You’re Hired

I’ve been running a successful business for fifty years.

My partner and I began our law practice in 1967 with one employee.

Eleanor was our receptionist/legal secretary/accountant.  She worked hard every single day and knew a lot more about how to run a law office than we did.  All of us worked twelve hours a day, six or seven days a week.

In 1968 I formed a real estate company which today owns and manages shopping centers throughout the United States.  We have offices in Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, and Kansas City.  We have more than forty employees.

Over the years I’ve hired hundreds of employees.  And, like our President-elect, I’ve also fired a few.  My business will only thrive when my employees do their job.  I am careful about who I hire.  I am even more careful in making sure that both my employees and I do what we were hired to do.

Every single day.

My receptionist answers the phone each day to keep communication open.  My tech expert maintains our computers every day.  My accounting staff produces the information our managers need.  Everyone contributes to our success.

But it’s not enough just to hire good people.

One week ago the American people hired Donald J. Trump to do a job.  His election was a surprise to many, but not to those who elected him, many of whom felt that previous politicians had failed to deliver on two promises – to provide stable jobs and affordable health care.  The movie Network captured this frustration in the memorable line, “I’m mad as Hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.”

But the point is not just to get mad.  The point is to get results – good jobs and affordable health care.

You get what you inspect, not what you expect, and it is now up to us to insist on performance.

Let’s not repeat the mistake of the past.  We have hired one president after another, one Congressman after another, one Senator after another, but have failed to hold them accountable on a daily basis.

Many of our elected representatives have been more concerned with protecting their own jobs than in providing jobs for us.  Many have spent more time fighting with each other than fighting for us.  Many have paid more attention to politics than they have to progress.

It’s not enough to hire a new cast of characters.  We need to take another step.  We need to ask President-elect Trump, and every other elected official in the land, the following question.  “What action, specifically, have you taken to help us today?”

We have to ask this question over and over from morning to night:

“What action, specifically, have you taken to help us today?”

“Do I have a job?  Do I have affordable health care?”  Those are your concerns every day of your life.  You have to insist that your concerns also be the concerns of every officeholder who represents you.

They won’t make it happen by magic.  You must insist on performance.  No more excuses.  No more political blah blah.  No more protecting their jobs at the expense of our own.

Donald, you’re hired and we’re watching you.

It’s time for you to go to work.

Alan