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Darek's February 2010 column

By Darek Johnson

Because I enjoy art-deco and art-nouveau design, I sometimes search unconventional places for such works of art. My objective is to find treasure: signs, statuettes, plates, posters and other period testaments, and buy them, hopefully, at a low price. As with any treasure hunt, the search is the most interesting aspect.
Last Saturday, my interest led me to two, small, backstreet pawnshops. At the second one, I overheard a man and his wife talk with the pawnbroker. They handed him a wristwatch and said they needed a hundred bucks.
“Can’t do it,” the pawnbroker said, “not for a hundred.” He positioned the watch between them, on the counter top. The couple looked at one another, anxiety on their faces.
The shop was small and warm. I, uncomfortably close, feigned interest in an antique drafting set that rested under spidery, countertop glass. Cars passed noiselessly on the street and afternoon sunlight fell through the dusty windows.
The woman straightened, glanced outside, then back to the broker. “What if we add a digital camera?” she said, then walked outside to get it from their car.
While she was gone, her husband told the pawnbroker he’d earned $100,000 last year, as a specialty-machine operator. This year, he said, there was no work.
The wife returned with the camera and they made the deal. She then remembered the camera’s memory card and asked for the camera back, so she could extract it. ‘I want to save the pictures,” she said.
They drove away in a late-model Chevy Trailblazer.
Three kids in the backseat.

In last month’s issue, Susan Conner, Steve Aust and I wrote “The Gods Must Be Crazy” (See page 60), which included interviews on the present economy. My part included predictive comments from industry executives -- Dave Goward, Roland DGA Corporation’s president and CEO; Steve Urmano, Mimaki’s marketing director; Steve Ball, GraphixDirect’s CEO; and Brigitte Hunt, Viscom Italy’s exhibition director. I also contacted Vince Cahill, president of VCE Solutions, but, because he was visiting South Korea, his comments arrived too late for that edition.
I asked Vince if he saw the national economy gaining or retreating in 2010, then followed the question with another: Had he detected any clues that would support his observations?
Vince claimed to have seen the crash coming, and I’m sure he did. He’s observant, a prudent thinker and, also, somewhat of a skeptic.
We share that trait.
Vince wrote, “Ayn Rand’s unfettered market neocons were in charge in Washington, and the government had stopped regulating. Unfortunately, no one wanted to hear about the consequences of their acts, plus Wall Street and real-estate wizards were making too much, without risk to themselves.”
I Googled “neocon.” A May, 2004 Pittsburg, PA Tribune-Review article said, “Neocons [new conservatives] are a [political] group who had witnessed the empirical failures of liberal welfare, state and foreign policies, and were, therefore, less ideological than other conservatives.” The Tribune also said neocons were skilled at promoting one another. Meaning, they take themselves seriously, a trait that’s shared by many politicians.
My friend Guy Richardson, a business-psychology student at the University of the Rockies (Denver), recently forwarded a copy his fall thesis, Overconfidence in Business. Guy wrote, “Most people see themselves as better than average; more competent at their job, more intelligent, more insightful -- and less biased than the rest of society.”
He quoted Lao-Tzu, who said no sane man would over reach, spend or overrate himself. “If the Chinese philosopher was correct,” Guy said, “then most of us are a little crazy.”
Guy’s paper examined how beliefs can trap people -- and how such single-mindedness can cause problems for others. He said overconfident individuals often create serious problems.
It’s true that most of us picture ourselves as better than average. We’re more competent at our jobs, more intelligent, more insightful – and, yes, less biased than the rest of society. You can observe this universal trait by driving on the freeway. Any freeway. There, everyone is the most excellent and deserving driver.
Guy pulled information from Psychological Review magazine, where authors Paul Healy and Don Moore assert that overconfidence in judgment and decision making can be catastrophic. The two said such thinking is often accompanied by a lesser vision of other’s capabilities, which causes people to assume responsibilities they can’t handle or, worse, make costly decisions.
This is an enormously human trait, as any parent of a teenage child knows. It also describes the foundation of Vince’s evaluation: “No one wanted to hear about the consequences.”
Vince said 2010’s economy would escalate, but somewhat unevenly. High unemployment (or underemployment) will run through the year. To gain, he said, we need vision, a workable strategy and commitment to the retooling of America. And, a radical change in our mythology, so we can work cooperatively as a community.
Vince’s 2010 business philosophy? To listen and respond to his customers, then provide them with what they want and need.
He also said the past year had enforced his belief of supporting, nurturing and rewarding family, relatives, friends, employees and customers.
It’s called looking out for one another.
Ex-fighter pilot, lecturer and author Lt. Col. Rob “Waldo” Waldman (USAF Reserve), in his excellent book, Never Fly Solo, said to always have a wingman, especially one that gets back to you about your weaknesses.
Waldo wrote, “I used to think attitude had a lot to do with how one responds to the missiles of business and life, but the more time I spend in business, I am convinced that it’s how we prepare for adversity that determines the outcome.”
I met Waldo once, in Atlanta. He said fighter pilots don’t listen to inspirational tapes; instead, they prepare for combat.
Vince said to nurture relationships with your family, relatives, friends, employees and customers.
Guy said don’t take yourself too seriously.
To better yourself and your business in 2010, consider adding these concepts to your daily routine. Need motivation? Imagine yourself in a pawnshop, your wristwatch in hand.