Hoping for HOPE - Part 2


By Steven K. Haught, MBA

How does a nation as great and wealthy as America get itself out of this mess created by the coronavirus?  

We can’t just concern ourselves with the illness and its damage to life, we have to deal with the long and deep slide of our economy into the economic abyss we ourselves have created.

There is no question that scientists and doctors will play a major role in getting us out of this.  However, they will not be on the frontlines of getting the economic engine restarted and running.  They are no part of the creative teams and visionary thinkers building new technologies to energize a resurgent economy.  Businesses, its leaders and influencers, must be at the forefront of how America energizes our economy to a new future.

Security and personal safety cannot be marginalized.  All of us together must be sensitive to one another—respecting personal space, social distancing, doing all the things that support crushing this illness.  We have to do these things as new patterns of behavior so businesses can reopen and stay open and functioning.  A mask is not a sign of submission to a malevolent government as some knuckle-headed idiots claim.  It’s a sign of respect for others, responsibility and economic encouragement.  Wearing a mask now and maybe for a long time into the future, is one way we all do our part in energizing economic recovery.

Maybe these kinds of catastrophes should help citizens see more clearly that government, while well intended, shuts things down.  They can enforce the shutdown and punish those who ignore the rules.  They have all the money and dole it out as they see fit.  Too many of us think that if government can do all that… then they surely can get us out of this mess too.  NO government does not have that power, at least not a free-enterprise democracy.

So, where can we find a bright light on the horizon?  We have a vibrant private sector that thrives on challenge and building profitable enterprises.  Like it or not, the fact is, businesses like to make money and they must thrive to reach that goal.  Businesses that grow and thrive and make profit build the foundation of a powerful and resilient economy.  There’s an immense amount of energy, ingenuity and fresh thinking in the business communities across America.  They think of ways to get themselves into profitable positions, to build new products and services, to stimulate the supply chains, and hire more and more workers.

The message for America is crystal clear and should be shouted from the tallest mountains… OPEN NOW for Business!  Pick up the pieces and rebuild one part of the economy at a time. Employees, do your jobs!  Be creative!  Together, America’s business owners and workforce can do it, they are the only ones who can restart and reenergize our economy. 

Okay, some who are concerned about safety and the continued spread of COVID-19 would rather wait until there is no more risk.  Understandable, but not realistic, if we want America to be the nation she has been and can be once again. There is greater risk for our economic engine as businesses stay closed, waiting for the perfect conditions to arrive to reopen. Why?  

We are standing on the edge, looking into the financial abyss of a looming depression, if we don’t find the balance between safety and opening for business.  America’s energy is in its business vitality.  It’s our global competitive advantage.

Our national morale has sunk in the past weeks.  We are fearful and feeling defeated right now. The only thing that will change that is getting back to work, school, opening entertainment, shopping malls, sporting events and being good citizens by adhering to social distancing, hand washing, all the things responsible citizens will do for one another and for our reviving economy.

America knows how to suffer, its part of our national DNA.  However, America cannot be allowed to sink into defeatism.  The dreadful economic numbers that will batter us in the coming weeks are bad enough and they will get worse before they get better.  We need a renewed sense of focus and purpose now—that’s a rally cry to reopen and go back to work!

Let’s be like the pioneers crossing America 150 years ago, in search of a better life, a piece of ground to call our own.  This economic recovery will be a long trek, but every bend in the journey can bring excitement and hope, that the fertile valley just ahead will be ours, or the one after that.  

This time in economic purgatory has taught us nothing but normalized insecurity.  Americans have to know they can have a balance between safety and the quest for prosperity, or just to pay their bills on time.  People need hope.  Americans thrive on the next big thing, the new challenge just around the corner.  

We must return to the fullness of a vibrant life, and we do that by returning to what we do well… working.
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Commentary by Steven K. Haught, Founder and President  
of ENCORE! 2.5, a business advisory consultancy.  
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