This week was something else. One big shock, 25% of the employees stranded around the country, new projects put on hold, phone calls laced with silence and a hard search for productive traction. Words, the essence of the business, failed us. Conversation dried up.

It's a time for renewal. of commitment and devotion, of passion and focus, of direction and intent. Like the entrepreneurs we are, let us take this lemon and make it lemonade.

In times of realignment, it is completely normal to ask "what in the world is meaningful about this silly thing I work on?" It is completely normal for the first answer to be "Nothing, nothing at all." Hardly an academic exercise, we've been handed the opportunity to rebuild the very meaning of our lives, professions and industry. In the ruins of our personal New Yorks lies the opportunity to shift into a higher gear and come back even stronger.

There is meaning and importance in our collective work. Internal Recruiters, External Recruiters, Hiring Managers, Newspapers, Job Board operators, Assessment Companies, Ad Agencies, JAD companies, HRIS providers, ATS houses, publications, trade shows and job fairs are the mechanical components of our global labor market. We lubricate and facilitate the movement of people between places of employment, up and down status ladders and through the economic cycles. Personal meaning and self-concept, so often tied to place of employment, is the result of our work. Effective operations and economic well-being, the net results of our work, are the backbone of growth and prosperity. We maintain the engine that drives the economy. Our work is powerfully important.

One of the astonishing things about tragedy is the way it puts faces on the faceless. We worried about people we knew by reputation only. We checked the passenger lists to see if a biz-dev guy or a recruiter we knew was in transit. We worried about our customers in the buildings. We were concerned about the various pinnacles of New York who have crossed our paths. Compassion ran through our offices at unprecedented levels. We wondered if we could ever be critical again. The temptation to become a kinder gentler version of the pre-catastrophe institution runs high. Who cares to be the first to provide disciplined thought in a sea of sorrow?

It's not nit-picking to notice the flaws in the processes and products in our industry. With no formal educational structure, no credentialing process and no centralized voice of the business, someone has to champion the idea of a bigger picture, higher levels of quality and long range trends. The temptation to be kind is the simplest way to allow mediocrity to creep in. We won't stand for it.

We renew our commitment to setting standards that involve excellence. We pledge increased attention to the quality of the user's experience. We promise to notice when both sides of the mouth are engaged. If the Emperor is naked, expect us to comment on his tailor.

The 20th Century ended on Tuesday. We hope you'll join us in the resulting commitment to take things to the next level. If not all of us, then whom?

- John Sumser © TwoColorHat. All Rights Reserved.

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Materials written
by John Sumser
© TwoColorHat.
All Rights Reserved.

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