What Time Is It?

This is the time to be your best. I don’t know about you, but I cannot be my best by doing some of the traditional and habitual things we Americans do. I am trying to be conscious of how I react to these troubling times. It is normal and healthy to feel anger or outrage and to blame yourself for not getting out of an investment or closing a transaction. But it is not good to hang on to those feelings and put off making a plan for dealing with the situation.

We consider ourselves a culture that revels in its individual ity. This is especially true in good times.  When we fail, it is also an individual matter, although we may try to shift the blame to others. The blame game is easy to play. But we are not all innocent victims in most cases. While most of us won’t take responsibility for the Wall Street debacle, at some point we need to accept the situation and begin to deal with it. Anything from writing your congressman to creating a new personal or business strategy can help you get through it.

My first personal change is to reduce my dependence on traditional network news. The networks don’t believe we will take the time to watch a complete and balanced report. In an effort to boost declining ratings, they offer us only part of the story in easily digested snippets or they distort it with negative or sensational information. When is the last time yo u can remember that you couldn’t wait for the news to come back on after a commercial? It is more like “Oh no, what’s next?”

I want to challenge myself to deal in specifics. We have a tendency to speak in general terms and to make broad assumptions. This bad habit can be most costly in difficult times. An old professor of mine would strike through the text of a case study and add the comment “motherhood statement.” His meaning was clear: Quit making broad, meaningless statements and get to the heart of the matter when analyzing the case study.

Now is the time to closely examine how you will change your strategy for success. Start by getting through the passive, helpless feelin gs and develop specific actions to take each day. Change from being a cynic to being a skeptic. Cynicism wastes energy, but skepticism can keep you sharp. Once your psyche is adjusted, change is possible. I have never witnessed an economic recovery where the mindset was weak or the spirit was unwilling. Don’t shoulder the responsibility for things you didn’t do, but do take responsibility for what you can do. Did you make that extra call or two? Have you stayed in touch with your existing customers and industry contacts? Clean up your act and look at how you can be more efficient in all your processes.

On my return trip from the first NEFA board meeting in January, I passed through a shop in the airport. As I was looking at a new eBook reader, the salesman began to explain the benefits of the item and how it compared to the competition. I said , “Well, I am familiar with it and the cost and will probably make a decision at home in Oregon, where there is no sales tax, after I have compared pricing.” Without hesitation, he let me know that although some companies had a system to waive the tax, he did not. However, they did have a sale on, plus a further discount if I purchased one other item. He also told me a newer version was coming out soon and what enhancements it had (weaker sales people would not have even mentioned a new model). I was dealing with a superb salesman. He went on to explain the features and compared them to the competitive product. In short, I went away with a bag of goodies and got a great value. Even though the price was comparable to a discount store, I measured the value in the knowledge he had about the product and the way he imparted that knowledge to me. Did I mention the eBook reader was for my wife, who is an avid reader and usually reads about one book per week? Our local book store knows her well. This was a triple vict ory. I spent money I had no plans to spend, so the economy won. My wife was happy because she can travel anywhere with multiple books without the extra weight. I was very happy because the cost is usually lower for an eBook, and there are fewer stacks of books in my home!

Business cycles are inevitable for many reasons. It will take a community effort to fix the trouble we are in. It starts with a single decision to do something, but you will need help. Maybe the help will come from a new funding relationship or from new markets that are less affected by the recession. No matter, business opportunities do exist.

The new administration seems to get one thing: Work with people f rom different backgrounds to get their input. Regardless of your politics, we can all agree on the need to communicate thoroughly and to involve all the stakeholders.  This sets a great example for our industry and association. We need to come together to review where we are and to decide how to get out of this downward spiral. You can’t do it alone, and you need other perspectives. There is no better time to be a part of the community.

Years ago I wrote an article about the value of membership. I compared the dues paid for the association to insurance premiums. You write the check, and although I hope you get immediate value, you may just forget about it for a while until a specific event such as a conference or class occurs.

I reflected on what my dues (premium) do for me. I decided that the dues and conference fees are my policy to ensure (insure) my future and protect me from getting behind in a very fast-paced business world. Many great ideas that have made or saved me money have been gained through networking.

Now is the time for you to file your claim. At this time in our history, we need each other more than ever. That’s what time it is!

P.S. – As a 2009 Director of NEFA, I offer this pledge: If you contact me, I will guarantee you an idea to either earn or save you money in 2009. This is my commitment to you, and it is another rea son why it makes sense to associate with NEFA.