Looking Back- and Forward

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have found 2008 to be a very interesting year. The year started with my decision to return to consulting after a multi year hiatus. Even more interesting I decided to spend part of it recapturing my "roots" in the Southwest.
I decided in returning to consulting I also wanted to look at a different model- focus on creating engaged organizations and what it takes to build them and sustain them rather than just the usual projects.
I wrote and published my first book- people tell me that is a significant accomplishment. I tell them it took me thirty years to write the book, it took me several months to write it down.

The year also caused me to seek out and create connections with people all over the world through the use of social/business networking sites like LinkedIn and others. I have to tell you I have "met" some amazing people and created relationships that I will value for years to come. The value to me isn't necessarily commercial, it is the opportunity to engage with and exchange ideas with people from all over the world. I know I am much richer for it, I hope they are as well.
The current economic situation has definitely given us pause and hopefully motivation for introspection. We have seen this "coming" for some time and chosen to participate in collective cognitive dissonance, just pretend it wasn't there.

Maybe I had just been buried, but it also seems to me that 2008 has brought a profound resurgence of interest in employee engagement. Everybody seems to be talking about it and how to get it and keep it. I guess that is one of the ironies. In this time of crisis we are willing to do almost anything to re-stimulate the economy, even communicate with and engage our employees as partners rather than as just a cost of doing business. Technology and systems don't build and sustain long term success, relationships and people do.

We elected an African American president and saw a woman on the ticket for the Republican party, both historical firsts. We saw a female presidential candidate achieve another historical milestone with her candidacy.

2009 brings its challenges. The economic situation is one of the worst in the last 100 years. Being the optimist that I am I hope that it will also create a catalyst for doing things differently. Perhaps we will be willing to examine a new social contract between employer and employed with more appropriate balance in the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Maybe we will recognize that we live in a global economy and be more willing to appreciate and take into consideration what is going on in a global context rather than just our world.
Maybe we will even recognize that issues like health care, financial literacy, education, and other matters will require a collaborative effort between business, government, and individuals to fix.

For some reason I approach 2009 with the audacity of hope. I hope you do as well. Thank you for all of your support in 2008 and best wishes for 2009. It is up to each of us to decide how we apply the lessons of 2008. I hope we do so wisely.

The Power of Our Example or....

At the Democratic National convention former President Bill Clinton made a very interesting comment, at least the concept was interesting to me. He said that the United States is always at its best when we utilize the power of our example rather than the example of our power. What an interesting differentiation.
A friend responded to an earlier blog post with the comment that in today's intertwined economies and intersecting business and political interests that conscious interference with another countries economic model could have the same or even greater negative effect than a nuclear weapon and that attempting to impose a culture incongruent with another nations value structure as potentially devastating as a biological weapon.
When I look at what has happened from the recent economic crisis and the way it has wound itself back and forth through the world economy I don't think his comments are overly dramatic.
There have been interesting comments all over the Internet suggesting that the impact of the United States on the world economy is so significant that the citizens of the world, not just the citizens of the U.S. should have a say in our presidential elections. While I don't agree with that I do think we need to recognize the responsibility and impact we have as a world player.
I see a similar role for those of us that are Boomers and members of the Greatest Generation in providing leadership and guidance to the Gen X'rs and Millenials that will assume responsibility for the world sooner then we would like to acknowledge.
I have done a tremendous amount of writing, blogging, and speaking about the concepts of organizations based on commitment versus compliance and the wisdom and value of engagement.
I like to think that is what draws me to the analogy of the lighthouse- the power of example rather than the example of power. So in the end if not us then who, if not now then when......?

An Interesting Time

What ever happens tomorrow this has been a very interesting time for us in American politics and history. We nominated a mixed race African American for the presidency on one ticket, and placed a woman on the ticket of the other party.
We have seen registrations and voter turnout at unprecedented levels. We have also seen some disappointing behavior and some parochialism. This is the first election my son will be able to participate in. It has been an interesting experience talking with him and his friends about what the issues are that resonate with them and why they support one candidate or the other.
The "passion" or vehemence I have seen in this election has been something to behold as well. I am not a big fan of personal attacks from either party. I am not a fan of labeling either. Labeling to me is when you ascribe pretty negative motives to someone for a view point that is different than your own- whether that is sexism or racism or whatever.

If we take a look at other dynamics going on in the world we know that whoever is elected they come in to the role with a lot of issues facing them. The volatility of the U.S economic picture and in reality the world economy, the fear and anxiety that people have about leadership in general, the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a bunch of others.
I hope they recognize that neither candidate or party has a clear "mandate". The polarity of the election means a lot of bridge building and attempting to reach out to your soon to be former opponent.

I think that the style of the candidates from how they ran their campaigns, to how they made the selections of their running mate was also an interesting exercise in leadership and communications.

I don't know about you, but personally I am ready for the campaigns to be over and for us to begin to move forward. I hope that we have learned something over the past few years and we are willing to move forward with creating a new model for this time and age, regardless of the outcome tomorrow.