Celebrating Progress ... Not Perfection
 By
Henry D. Landes
April 2009
At our
March 25 Forum, I had the privilege of formally introducing
our 2009 theme: "Celebrating Progress. . . Not Perfection."
It is an especially apt choice for this year. It invites you to
reflect on your progress as a person, a shareholder, or a manager
in a time when the economy is the most challenging that most of
us have ever faced. Business owners and managers tend to dwell on
what they have not achieved rather than on the accomplishments they
are making. This is especially true during turbulent times.
Why focus on our achievements when there's so much to be done?
Of course, families and businesses need to take a hard-headed look
at what's not going well. But recognizing the gains we've made helps
build confidence, and confidence is the engine for our next step
forward.
At our weekly staff meetings, we always begin by sharing our progress
in our personal lives or in the business or both. We now ask our
clients to do the same when we meet with them. Most progress is
incremental-like building a management team, losing weight, or improving
one's relationship with a sibling.
Other progress represents important milestones. At our March Forum,
for example, we recognized two of our Hatfield members: Bergey's
Electric, for making a very significant transfer of ownership
from the second to the third generation, and Laboratory
Testing, Inc., a metal testing lab, for generating 21
jobs last year.
Another member, Brubacher
Excavating, Inc., of Bowmansville, and one of our partners,
Lacher
& Associates, in Souderton, were both named among
the "Best
Places to Work in PA 2008" by the Team Pennsylvania Foundation
and other sponsors.
As you've noticed, "Not Perfection" is part of the theme. Perfection
is something we can never achieve, and if we're always measuring
ourselves against it, we will always fail.
I encourage you to make celebrating progress a part of your culture.
It takes practice and, frankly, it's a little weird. You come to
a meeting and celebrate your progress when that nagging little voice
in your head says you should be talking about PROBLEMS!
Plus, you need to find a balance between celebrating personal and
business achievement. You will also want to present your progress
without seeming boastful or arrogant. It helps to ask, "Now, what's
the next step?" Doing so recognizes that there are still advances
to be made.
As for me, what progress would I like to celebrate this month?
Well, my wife Jane and I have succeeded in downsizing and simplifying
our lives. We've sold our house to our daughter and her husband,
and we've moved to a much smaller villa.
It is incredibly difficult to work with the ones you love. As you
wrestle with the complexity of being in business with your family,
note the progress that you are making every day.
We distributed a laminated card with the "Celebrating Progress"
theme on it at the March 25 Forum. I keep mine on my computer to
remind me of the headway I have made toward my goals. If you would
like one of these cards, just let us know.
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