Engagement and the Economic Crisis– Part 2

I attended a luncheon today in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, where the keynote speaker was a prominent leader in our economic development activity.  The speaker laid out some of the challenges facing our economy, for which we have our share.

But he also discussed a number of activities and businesses’ successes that were positive for Omaha. He indicated that although many employers were cutting jobs, he knew of others that were expanding. In one case he mentioned a company that was planning to hire over 100 new employees that would have an average starting salary of over $80,000, which for my neck of the woods is pretty good money.

I mention this story not to sing the praises of my home , (although I am proud to be in the same town as “The Oracle of Omaha” Warren Buffett). I call this out because it is a good reminder that although we are facing challenges we should continue to look for positive things that are happening around us. We may find at our company, for example, that in spite of slower sales that we may have a customer that is increasing orders with us. We need to look for these successes to not only celebrate them but analyze whether there are opportunities for us to build on those successes.

• What can we learn from these “victories”?
• Can we apply what we’ve learned in other ways?
• Are there similar customers out there who could be won if they knew we were being successful with someone like them?
• And in regards to employee engagement, can we deploy our best talent to go after these opportunities?

In the midst of crisis, let us continue to look for bright spots. Where are yours?

Tags: Best Places to Work, Economic Crisis, Economy, Employee Engagement, Recession