There is a strong quote from the early 20th Century that illustrates how economics and politics are inseparable. It goes something like this: “The worst illiterate is the political illiterate. He (the political illiterate) doesn’t hear, speak, or participate in political events. He doesn’t know that the cost of life, the price of food, rent, shoes, and medicine all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he brags about how much he hates politics. He doesn’t know that from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thief of all, the bad (corrupt) politician…”
While I believe people and organizations that are locked into partisan politics do themselves and their members a disservice – avoiding politics altogether is worse. Being non-partisan means that you don’t have an automatic bias or affiliation with one political party over another, which is good, but it is not the same as being apolitical, which means that you don’t participate in political discourse at all. You can be non-partisan and still voice your political preferences. At NAHREP, we value members who are politically active. We need strong representation at the highest levels of both parties. We need influence regardless of who is in power, and you don’t get that by being apolitical. The Jewish community is a great case study. They may disagree amongst each other on many things politically, but when it comes to the things that really matter, such as prosperity, education, and civil rights, they tend to be pretty well-aligned with one another. We need to borrow a chapter from that book.
Almost everyone, including Democrats, were expecting last Tuesday’s midterm election results to heavily favor Republicans. Many predicted a “red wave” where they would pick up 50-60 seats in the House and 3-4 in the Senate. Joe Rogan said the red wave that is coming will be like the elevator doors opening in the horror film The Shining.
Selling during a downturn required a more strategic approach, but the opportunities for growth and expansion are available to the savviest of companies. Here are some of the best ideas I’ve read about.
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors said “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
I’ve written about this in other iterations. I’ve talked about finding your rhythm, and the importance of letting things come to you, not forcing things, and then riding the momentum when you have the wind at your back. The point of it all is that success is not linear. Progress doesn’t follow a straight line. For most people, the journey is long and winding. It looks more like a stairway or a hockey stick.