Everyone has said it. Everyone has heard it. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.” That’s what we are doing regarding our jobs crisis… and this is true for BOTH political parties!
The world has changed. Driven by technology and globalization, the economic and workplace landscape has undergone a monumental and permanent shift. For the most part, Americans are oblivious to the shift; elected leaders have no clue how to address the shift; and all sectors of society, including Wall Street and the US education system, are ignoring it. The bottom line? If we fail to see that the shift is eliminating jobs; that it is not creating new, genuine jobs, America as we know it will fall apart.
No country can exist in harmony with itself (or other nations) when economic instability, suffering, chaos, and a sense of hopelessness becomes the new national psyche due to a lack of good jobs. Fact: there are no NEW job creation initiatives in America… because the ideas and solutions are antiquated and divisive. The old ways of creating jobs don’t work!
Job creation must be priority #1 as no society can exist without them. Job creation is more important than anything else, including environmental issues, global terrorism, political differences, or any other issues facing America.
The Good News
America can create new jobs. We are a resilient and intellectually strong nation whose foundation is rooted in freedom, entrepreneurialism, and a “united we stand; divided we fall” character.
The Troubling News
We seem to have forgotten that freedom is neither free nor guaranteed. Everyone must be engaged in defeating our enemies. It’s not just our military that must protect our freedoms because the greatest enemies to our way of life lie within each citizen:
- indifference
- intolerance
- incompetence
- indecision
- inaction
Each of us must play an active role in slaying these enemies. This alone will lay an important foundation for new job creation.
Individuals can no longer depend on employers or the government for their well-being and livelihood. An entrepreneurial spirit, self-reliance, a resourceful constitution, and self-responsibility must be reawakened. Everyone must become an entrepreneur or intrapreneur (using entrepreneurial skills working for employers). Everyone must give more value than ever. Mediocrity and slothfulness won’t work in the new transformational workplace.
A “united we stand; divided we fall” character must also be reignited. If you don’t believe America can self-destruct, go back in history to reacquaint yourself with America in 1860. During the Civil War, Americans killed more than 620,000 Americans. Can it happen again? Without a doubt! We must begin valuing differences, seeking collaboration over confrontation, and demanding that elected officials return to the days when they were true “public servants.” And the most important issue these public servants must address is job creation.
If we don’t create new, genuine jobs, our country will fall apart.
For statistical reference, read The Coming Jobs War, by Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton