The Nice Guy Gets Ahead

In the words of Seth Godin from his book, Small is the New Big, “What if, just maybe, we quit making stuff and started making a difference?” How many of us have had the opportunity to go out there and really think about making a difference.  Whether it’s starting your own business, reaching out to the community, assisting someone to get through a project, or just taking the extra time to listen to someone in need. That doesn’t seem like much, but during these tough economic times many are only focused on how can I get through the day to save my job, keep food on the table for my family and are worried about their financial future. Yet the world would be a better place if all of us took $1, or the extra ten minutes out of our day to do something to inspire someone, educate someone, shake up the status quo and seek to make a difference.

Obama recently passed legislation to help stimulate the economy after sitting in on a boardroom listening to Top CEO’s about their gripes, concerns and issues in today’s marketplace. Although we do need something to stop the bleeding in this country, I disagree that the big CEO’s need to continue to gain money to bail out their businesses. In fact, I think it’s more about bailing out their personal interests rather than the little guy like you and I.

Yes, we want to create new jobs. Yes, we want to encourage people there is hope for the future. Yes, we want to get this economy to work for us in our favor. However, it’s the smaller businesses that seek to change things from the norm and should be receiving subsidies and/or funding from new investments. For the most part, these are the people that worked for big businesses, may have seen the inefficiencies and don’t have ulterior motives. They have the desire and passion to revolutionize how we do business which could potentially save our economy. Seth Godin continues to state, “In a time of rapid change, the best organizations are small and fast, and the people who run them have a chance to make an impact that will last.”

This should not be a time of giving out handouts to others that aren’t willing to make drastic changes. Others think this is a time of doom and gloom when it’s really not for the professionals that are seek to make a difference. It’s a time for these new leaders to shine. It’s a time for every major organization to evaluate how one conducts business. How we can be more efficient, how can we rely on new technology for production, embrace change and seek out ways to collaborate with others through social networks, as well as build relationships with other experts face-to-face. “Big companies are big companies because they’re very good at yesterday’s business,” states Godin. The world is changing rapidly and it’s up to us, as Obama suggests to see how we can individually contribute to the growth. No it won’t happen overnight. No man is an island, but it may happen if we can put on our thinking caps to stand fear in the face. Be a little creative and mix things up from the norm. We can hopefully identify the hope for the future. The more people in numbers that take strides each day will inevitably put us all in a better place than we are today.

I am determined to make this year a time to focus on my desires, to learn more skills, as well as make a difference. I strive to stand out in the crowd and work with others that want to help climb to the top in hopes to contribute to the growth of each individual. We must invest in the new entrepreneurs, listen to bloggers, the youth, and the men and women that seek to make a change in this society. Those are the people I would like to take my tax dollars and invest in our future. No more can we risk letting new actions from falling on deaf ears.  It’s unfortunate that some of the crooks will continue to get ahead being deceptive, look for the easy solution, or consider only their best interest. I certainly hope in my lifetime that it’s the individuals that will do what it takes to see “the nice guy get ahead,” and these individuals make a difference to thrive in our next generation.