A little more can-do, please
Kansas City Business Journal
Friday, April 2, 2010
I'm not a fan of motivation books. You'll never find prints of eagles or whales on my office walls with sayings about courage or persistence (and you definitely won't find a kitten imploring me to "Hang in there").
The closest I have is a quote from a co-worker that he scrawled on my whiteboard: "Brian looks for the cloudy lining in every sun-filled day."
But I have to admit, a quote in last week's paper really caught my attention.
Asked about provisions in the health care reform bill that could make it harder to build or expand specialty hospitals, Nueterra Healthcare LLC President David Ayers said: "Nueterra's going to come out of this just fine because we find ways to make our business work."
I didn't take the quote as some marketing-minded, rah-rah comment, but as symbolic of an attitude that we haven't heard a lot about lately.
It's not simple optimism, but it's that uniquely American mixture of confidence, competitiveness, rebelliousness and inventiveness.
Hard economic times spawn hardship and change. It's natural for those who have suffered great losses to feel hopeless and seek someone (else) to blame.
This holds true for individuals and for large corporations that feel threatened by new technology, new rules and new consumer demands.
But proclaiming every change as doomsday and everyone you disagree with the devil - whether it's with a megaphone or a PR campaign - isn't productive.
The future will belong to those people and companies for which hardship and change spark imagination, not those lighting protest torches.
The winners will be the ones who put in the spadework to adapt to new times and markets, not the ones who are waving pitchforks.
That's because societies, like species, are on a slow-but-constant evolutionary treadmill. Those that aren't moving ahead will be left behind.
Come to think of it, this same dynamic applies to the free market.
David Ayers' quote exemplifies the spirit of those who are able to keep their minds trained on the finish line instead of griping about all the hurdles that they must cross to get there.
It's an acknowledgment that the tougher the obstacles, the sweeter the ultimate victory will be.
This is the spirit we should highlight as we make the steady transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, as we unlock the secrets of genes and diseases, as we use technology to improve efficiency and quality.
Our country has faced many challenges. We've succeeded because we find ways to make our nation work.
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