It has been a while since I
contributed my last blog post. Like most other projects of mine, the one
constant that keeps running when other priorities arise is the calendar.
I have been spending a lot of
windshield time the past few months, crisscrossing the territory that
Northland Buildings covers. I visit our
sales reps, management, and also suppliers and customers. The philosophy is that in order to have a
bird’s-eye view of the company, I need to get a perspective from the worm’s-eye
view.
This year there is a consistent
theme. By and large I sense a guardedly
optimistic attitude for growth in 2013, albeit with plenty of potential glitches. Not least of the glitches is the
winter/non-spring of 2013, generating a significant “community bad mood,” that
will get no further mention here to avoid aggravating fresh wounds. Further feeding the angst is uncertainty
about drought (less likely in the last month); commodity price spikes for
lumber, metals, grain, and fuel; the general state of the economy (are we
entering the third consecutive spring swoon?); political uncertainty with
fiscal cliffs, sequesters, affordable health care (!), and foreign affairs; not
to shortchange bombs, guns, wars and rumors of wars.
In that nugget of guarded optimism
I take something real. Most of the
people I’ve talked with are hoping for the best but planning for the
worst. The media is bombarding us with
all things negative, adding to the underlying self-generated anxiety, sometimes
to a point of paralysis. There is a blurring
the line between news reporting and opinions, most often for monetary or
political gain. In spite of this I will
quote one of my best friends, “Where would you rather be than right here, right
now?” A rhetorical question, maybe, but
it hits home. Now is the time to do our
best, right here.
I have come to three general
conclusions, which may or may not be related:
1 1. Seems like most of my worry-wort time is spent on
things out of my control, even though they can affect my life and/or
business.
2 2.
Talk radio people do not stop talking if and when
they do not know what they are talking about. This applies to hosts, guests, and listener/callers. The only reason anybody stops talking is when
the time is up. Remember that.
3 3.
I have listened to way too much talk radio over
the last few months. Some politically
conservative, some liberal, some sports related, and some general. The analysis is the same. So why do I keep listening? Good question.
2013 is one third complete and the
time if flying. Here’s a mid-year
resolution. For the balance of this year
I will attempt to focus on that which I can control, and respond to
uncontrollable events as best as possible when needed. It is time to take the half-full glass and
work with it.
And next time I get behind the
wheel, I will turn on some music (if there is no ball game). Happy Spring and Summer!
