jdean3 - Tales of Transformation

[Note:  I am intentionally breaking this post into multiple entries this week.  It was far too long, and I'm not skilled enough to be succinct.]

Start with Priorities:

This “Great Recession” we are experiencing will certainly have many lessons on life for at least another generation.  From learning to save for rainy days like these, to taking charge of your career, to creating the lifestyle that you can afford, to simply re-aligning our priorities; difficult times can provide terrific opportunities for learning and fresh starts for each of us.   I want to share a few revelations of my own as my focus these days has been on the silver linings of difficult events.

Nothing is more unsettling than learning for the first time that the rock solid institutions you once believed would always prevail are forced into bankruptcy (or the proverbial “mergers of equals” – Takeovers).  When the first couple occurred it was easy to rationalize them (Enron, K-Mart, etc), but when the massive wave of unexpected foundations crumbled (GM, Chrysler, Lehman, Fannie & Freddie, WAMU, etc) it finally awakened the reality that no fixed business is sustainable by design.  This state of fluidity is now the norm and has multiple positive by-products if we embrace it.

As I’ve mentioned, one of the most obvious positive outcomes is the ability for each of us to realign our priorities.  Chasing something we don’t really value is silly, yet we’ve all been guilty (at one time or another) of unnecessarily increasing our debt or frivolously spending what we’ve earned  which ultimately restricts our ability to achieve what we value most.

I once thought it would be easy to sit down and FORCE RANK all of my priorities.  I was wrong, it is an incredibly difficult task. Go ahead–give it a try.  The more you write down, the more more difficult it will be to justify and rank.

Start by listing all the things you like to do rather than all the bills you pay.  It will be easier to identify the things that you are passionate about and value most.  Include things you’ve never done, but always wanted to do (and believed you would do one of these days).  The list will be long, but that is ok.  If you stick with this exercise (it will take you a couple of weeks if you’re like me), you will start to categorize the list in separate buckets and ultimately start to see a few trends or ideas arise that might surprise you.

Once you’ve successfully listed all of the things you value…force rank them.  This is kind of impossible (it’s akin to saying you love one person more than another), but it will force you to make decisions that must be made.  For me, it reinforced the importance of enjoying every opportunity (events, days, family gatherings, etc) rather than just looking forward to the next “big thing”.  When you have 20 something #1 priorities, like I had when I first sat down to do this, you will come to realize no one is in control.

It is painful to come to terms with the fact that we often allow life to unfold around us when we could have made different choices that may have resulted in outcomes closer aligned with our real priorities.  Knowing and ranking our priorities is the first step to correcting this inequity.

Bankruptcies allow companies to make a fresh start (sort of) without the encumbrances of debt. It allows them to redefine or re-engineer their mission, plans, priorities and strategy.  As painful as it is during the process, it facilitates a second chance.  We all deserve and have this same opportunity even without the financial protections this process affords.  It simply starts with a personal list of ranked priorities.

Happy Listing.

A note after the 3rd major “reorganization” in 3 years of Ford’s U.S. operations:

I thought it was just me, but I was wrong.  I was convinced my personal depression/desperation that existed over the past several months was a reflection of my personal circumstances (injury & recovery, “temporary assignment”, professionally out of the loop).  I have come to realize, however, that I am not alone.  Without naming names or breaking confidences I now know that the potential loss to a company forced to downsize may be greater than most realize!  The shock factor to the organization is far greater than anything I’ve witnessed.

• How is it possible that someone can go from “Top Achiever” or “Outstanding Performer” to worthy of being fired in less than a year?
• How can someone be given a promotion, bonus or merit pay increase or be given a key assignment in a critical and growing component of the company be let go without warning?
• How can a new-hire or someone the company just relocated to another part of the Country be dismissed a few months later?
• How can someone who was so highly regarded the company paid to send them to an ivy league institution for higher education or management training now be asked to leave?

The questions and irony goes on but the incredible injustices that are perceived in a major upheaval like the auto industry has witnessed has dire consequences. Perhaps the greatest loss (beyond the obvious talent that is dismissed) is the destruction of passion in those that remain.

The outright injustice that exist when senior managers are allowed to remain when the real workload talent is walked out the door will ultimately play out and correct itself, but it is impossible to continue/restore the loyalty and blind obedience that symbolized this company for decades.

Along with their financial security, an entire workforce (at all levels) has lost their passion, their support network, their confidence and even their trust.

It was one thing to think it was just my own insecurity and self pity, it is another to realize the loss to this great company is so massive, it will take another generation to heal. Thank God the economy sucks.  Otherwise the brain-drain/exodus would be catastrophic.  The challenge of reviving our zombie staffs will be more than management has been trained to do–there has always been a deep bench of able players to pick up whenever called upon…but now there aren’t even spectators.