Bad Times and a New Optimism

I'm typically an optimist--and if you have interacted with a lot of City Managers--you'll find that optimism is the exception and not the rule. It is typically the City Manager's role to ensure that we can pay the bills, avoid the lawsuits and to keep rancorous Council meetings to a minumum. In order to succeed in this role, one must spend a lot of their time coming up with worst case scenarios--and then making sure they never happen. Thus, when most of your time is spent trying to anticipate disasters and then avoid them--you typically supress your ability to see the bright side of things.

While I respect the custodial role I've been given--I believe I can be more effective if I properly balance my cynicism with constant doses of optimism. Therefore, instead of devoting today's blog to budget woes--which is the dominant theme of today, and most days--I'm going to post a great Sacramento Bee article that Maria Henson wrote several weeks ago. Ms. Henson has tired of the daily flow of negativity that has dominated the news media since last fall. She has resolved to seek out those who see our current sitation in a more positive light.

In her first dispatch, she interviews William Isaacs, who has spent the last few decades helping senior leaders create "visionary transitions" for their organizations.

From Isaacs she acquired a new lens through which to see the downturn.

"Any circumstance that looks terrible and scary can be an excuse to feel bad," Isaacs told her. "It can also be an opportunity to say that this could easily be a moment where we finally redefine what it means to be around. What matters in times like this? Well, who you trust. Who you relate to. How you live in a more balanced and sustainable way."

You can read the entire article at sacbee.com and I'd also recommend you read this quote from Emerson that he references.