Is the glass half empty or half full?
Is this the best of times or the worst of times?
Is this the end of the story or the beginning?

If you answered, “yes,” to each of the previous questions you are on the road to experiencing the benefits of HI Way thinking.

Today is February 5, 2010. Arguably, this is one of the most daunting times in the history of the United States and the larger global community. Here are the Top Ten Issues facing Americans, as reported by one recent source:
1. The Economy
2. Unemployment
3. Terrorism
4. The Federal Budget Deficit
5. Health Care
6. Education
7. The Situation in Afghanistan
8. The Situation in Iraq
9. Taxes
10. Regulation on Big Banks

This list of “scary stuff” gives you pause, doesn’t it? It’s a good time to take cover…to protect your assets…to sit tight and wait it out. Right?

A colleague and subscriber to my column called me yesterday to talk about the concept behind my writing this manuscript. He commented that the idea presented in the INTRODUCTION was compelling; he then added, “Do you think this is the best time to put this out there? Is this the worst time or the best time, considering that so many people are hunkering down and just trying to make it through? I question whether they will have the resources that will enable them to implement the things you are suggesting.” Great question. Here’s my response to him, and to you:
HI THOUGHT #1: There has never been, and never will be, a better time than right now to pursue your vision.

Best time thinking is the antagonist in the story of how the HI Way plays out in business and life. Right time thinking is the hero.

Consider my opening three questions:
1. Is the glass half empty or half full?
2. Is this the best of times or the worst of times?
3. Is this the end of the story or the beginning?

HI Way thinking challenges you to answer, “yes” to each of these questions. How you choose to frame your response is all about your point-of-view, given what you currently know, in each of the situations that you face. Perspective is an amazingly powerful tool when it comes to navigating through a world where change is the only constant. The reality is that you have no choice as to when and what situations in business and life you will face. However, you can choose how you respond to those situations. Let me illustrate:

1. Is the glass half empty or half full? Imagine any number of employees sitting in their offices in the World Trade Center (or Anywhere, USA) on September 10, 2001 looking out the window and considering, overall, how their lives are going. Based on what they knew at that given moment in time, would they have been more inclined to say that the glass was half empty or half full? Generally speaking, there’s a strong case for the “half full” response. But, what if they knew what was going to happen the next morning? Their response, conversely, would have been “half empty.”

Which response is right? Both.

2. Is this the best of times or the worst of times? Imagine the players on the 1978 New York Yankees baseball team. It is mid-July and the team is fourteen games behind the first place archrival Boston Red Sox. As a player and fan, based on what they knew at that given moment in time, would they be more inclined to say that that it was the best of times or the worst of times? There’s a strong case for the “worst of times” response. But, what if they knew what was going to happen the next weeks leading up to October, when the Yankees would win the pennant and subsequently the World Series? Their response, conversely, would have been “the best of times.”

Which response is right? Both.
3. Is this the end of the story or the beginning? Imagine it is Friday night, and the twelve disciples of the Rabbi Jesus have just witnessed their leader’s vicious beating, crucifixion and death. Based on what they knew at that given moment in time, they likely would have been more inclined to say that it was “the end of the story.” But what if they knew all about the events that were going to occur that coming Sunday? Their response, conversely, would have been “the beginning of the story.”

Which response is right? Both.

Doing business and life the HI Way is a point of view. That view 1) embraces the realities of the current situation, positive and negative, and 2) moves you to pursue the right way to proceed at this moment, given the circumstances. Those “circumstances” by no means should be minimized or ignored. The reality of the situation informs how you can move forward with intentionality and available resources. Jim Collins’ breakthrough book, Good to Great, offers a compelling model for evaluating eleven “great” companies that consistently outperformed other competitors over a given time period by the conventional measure of success: stock market performance. Having established the benchmark, his team then explored for shared characteristics between the companies that defined their sustainable “great” success.

Of particular relevance to the HI Way, is Collin’s discussion in Chapter Four, “Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith).” He uses the powerful example of Admiral Jim Stockdale, who in 1968 during the Viet Nam war, was captured, imprisoned and tortured along with his fellow prisoners in the infamous Hanoi Hilton for seven years before being released….

**Completion of Chapter 1 will follow next week.**
**Previous chapters? Go to the "Archive" section on this site.**