Expert Network - November 2012

Pivot -- n; a person or thing upon which progress, success, etc. depends -- World English Dictionary

A story is told about Charles Francis Adams, a 19th century political figure. He kept a diary and one day his entry read: “Went fishing with my son today -- a day wasted.” His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary. His entry was far different than that of his father. His read: “Went fishing with my father -- the most wonderful day of my life!” The father thought he was wasting his time while fishing with his son, but the son saw it as an investment of time.

The illustration reminds us how our perceptions shape our reality. What the father perceived to be a waste of time was perceived in a totally different light by his son. It also reminds us of the importance of leadership. Leaders come in many stripes and styles and each possess their own unique approach. In short, leadership development is a work in progress.

As the dust starts to settle on the massive destruction left by Hurricane Sandy, along with the tragic human cost, rational thought process has many of us pondering the macro effect. We really won’t know the exact impact on the United States economy until well into 2013 and, even now, the general consensus by and large is mixed at best with strong opinions on both sides of the spectrum.

With such unique events, the true question is how the full extent of the disruptions can be quantified while reviewing the various types of damage and duration of disruptions to various activities that result in economic impact.  For starters, one would have to consider the cost impact to insurance companies as the rebuilding process takes place and this will be costly -- very costly.