Local politics - the heart of the community

Matrix Key: Personal Awareness - Community - Legislative

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan

Malala.  Do you recognize the name of the young Pakistani woman whose name swept our headlines last autumn?  Malala gained international attention as a young teenager for speaking out in support of keeping girls in the educational system.  At age 15 she survived a gunshot to the head by Taliban sympathizers.

Fortunately, local politics here in the United States are not a life or death matter. However, local issues affect our daily lives much more than what happens in Washington or in the rest of the world.  Do the firefighters have sufficient equipment to respond if your home catches fire?  What if your garbage was no longer magically removed from your sidewalk? Those potholes in the road will not be fixed by your congressperson. And on the upside, your local leaders are probably truly interested in your opinions and welcome a chance to talk with you.  Your input and support could be a crucial factor in the outcome of a community issue.

In the WholeLife Matrix, I suggest four ways you can be involved with your local political community:

1. Knowledge of Issues
2. Voting
3. Dialog
4. Support

When you stop to think about it, Malala did not set out to become an international activist.  She was a Pakistani schoolgirl who passionately wanted to continue attending her local school.   What local issues are you passionate about?

Retreat from Daily Routine

Matrix Key: Health and WellBeing - Vacation and Time Off - Away from your Daily Environment

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”  - Terry Pratchett

Have you ever caught yourself driving down the street and realize you have no idea where you are going or why?.  Maybe you drive past a new business that just opened and ask yourself "where did that come from?  How come I didn't notice that before?"  Our systems are hardwired to develop habits – essentially to put things on autopilot so our brain can conserve energy for other activities.  Which is a great for efficiency and many redundant daily activities like brushing your teeth.  These habits serve us poorly when they shut off access to new ideas or cause us to stop interacting with the world around us.

At these moments it is important to give your brain a vacation and reset.  When you distance yourself from a situation you are able to look at it differently, discovering new solutions and understanding.  Interacting with a different group of people, especially if you travel to a foreign country, brings new appreciation for the people who surround you every day.

In the WholeLife Matrix, I identify four keys and benefits to snapping yourself out of a brain dead rut:

1.     Travel

2.     Getting Away

3.     Change of Scenery

4.     New Perspectives

The change can be as simple as taking a different route to work for a few days, or as involved as a trip to a foreign country.  So go ahead and expose yourself to new sights, smells and sounds and wake up those sleeping sensory mechanisms!  Your brain will thank you!

Employees - Your Most Precious Resource

Matrix Key:  Financial Viability - Resource Management - People

"People are definitely a company's greatest asset.  It doesn't make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics.  A company is only as good as the people it keeps." - Mary Kay Ash

A vital component of Financial Viability is Resource Management.  Your company must be a good steward of the people, products, capital, and information it has available if the company seeks to be profitable.  The most valuable resource of all is your people.  In these challenging economic times, it may be easy to think that it is an "employer's market."  Many people are searching for work, and it could be tempting for employers to cut wages, benefits and incentives thinking that their workforce can be easily replaced.

Here's the thing...you wouldn't purposely buy inferior products, because the lack of quality will cost more in the long run.  Excessive employee turnover is another huge cost to an organization.  Better to hire, train and nurture excellent people who share your commitment to making the company great.

To properly care for your employees, you need to be taking the following actions:

1. Create a human resources department that can handle your employee needs and comply with all pertinent rules and regulations.
2. Train your employees well, and cross train them so they have a better understanding of other roles.
3. Provide consistent, visible leadership.  Make sure your employees know where they fit in to the company's goals and why you are asking them to do what they do.
4. Evaluate employees regularly and reward excellent performance.

If you recruit and train great people, you will want them to stay.  The best teams are those that have worked together over time and who feel like valued partners in the company's success.  When you have your A-team on the field, you have a much better chance of winning the game of business.

Are You Ready to Win?