Signs of Decay

A friend and colleague sent this to me the other day. Not sure exactly which building, but its from one of the memorials in D.C.

This sentiment is also very true for the economic climate we find ourselves in today. Companies have failed to remember the dust they started from, have gotten large and seemingly "too big to fail", and deemed themselves invincible. No one is invincible, nor should they be.

Bringing it down to an even more intimate level, this can also be said for those of us in roles as managers. If we think we're insulated, too much depends on us, we're doing our jobs, and so on - we're wrong. The same rule that applies to deeply entrenched companies also applies to deeply entrenched employees right now - its about how excellent and remarkable you are. Companies like Google and Apple are weathering the storm while companies more far removed from their "hard beginnings" are failing (ex: GM).

The application for us as managers is to get back to the roots of when we first started our jobs - the hungry, idea-filled, optimistic start that captured the attention, appreciation, and respect of our co-workers, customers, and boss. Don't let the decay set in.