What matters to you: The Usual Suspects

One of my mentors told me that when it comes to the pipeline industry, remember the ROW (right of way) is only so wide. Chances are, you will pass the same person more than once in your career. So, you may as well try to get along with them, or they might block you in the next time you need to get by.  I’ve heard another similar analogy about climbing a ladder with many on different rungs, and how the view differs between those looking up at the person ahead of them and the person looking down at the person behind them. The perspective and culture leadership brings to an organization or community can make all the difference. Personally, I like better the way Doug put it using the ROW analogy.

I’ve heard the phrase ‘in the good old days’ a number of times growing up and throughout my career path. Again, I believe it’s a matter of perspective. Are the changes happening in a workplace when we ‘progress’ good or bad?  When it comes to freedom and self-reliance, I’m envious when I reflect back on ‘the good old days.’ When it comes to creature comforts, such as the ability to connect with others around the world, or transportation, well, we are ahead of the curve to be sure.

At times, I have said to my mentors “It’s because you guys got to do EVERYTHING that I can hardly do ANYTHING”.  I do believe that some of the standards we have today, through learned experience, are a good thing. But we are also quickly diminishing self-reliance.  If the safety net were taken away for a moment, I wonder how much we would see actually being taken. If people were accountable and responsible for their own actions, imagine how their behaviours might change. There is something to be said for life’s bumps and bruises as we grow.

On those old jobs, Doug was right. I ran across several people like him on projects or in other companies throughout my career. The ‘usual suspects’ always seemed to show up in leadership roles, at all levels, and when you get enough of them together, that is when real good things happen.  Morale goes up, safety and culture improve, quality improves, productivity goes up; the environment is taken care of, and the ‘silly bugger’ factor goes way down; the tribal knowledge is passed onto another generation.  Like attracts like, and success breeds success.  I’ve also observed this from town to town, and sometimes from province to province or state.

Mentor and grow

Please recruit and mentor others. You will find that when you do this, you will ultimately enjoy yourself more, your families will be happier as well because you won’t be taking up so much of their time for your next project. The end results of the project may not be entirely what you envisioned but could be something way better when you have those fresh ideas, bright eyes, and bellies full of enthusiasm to lean on.  Why not make tomorrow the ‘good old days’ for the next person below you on the ladder?

Rural Alberta Advantage

Things change, and in my lifetime I’ve seen the unfortunate diminishing of the little towns and small roadside services. Change is hard, but I do believe there is a silver lining of all the calamity over the last couple of years – it has made many appreciate those little towns and businesses more. I believe with the modern ability to connect with the entire world, we may be in a renaissance age of the old ‘cottage industry’ model.  The modern technology we have to produce high quality products in a smaller environment, cost effectively, is astounding.  The need to have a massive warehouse or logistics network is no longer a burden on companies themselves – there are companies out there that take care of that for the small producer. The ability to effectively market your own products is but a few keystrokes away, and further with large virtual store fronts out there that could have you as a “trusted vendor” getting your high-quality product out to the whole world.

I believe the rural Alberta advantage has been shown over the last year. It’s affordability, with a high quality of life.  Let’s face it, sitting in traffic for two hours a day, with health restrictions in place, and a pile of strangers around, and the only reprieve being back in your house at the end of it all staring at the TV, is a vast comparison to walking to the corner store, going out on the back deck, and looking out at the lake.

Many people are wanting to get out of the big cities, to be part of small communities again, and to be able to work remotely while they raise kids in a more ‘good old days’ culture.  Let’s embrace that.  Let’s flex our advantages’ Let’s welcome newcomers and pivot our business models to bottle up and distribute what we have to the big stage.  Brag up your communities, brag up your festivals, and show off all that we have to offer – it is enviable indeed. As a side note, if you have any good stories or photos of our community, email them over to my constituency office to share.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m very close to announcing some great things happening in the aerospace sector, all because of a few ‘usual suspects’ coming together to dream big and get our little corner of the world on the map.  Not just one company, or just one group, but several.  Our little ‘cottage industry’ is getting ready to take off, and our little airport is the catalyst, all because of our ability to come together and make things happen.  I’m very proud to be the MLA for God’s Country, and I’m going to keep promoting the heck out of it, getting the right people together in the room, and putting to use all of the skill sets that I learned over the years from my mentors.  I’m hoping to see more bright-eyed and shiny faces around the table. Success is contagious, and we are all due for a win.

 MLA Shane Getson

For more information follow this link:

Source: The Buffalo Tribune

Getson: Keystone has exposed our shortcomings as a nation—shortcomings that we can no longer afford