The economy sucks.
The hope of the recent elections is waning as republicans and democrats alike fall back on tired "get elected" habits, instead of working to solve our country's our states' our cities' and our communities' problems.
Headlines starting with "After [82] Years In Business ..." and ending with "... Closes Its Doors" are the rule rather than the exception.
Bankruptcies are on the rise. Jobs are on the decline. Rampant prosperity is over.
The world is out of control.
Sound familiar?
Feel familiar?
Here's one that may not sound or feel quite as familiar, yet is just as true:
The age of the individual is over. The age of the team has begun.
Who Is Your Team?
In the late '70's I was a teenager working in residential remodeling with my father. For almost 20 years, Dad had purchased the vast majority of our building materials from Reis-Moran Lumber -- a small lumber company in our neighborhood.
For almost 20 years, Dad never failed to pay a Reis-Moran bill. But the economy had taken a downturn, the country was in a recession and two of our most recent customers -- very large projects, I might add -- lost their jobs and refused to pay us what they owed.
Faced with the dilemma of either paying a huge lumber bill or feeding his family, Dad did the only thing he felt was fair.
He paid the bill.
While I can recall a great many small lessons about ethics, morals and life -- all of them taught by example rather than words -- I think Dad's decision to pay that bill was pivotal in transforming the boy into a man.
"The men who run Reis-Moran have always treated me fairly," Dad said. "They aren't just suppliers of lumber ... they're part of the Wagner Remodeling team. If we're going to survive this recession we have to protect the team, not just ourselves."
"Besides," he added, "they have families to feed too."
The Only Leverage You Need
The economy may suck. Hope may have waned. The world may feel out of control. The news may seem like it's moving from bad to worse on a daily basis.
And the easiest and surest way to thrive while others fail is to leverage the power of your team.
Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association
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