08.31.10
Who are You Going to Believe?
“The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty – a fad.” – The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer, Horace Rackham, not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903.
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out anyway.” – Decca Records, when they rejected The Beatles, 1962.
Scientists See Ice Age In the Future.- The Washington Post, January 11, 1970
The nay-sayers and dooms-dayers have always been with us. Especially in times of economic and social uncertainty they seem to prosper with statements filled with gloom. These statements range from the financial disasters awaiting the world to the failure of capitalism in the United States of America to other dire global health and natural disasters that are bound to happen. With this daily bombardment of the-sky-is-falling predictions, who are you going to choose to believe?
While I’m not minimizing the seriousness of the problems that we are currently facing, we have to make a decision. Either we are in business and in life to build something worthwhile or we are going to drift along at the mercy of every negative statement that tells us the best years are behind us, that no one is interested in our idea, our product or our mission. The very essence of the pioneering spirit that has made America great is the same pioneering spirit that drives you and me to risk it all to make a better life for our families and communities. We must believe in “can” more than “can’t” and in “do” more than “don’t”. If the great inventors, musicians, doctors and scientists over the centuries had listened to the prevailing opinions of the day, our quality of life would be much less than what we enjoy today.
This week and the rest of the year make it a point to eliminate a crisis-like management style from your life and from your company. Recognize that things may be tough but lead your company to operate with a sense of purpose and vision that will inspire growth and creativity. Choose to believe in success and not failure.
Regards,
Brian Boek
