In these tough times

In reading the different news stories about these tough economic
times and in talking to numerous engineers and manufacturers in the
field, I’ve become aware that we’re all standing at the
edge of our own abyss, and all of our abysses are connected.

For some, what keeps them awake at night is a business loan they
cannot get because banks are hoarding taxpayer funds the U.S.
Treasury dolled out with few strings attached. For others,
it’s the people they have to face to lay them off. And for
others, it’s having been laid off—riffed—and
making that painful call to a spouse, parent, or child; and for
others, it’s the fear of getting that long, escorted walk out
the door.

We really don’t know what’s next, except we’ll
be asked to do more with less.

We’re dealing with emotions on a mass scale we
haven’t seen since 9/11: Despair, fear, anger.

We got through 9/11 by communicating more, and more slowly. I
remember the long conversations that I had with strangers; being on
the phone with the wives of authors not home because they were
stranded. I learned about children and hobbies, health issues and
weather. Eventually, the gears of society meshed, and the economy
regained momentum.

Someone called me today; I didn’t pick up fast enough and
he didn’t leave a message. That happens a lot today. People
call, there’s no answer, and rather than leave a message the
caller just hangs up. People used to leave short messages. Before
that, long messages. Before that, people talked. If we’re not
careful, people won’t bother to call at all.

I recognized the number of the hang-up caller, and called him
back. He was surprised and thankful. He had a problem and I helped
solve it. It took just a minute. He’ll always remember that,
and I had a charge of good feeling that made my day better.

So be easier on each other. If it’s not you having a hard
time, it’s someone on your team or someone affecting your
team. Work hard, but keep your priorities in order: health, family,
etc.

One thing I’m sure of, when the gears mesh again,
we’ll be driving a different economy and driving more
carefully.