This month many of you will all take time to remember our forefathers and all the sacrifices that they made to help build this country. On a broader scale, hopefully we all take time each day to feel gratitude for the abundance of resources and opportunity that we have in this country as opposed to so many other places on this earth.

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Recently I sat down with the president of The Halbert Company, Dr. Bill Halbert and talked to him about his book “Vexed: A Relationship Parable about the Interplay of People & Profits in Business”. I quickly discovered that this was a man who practices what he teaches. The first thing he said to me was, “Tell me about yourself.” I was somewhat taken aback as I had made it clear that my intention was to discuss his book for this article. I reminded him of that and wondered if we had enough time to accomplish the task at hand. However, he insisted that he wanted to hear my story. And so, for the better part of an hour we had a lively discussion centered on me!!! Quite frankly, it was incredibly refreshing to have such an attentive listener who I felt really resonated with my more philosophical thoughts and brought such humor and lightheartedness into the conversation. I imagine that this world would be a much better place with more people like Bill. In times such as these, there’s a lot to be said for the message he is trying to send out, especially to the corporate world through his training, seminars and books. So what exactly is the message of his book “Vexed”? Well, this is what he told me:

Bill: ”We created a fable intended to bring attention to what is happening in lots of businesses in America today. Which is the idea that managers and leaders are struggling with how they manifest a concern for the bottom line and also handle the people. More often than not the people come out lacking- on the downside.

But to come out with that as your main premise is just another flag waving and probably wouldn’t get anybodies attention. So what we created was a tension between these two, so that, in the fable the prince and princess are going out to try to discover truth. So where is real truth when operating a business? Is it in showing great concern for profitability and bottom line. . .and all the good things that have to do with measurements and all the nonhuman issues? Or is it being such a concerned person for people that they just want to work with you and do their best? Well, the obvious answer is: it takes both and it’s the balance, the critical balance of those two. Because if you go too far to the left or too far too the right, you’re in a bad place.

Now my bias is ...well, unfortunately, I would have to say that far more of my experiences with companies I have worked there has been the illusion that if they just tighten up their bottom line that the people thing will just take care of itself. But what happens is, you get turnover, you get low moral, you begin to see people only doing what they have to do. There’s, stress and pressure and you just get a really miserable place to work. . . people endure the workplace. So, that’s what the book is about. And, in this time of economic concern, the book is just unbelievably timely.”

Holley: That’s what I was going to say. I wrote a note here “this book’s timing is great considering what’s happening right now”.

Bill: Yeah, it really is. I would love to be able to get into a platform where I could follow up what’s going on in the political scene and say, “you know you can make promises all day long about tax up or down, who we are going to tax, what we are going to tax and all of that is the profitability side”. But at some point and time, some leader needs to stand up, much as FDR did and say, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. Well that’s a feeling. .that’s an emotion. .that’s the business of helping us believe once again that we are great. That we are capable.”

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(Submitted by Staff Writer Angela Holley)

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