Times Like These

“It’s times like these you learn to live again, It’s times like these you give and give again
It’s times like these you learn to love again, It’s times like these time and time again…”

–     Lyric from “Times Like These” by Foo Fighters

The soundtrack in my head bursts out at the strangest times.  So, Monday night when a banker said “times like these,” I wasn’t too shocked that Dave and the boys came up next on the playlist in my noggin.

These are trying times, yes?  Or, as Thomas Paine wrote in the first volume of The Crisis, a series of 16 pamphlets Paine authored in late 1776:

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

And it’s not just politics.  Business rules are too often out the window.  Common sense and trust take a back seat to procurement processes and risk-management policies.  “Vendor management” is a real thing.  Really.  Loyalty, in other words, ain’t what she used to be.  Reputable, strong and profitable companies make radical, desperate decisions because there’s no guarantee of tomorrow, or of tomorrow’s profits.

So, what’s a difference maker to do?  In crisis, the easy path is to shrink from service.  When we stand by our values, ethics, strategy, clients, profession — we stand taller — but how best to begin?

It’s times like these you learn to live, love, give and give until it sets us apart from the crowd.

Call a client today.  Call a client that fired you recently to learn why — and what you can do to avoid it happening again.  Call your parents today.  Call a friend who’s fallen out of touch, or an enemy you need to apologize to.  Stop by and see someone you know might be lonely.  Drop off a cup of coffee for a co-worker who is struggling.  Congratulate an opponent.  Show up :30 early or stay :30 late, or leave an hour early to go to the park and write down a “to-don’t list.”

Live, love, give.  In times like these, but not only in times like these.