Surviving the Storm
I don’t know about you, but I have had a different life experience over the past decade. I have compiled a list of items communicated at every turn in general conversations or networking events. I have reflected on each that also personally affected me and decided to speak out in a more “public” and less “private” style. This is not meant as a woe-is-me blog intro but as a representation of what many Americans of every age demographic are experiencing. I am not alone in facing unbelievable challenges that have brought me to this point—a precipice if you will. I believe, however, that I share a willingness with many on the planet who want to unite and lift each other up. Let’s change the landscape.
In the last decade, I have lost my father, mother, stepmother, youngest brother, and cousin, who was like a sister to me, all of whom have transitioned to their next adventure off the planet. Just like many of those in my country facing estate challenges, preparedness for transitions is a primary focus we would like to support at Kaizengia.
In my recent lifetime, I stood by my then-husband through five cancers, my mother through dementia, and my oldest son through a traumatic brain injury he sustained after being assaulted in downtown Denver. My youngest son was a recipient of a Bone Marrow Transplant, and my middle son was the donor. I have rehabilitated after having both of my hips replaced post-COVID and after walking bone on bone until hospitals were again able to take on elective surgeries. All of these happenings had a significant effect on my emotional, physical, and financial health. I have experienced nothing different from many in our country who faced extreme challenges during a similar timeframe. Some have experienced FAR WORSE than I have. We must continue to balance out and bring energy and enthusiasm back into our lives. We are capable of grounding and bending.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, not being considered an essential employee, I was forced to retire and take Social Security early, which resulted in a penalty of hundreds of dollars per month. Many of our Seniors were placed in this uncompromising position. Due to a divorce that plunged me out of homeownership and into the rental market, my housing expenses increased 3.5 times what I paid as the owner of a small condo – an earlier design to show Leadership with a small carbon footprint. Our Senior citizens across our country find themselves in similar situations with the additional threat that their hard-earned Social Security Retirement, often their only safety net, has been squandered by our Government and may very well be discontinued. This is a problem that must be solved. Dear Mr. President: Our Seniors must come first. Is there a budget review that we can participate in? Caring for the Elderly represents the respect we, as a country, show those who have built before us. What are we teaching our children? How can we creatively problem-solve this issue?
This has all culminated in many being forced out of retirement and re-entering an unrecognizable workforce. Ask any senior citizen who has joined the current workforce how they are coping. Many have thrown their hat in the ring to assist companies with their tasks at hand, where an excellent work ethic and loyalty to owners and investors have been replaced with staff who spend more time on their cell phones than addressing significant operational issues that plague their organization. This is further exacerbated by the management of said companies, which do not know how to address performance problems due to a lack of training or experience. I have listened to leaders in every type of field suggest that COVID-19 remote work options have immeasurably reduced work ethic and operational focus as staff return to in-house attendance. These are dilemmas we must solve. To progress, we must be willing to evaluate where we are in our processes and behaviors and find every way to love ourselves and others more. We are creative and capable of miracles. There is nothing we cannot do with conviction and the willingness to roll our sleeves up and take the necessary action toward improvement.
In many companies, office politics coupled with a much less focused workforce have added challenges for Managers responsible for delivering bottom-line profitability. Those interested in performance at any level risk intimidating those who hold positions above them as a FEAR factor, and a competitive vs. collaborative atmosphere also exists. It has been said that a more aggressive response to performance-focused individuals is due to the difficulties of finding and maintaining employment, so protecting one’s “turf” becomes a significant priority for Managers. This environment does not motivate staff to excel; therefore, accepting mediocre operations is commonplace to remain employed and not “rock the boat.” Studies and papers being written now include how to handle Millennials in the workforce. I believe Servant Leadership combined with impeccable staff creates JOY at work. JOY at work promotes JOY at home. It is a handshake with benefits.
In recruiting, try to find a job when Artificial Intelligence (AI) makes all the decisions about one’s future. A job applicant never gets to see or speak to a natural person until AI devours their resume using keyword indexing. The nuance of the personal touch has been removed from the process. How can we enjoy more human interaction?
Doing less for the customer and charging more has become the standard in our country. Worse yet, we are outsourcing our workforce and jobs to other countries where people are willing to work for far lower wages. This can devalue specific job classes and cause customer frustration with language barriers. Loyalty to the customer, who pays our salaries and provides for our families, is nonexistent. Respect and care for the workforce are considered a necessary evil, and those who support the company are deemed expendable and replaceable at whim (especially in At-Will states), thus exacerbating FEAR for those not as financially stable. We are capable of creating extraordinary environments that allow all to serve. We have to ask ourselves what we are focusing on!
Any event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or, for that matter, any health issue, can create a situation where medical expenses bankrupt a previously solid individual or family. A job loss can do the same for those who have experienced challenges that required them to dilute all their assets or reserves, plunging them into a “survival mode.” We can uplift all we can through our compassion, understanding, and peaceful positive action.
The cost of a college education ensures that our youth are saddled with such debt that homeownership becomes an impossible goal without significant income generation, which for many is impossible to reach. Without generational wealth, there is a definite gap in opportunity.
Our Country is at a critical crossroads that will determine the planet’s future. Messaging and influencing the thought process of our countrymen, especially our YOUTH, is an urgent and essential component that can affect a change in direction and momentum. Our team at Kaizengia has decided to take on these challenges. Kaizen, the Japanese term for “continual improvement,” is our vehicle of choice. Our background historically has been in re-engineering process flow to create efficiency and productivity. Kaizen is the perfect tool to advance the thought process of what we have focused on professionally and personally for decades. We think we owe this to ourselves and, most importantly, to our children, who count on us to LEAD.
Stay tuned for some TOUGH LOVE, delivered through STRAIGHT TALK and a willingness to resolve problems actively. These are not exercises for the faint of heart. Through taking on a Leadership role as a “Voice in the Wilderness,” we hope to bring some unique perspectives to the forefront. Compassion and understanding remain at the core of all we do; personal and professional GROWTH is a consistent result. Collaboration and stepping outside our comfort zones are mandatory skill sets for those taking the Kaizen path. Having patience with ourselves and others is a must. Willingness to see things differently with an action orientation is a significant contributing factor in moving any growth process forward. Each step we take as individuals affects the whole exponentially.
WILL • ACTION • GROWTH
© gia Kerr 09.2024