Mark Renn

September 11 changed a number of things for American, and for that matter the world. The focus of the news media has shifted drastically from quiet whispers of an upcoming recession to focusing intensely on the impact that day may have on the world’s economy. It is common to see a great deal of concern over today’s economic conditions in the newspaper, television, Internet or any other form of media.  Americans are bombarded with news of stock market woes, downsizing and profit loss of corporations and the like. Through all these changes, it is important to recognize that this is not the first time Americans have had to endure a recession and that we all have choices to make during this period of economic change. The unemployment rate throughout the nation and in Colorado is coasting around 5 percent. As simple math dictates, 95% percent of people are still working, which means even in this time of turmoil there are still countless new opportunities.

What happened on the web, or “dot-com” industry, is that in most cases these fledgling companies did not stick to business fundamentals. A company cannot cash-flow itself into a profit, cannot forecast the future and cannot continue growth without having one factor in place at all times, that being profitability.

With that recognized, it should be easy to realize there are still a tremendous amount of opportunities available to Americans, which needs to be our focus. Too many people are tormented with the thought that they will not be able maintain their jobs or recover their careers as a result of that failing “dot-com”, or company of any industry. Basically this time, as always, we have choices. In good times as well as bad, we have choices. Choices we as Americans must make to command what occurs in our own lives. Just as in any situation where life’s important choices are presented, this is not a time to wait and see what the future holds. This is a time to move forward.

Companies are still begging for talent. We as individuals must focus on the talents we possess and how to present those talents to current or prospective employers. No different than any other period in one’s existence, you must learn to balance every aspect of your life. So many people are unhappy with their careers because they have not established balance. They let economics, industry, their company, friends or other factors take control of their futures.

What we need, is to look at what it is we can do to improve our futures. Opportunities are there, just present yourself for the opportunity. A common misconception is that if an individual is lucky, everything has gone right because luck that has always fallen into place for them. The truth is, this person is only fortunate because they have put in place what was necessary to make sure that luck was on their side.

People go through history in different states of being. Some will be extremely successful, most will have survived and some will not. The difference is only based on one thing, and that is how you balance this period of your life. If you are currently looking for employment, be aggressive about it and use the proper procedures to put your career in place. If you are unhappy with your career or are looking for upward mobility, change it. If you are happy with your career, focus on keeping it that way.

Look at what you need to do, where you need to go and what career path is right for you. Start moving in that direction and by all means, be aggressive. Be the best you can be and move forward.

Today, people are too concerned with what the media presents to them, allowing those factors to take control of their lives. This is not to say that we shouldn’t have concerns about what is going on in the world, but should also emphasize focus on what we do have control over. In our careers as well as lives we must take control, be aggressive and always move forward. Maximize your self in these tough times and you will truly reap the rewards. There are a tremendous amount of opportunities out there, only you can find them if you choose to.

There are five pieces of our lives that we need to constantly balance. Those being, our families, friends, spirituality, health and career. Keep the balance and watch yourself move forward and accomplish your life’s objectives. There is only one individual that can have such an impact on your life, and that is you.

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

Early in the 1999 NFL season, Mike Shanahan, head coach of the then World Champion, Denver Broncos had a problem. One of his veteran defensive players allegedly made a comment that after only 4 games, the team was finished for the season. After a poor start, going 0 and 4, this player supposedly implied that the team would be lucky to win 3 games that season.

This statement and the conversations that occurred with Mike Shanahan afterwards prompts this article. Mike Shanahan hit the nail on the head about what is so vitally important for every one of us to understand on a daily basis. He said that he would like to know which player made that statement so he could fire him on the spot. The last thing the Broncos need is someone with that attitude infecting the rest of his team.

Quite frankly, negativity in the workplace is an issue that faces corporations every day – the attitude of the team members within that organization. The unfortunate thing with many companies is that they believe that they need to be responsible for maintaining happy, healthy, productive employees. There is a lot of truth in that, but there is one part of that puzzle for which they have no responsibility and no control over. That is the attitude of you, the individual employee. Your attitude is totally your responsibility. Your attitude is what I want to talk about in this article today.

It is unfortunate, yet it happens so often, where the individual employee lays all the responsibility on the company for creating a positive work environment. That’s not to say that things don’t ever go wrong at a company or there may be situations where it is in everyone’s best interest for the employee not to be a part of that organization. The point I am trying to make and that I think is important for people to recognize is that only you, the employee, have total control of your attitude. Outside circumstances can affect you but they do not control you. You are in control of the way you approach your day and your job responsibilities. Bad things do happen to people. Unpleasant things happen to people. The bottom line is that these things that happen to you are not as important as how you handle them. Getting a new boss that you don’t like or get along with, or having the organization acquired, or being given extra responsibilities without compensation, or whatever the situations are in the workplace that in your opinion are unfair or not what you would consider ideal, are your issues to deal with.

The best way to deal with these issues is for you to approach them in a positive manner. As I always tell my children, life is not fair, get over it. And the point to be made here is that if you continue to have a positive outlook, you will improve the situation that seems unpleasant. Because developing that positive attitude does not necessarily mean that you will continue to maintain yourself in that situation, but that you will start looking at a more realistic, proactive and beneficial approach to finding the solutions and or best steps to resolve the problem. These best steps can be found by perhaps leaving the organization or developing an improved situation for yourself within the organization. Either one could be a very plausible solution.

One thing I always recommend is that if you are planning to stay with the company for awhile, support the organization until you leave. And when you leave, shut the door, speak only in a positive fashion about the organization (if you speak about it at all), and move forward with your life.

Throughout my career I have watched a number of people succeed and I have watched a number of people, quite frankly, fail. The one common thread that always prevails for those that succeed is their positive attitude and approach to their work, their life, their employer, and their family – every aspect of their life. They live with a proactive, realistic, positive attitude.

Not only did this attitude problem with an anonymous player for the Denver Broncos catch my interest, but I was also interested in a recent article that was in a local publication about saboteurs in the workplace. It struck me about how it paralleled so perfectly with Coach Shanahan’s reaction to the alleged statement by one of his veteran defensive lineman. Basically, the saboteurs, as the article pointed out are those without a positive attitude or approach to the workplace and/or their situations and, quite frankly, to life in general. We find most of these individuals have a negative outlook towards their work but it carries into their personal lives as well. But the common thread that was stated by that article and by Mike Shanahan is that the saboteurs, if allowed, can and will destroy the success of an organization. The thing I also found intriguing is that most saboteurs don’t recognize what they are truly doing. We are dealt with challenges and/or concerns on a daily basis. We have a choice every day of either becoming a part of the solution or a part of those challenges. I recommend that in every aspect we look at ourselves as being part of the solution. Because solutions are what make employees and companies successful and helps them progress into the future in a realistic and positive fashion.