

Although centered around building robots for competition, it is more about building people for challenges.

Watching the transformation of young peoples lives is more than fascinating, it is contagious and I would encourage EVERY person I know to go see for themselves what is taking place in these high schools around the world.

Nothing is more relevant to the challenges we face.  One guiding tenet of the FIRST experience is centered around something they term “Gracious Professionalism”.

I wish every executive or business colleague could re-enlist in high school for such valuable education.

Just for kicks, watch the animation that explains what these kids (grades 9-12) have the next 42 days to build.  This is in their “spare time”.  While it includes a competitive drive, a thirst for knowledge and the thrill of contributing to something cool, the real benefits come from living through the intense and demanding schedule rarely experienced at a high school level.

As a professional (not in a science or engineering role) I have found nothing more worthy of recommending other adults volunteer their time in mentoring young people.  Take time to attend one of the local competitions.  Check out the details at www.usfirst.org

Next Deadline:  1/16/10

Our normal year end financial review brought about a disappointing revelation.

Homeowners Insurance

It seems that our home owners insurance premium went up a couple of percent and it struck me as odd since the housing values in Michigan have plummeted 50% this year.  It forced me to take a deep dive into something I considered a fixed cost and yet saved myself a small fortune in the process.

To make this long story short, just know that I have owned 8 different homes in different States (all through relocations with my job) since 1983 and we have been with State Farm Insurance for our homeowners coverage with every one.  We have NEVER had a claim, even when we have had small mishaps that might have been covered.

It has been our misguided belief that our loyalty to our insurance provider (or phone provider or bank lender or whatever) resulted in a favorable rate and treatment and there was never any cause to shop around as long as it wasn’t “broken”.

Boy was I wrong!

I decided to call GEICO (since I’ve grown to be a fan of Warren Buffet) to compare coverage and rates.  Much to my surprise, they cut my bill in half!

Believe me, I was a skeptic until the lady on the other line of the phone walked me through all the details.  They did a line item by line item comparison of every particular of my home (foundation, construction, fireplaces, moldings, basement types, roof types, patios, etc) since the home was built in 1936 and has had multiple enhancements along the way.

Loyalty

It turns out that they RAISED the amount of coverage by about 10% since the replacement costs exceeded the present selling value and kept my deductible the same…and still cut the bill in half!

My skepticism became elation….then my disappointment (almost anger) of being over charged for 20+ years for blind loyalty set in.

It’s a mistake I won’t make again.

It seems vendors/suppliers/companies that have long term relationships with you are easily tempted to take you for granted.  It seem nuts to me that a cable tv supplier or cellphone provider can give a new customer the same service as an existing customer (one that may have been with them for 20 years or more) at half the price….but it happens every day.

Value doesn’t always come looking for you.  You must go find it and then continuously benchmark it as time evolves.  Nothing stays the same.

How about you?  Have you found a better deal than the one you had been using for years? In a time of financial duress, we might all benefit from each others stories.

Next Deadline:  1/9/10