Context

While the front pages of our papers continue to underscore the magnitude of this economic collapse, the rest of the news and our everyday conversations really seem to be in a state of denial. Put bluntly - our country has been living on borrowed time for decades now and we're starting to experience the hangover.

I'm worried that we'll see the reversal of some great business developments we've started to experience in the last decade. For example, the "war for talent" has driven companies to become more employee-centric shifting the emphasis from the latter to former word in "Human Resources." Similarly, globalization and technology advances have stimulated customer empowerment in many sectors effectively dismantling our concept of marketing. As companies become cost constrained moving forward, the bottom line focus could reverse these wonderful advancements.

I've always loved the maxim "adversity is a true test of character." The importance of context in setting a mood and ultimately driving behavior is enormous. In the upcoming years, the context of a recovering financial system will be a test for our personal and national character. No question we're in for tough times as we recover from the consequences of our recklessness. Let's seize the opportunity to return to core values and resist the urge to recede from recent progress.