The OPPORTUNITY SHOW

The Opportunity Show Newsletter From PerformXcellence	Issue 8 First Quarter 2010

Dear ,

The beauty of Spring is arriving after a particularly potent Winter and the earthquakes that have devastated Chile and Haiti are reminders of how unpredictable all our lives can be. Yet it is in our nature to be optimistic and to be ready for what's around the next corner. As the first quarter comes to a close, we address both the need to see opportunity where others see obstacles (our profile of Salvadoran, Mac Bernal is an inspiring example of this) and the equally important need to be prudent in our planning (see Mark's lead article on Business Lessons From The Post Recession Economy and a provocative article on the economic prospects for Baby Boomers).

The extraordinary story of a family's triumph over tragedy offers a lesson in the importance of healing and hope when confronting diversity. It is now five years since the six children, then ages 1 through 9, lost their mother Kiandra to domestic violence. The family continues to both heal the pain of that loss and struggle for ongoing stability. Patrice O'Shaugnessy of the Daily News visits Sheila Blackmond, Kiandra's mother, who stepped in to adopt her six grandchildren and keep her family together and learns how the family continues to put the pieces of their lives together again. Our response at TOS was to create the Kiandra Miracle Trust Fund to help families like the Blackmonds know that they are supported in that healing process.

So read about lessons to be learned, reasons to be optimistic and how to think about the future as we welcome the next cycle into our lives. Enjoy.

What To Do Next? Business Lessons for the Post Recession Economy

By Mark Monchek

"It is the best of times. It is the worst of times." Charles Dickens from A Tale of Two Cities.

Government economists tell us that the recession officially began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009. However, 14.8 million of the United States labor force is still unemployed, a record 2.8 million homes in 2009 were threatened with foreclosure, and the real estate market is still in gridlock.
Still, in some important ways we are out of the recession.

The vast majority of businesses no longer use the economy as an excuse for standing still. Most businesses now understand that they have to do something different if they don't want to join the 200,000 businesses that went belly up in 2009. Seth Godin in his new book, Linchpin- Are you indispensable? makes a compelling argument that the only form of job security in the new economy is becoming someone who cannot be replaced because their contribution is unique and invaluable.

El Salvador: Hidden Opportunities in Business and Adventure

by Mark Monchek

In 2007 our client, a New York-based apparel manufacturer, built a plant in a government sponsored free zone of El Salvador. On my first trip to El Salvador in November of 2009, I was told that the country was a huge sinkhole of poverty- the remains of years of natural disasters and war. Besides cheap, reliable labor and great surfing, there was little else, said my colleague. I am so glad to have discovered a different view.

When the global economy comes back, El Salvador will be ready. Mac Bernal, an army veteran tour guide and community leader (pictured above), is one of many reasons why. After experiencing the rare combination of passion and expertise that a day spent touring El Salvador with Mac makes apparent, The Opportunity Show is now sponsoring 25 young people being mentored by the tireless guide with an Internet connection, computers, software, books, and training.

Read more

Unretirement: Can Boomers Reframe The Next Chapter of their Lives?

by Andrew Levine

If you've been reading our Newsletter over the past year, you know that we strive to put a new lens up to what can easily seem like downturns, obstacles and bad luck.Take the issues facing most Boomers as they look ahead to retirement. What impact has the deep recession had on our future work life and how do we reframe the conversations we must have about approaching late middle age and our later years?

According to Sun Life Financial's "Unretirement Index", 65% of U.S. workers now say they'll need to keep working past retirement age to make ends meet. In fact, articles in business publications increasingly have been spinning unretirement as a looming problem for companies anxious to control their health care costs and to clear out aging "lifers" on their staffs.

Read more