The Current Crisis - A Blessing Or Wound?

One of my favorite authors is Patrick Lencioni. We have used his Five Dysfunctions Of A Team as a text to improve our MHBT Construction and Bond Team. His new thing is The Simple Wisdom Project - a source of perspective and common sense found through rediscovering simpletruths.
Here's his latest email on our financial crisis.

For your own free subscription go to: www.simplewisdomproject.com.

Enjoy!


"Simple Wisdom Project POV: March 2009

A Blessing or a Wound?

Okay. This financial mess we’re in is definitely a crisis. The full extent of the problem is unclear, but a few things are likely. It is global. It will be long. And for those of us under the age of seventy five, it will probably be unprecedented and, thus, will change our lives.

The big question we need to be asking ourselves is “how will it change our lives?” And there are only two possible answers to that question: for better, or for worse. That’s right. Sometime in the future we will look back at this time and see it largely as a blessing or as a wound. The key to determining which of these will occur—in our families as well as our nation—lies in how we view suffering and the decisions we make as a result.

Ironically, I’m not as worried about our collective ability to survive this crisis—people are always more resilient than they think they are—but rather about what we might do before we feel its full impact. That’s because the anticipation of pain and suffering is often worse than the suffering itself.
I remember when I was a boy waiting for my dad to come down the hall and give me one of his rare but much-deserved spankings. It was misery. But I also remember that the spanking itself was never all that bad, and that when it was over I felt no resentment for my usually gentle dad. In fact, I quickly came to feel a sense of gratitude and relief because I had endured the punishment and pain, and could move forward stronger and better for it.

However, if you would have asked me before the spanking what I would have done to get out of it, I would have said ‘anything.’ Lied. Begged. Faked remorse. Sold my baseball cards. And that’s what worries me. Will we be so desperate to avoid or delay or even anesthesize ourselves from pain and suffering that we will make dangerous decisions which will only prolong and exacerbate our problems? Or will we take our medicine and allow it to make us stronger?

For families, desperation and danger can manifest itself in small and large ways, from over-investment in the time and energy we give to our work or the adoption of an unhealthy diet, to more serious vices like substance abuse, infidelity and gambling. These are particularly tempting during a crisis because they seem to provide a sense of distraction and relief, albeit a false one.

On the other hand, a crisis can be an opportunity to recommit to what is most important in life. It is a chance to cut back on unnecessary or non-critical activities and pursuits, and work to appreciate the real joy and blessing of being a family, which has much less to do with money than we seem to believe during times of prosperity. I realize that this might seem like a meaningless cliché to people who are already struggling to pay bills in their families, but in the end, proving that we can endure a crisis without sacrificing our principles really is its own reward. The fact is, even if we have to move to a smaller home or take a job that we had thought to be beneath us, we can emerge from all of this with what is far more valuable than any financial asset.

Now, when it comes to a nation, these ideas apply as well. Before and during times of difficulty, countries are often tempted to abandon principles that have always served them well but which are temporarily inconvenient. National leaders often justify policy decisions that they know to be wrong because they hope that they will somehow reduce or delay pain and suffering. But just like a family, these decisions usually prolong or exacerbate the pain, and sometimes in ways that are irreversible.

One of the examples that come to mind in the United States right now is a readiness to spend money that we don’t have to prevent some companies, agencies and other institutions from facing their mistakes. Another is the well-intentioned but misguided willingness to “forgive” unwise homeowners or others who have lived outside of their means, thereby rewarding them for bad behavior. In the end, we will find ourselves moving closer and closer to socialism, something that is dangerous but worthy of another POV of its own.

All too often, what looks like a life preserver in a storm often turns out to be an anchor for the individuals and society who swim toward it. This has proven to be the case again and again throughout the past century, and yet, when the going gets tough, we often forget history.

It is my hope and prayer that we, as families and as a nation, will have the courage and strength and wisdom to endure whatever pain and suffering comes our way, and to emerge on the other side with our principles and confidence and future intact. And that we will look back at this crisis not as a wound that scars us, but as a blessing that will rain down on our children for years to come.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Yours,

Patrick Lencioni"

Great perspective.

TPE3

Fort Worth Project Substantially Under Estimate

Today the Fort Worth Press indicated construction costs are down on current projects:

Stakes marked the ground March 3 for the pending Will Rogers parking garage in Fort Worth and some city officials couldn’t help but think they got a steal of a deal on the project, which locked in a winning bid of nearly $4.5 million less than engineering estimates drawn up last fall.

A steal or not, engineers for the Western Heritage Parking Garage at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum estimated the project would cost about $21 million. But with a winning bid of $16.5 million, the garage is just the latest example of public projects saving a bundle as construction prices drop. W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. will be building the garage.

“Those estimates were based on a garage that was done last year before things really turned in the real estate industry, but there was concern that [$21 million] wouldn’t be enough,” said Randle Harwood, program management office director for the city of Fort Worth. “This is about a 25 percent savings for us and that’s a big difference that can make a big difference. And other bids weren’t far off – the next one was $17 million – and when bidders are close like that, it’s the right price, which is great for us because this will allow us to stretch those dollars allocated to get more roads and better buildings.”

Harwood said the costs of construction products such as steel and asphalt have gone down because of a combination of lower diesel prices and the global economic slowdown that has put many commercial projects on hold, which has increased competition among contractors.

For entities such as the city of Fort Worth, this means a trip back to the drawing board. “As we move forward we’ll continue to see this impact from the pressure on bidding and it’s forcing us to go back and re-look at all of our cost estimates,” Harwood said.

For entire article go to www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=9710

Fort Worth Business Press
BY ALESHIA HOWE
March 09, 2009