President's Report - Gateway to the New Year

14.04.17-Trevor.Smith

What will the New Year bring?  Do we have an influence on it? Or are we all at the mercy of what comes our way? 

The holiday season and the gateway to the New Year brings the opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments and to ponder the decisions that did not bring us the results we expected.

For myself, it’s a time to re-read some of the books that, in the past, didn’t add up but now seem to have a different purpose. Is there some wisdom there or have we moved through the time where past information and processes are relevant?

Does an idea have a time?  Do we give up on that idea because popular belief at the moment says no?  Do we set the stage and wait for those ideas to find their time and come to fruition?  Yes, we do, within reason.

Patience isn’t always a bad thing in an increasingly fast paced society.  If slow momentum has the end result of moving an ideology forward, then with it comes success.

In whatever business you are in right now you are being asked to do more with less, “We don’t have the revenues we once had”, or “You have to keep the quality up but use cheaper products and less people”.  These are the common statements managers and personnel are living with now.

It seems though, instead of looking for help with the issue from outside our business circles, we are ever increasingly closing our ranks and trying to deal with the problem from within.  Sometimes it works but more often, a solution is not found because we become fixated on a homegrown solution.  Our business ego gets in the way! 

Why not keep autonomy within your specific business area but also develop relationships with other sectors and disciplines that allow collaboration on potential solutions?  Does it really matter who and where a solution comes from as long as that collaboration has moved the business forward?

Does the magic solution to our present situation have to come from one specific individual or organization?  Or could it come from an environment of cooperation, utilizing who and whatever may come up with the solution.   

The pie we are all feeding off is not getting bigger and may not for some time; it is important for us all to realize there will be casualties in a competitive environment. In order to stay healthy, we need to maximize our use of the things we have in common and develop an inclusive approach using each others strengths.

When can we decide to put our own desires and opinions aside to ultimately affect a positive outcome in a business that is so deserving of better than it is receiving now?

Let’s find a way to put our differences aside and work for what is best for this industry!   We all benefit from it and we will all grow from pushing ourselves!

Sincerely,

Trevor Smith
WCTA President