It’s Day Three of #MyMarchMadness and I’m traveling for work. There are a number of corporations who have manufactured, installed or serviced products that make this possible.
As I look around the John F. Kennedy airport terminal and walk that long hallway from the AirTrain station, I am awed by the physics in play to create such a passage high above the roadway and protected from the cold, snowy weather outside. #thingsitakeforgranted
I had the opportunity to tour the Lafarge N.A. Inc. concrete plant outside of Albany, New York a few years ago. (My steel-toed shoes are still in my closet and ready to go on another tour or adventure.) Not only was I fascinated by the manufacturing process, but I also developed an even deeper respect for the business and industry in which it operates. So, today, I honor @Lafarge in my #GratitudeGame.
Dear #Lafarge:
#HappyWorthDay! Today, I am celebrating the value you have brought to my life.
Thank you for:
1. Operating in a dangerous industry so we can have modern conveniences. Your commitment to durable, innovative design comes with a high price. You have to balance business interests with community, competitor, employee, environmental, government, shareholder, and other interests. Yet you are responsive and seem to do a pretty good job maintaining a very delicate balance.
2. Understanding that it makes good business sense to do what is right. You make difficult decisions about the community and environmental impact of mining and manufacturing that I’m not sure I could make much better. You try to restore the lands on which you work. You try to develop your employees. You continue to research ways to have a less negative and more positive impact.
3. Doing it all fairly well in the face of massive challenge. I still get a little upset (at least for a while) when an employee is unhappy, resigns or just doesn’t love working at The Law Studio. I am confused, if not a bit hurt, when others don’t respect me or appreciate my work. I operate primarily in one state, in one country and with a handful of employees and vendors. Multiply this by the number of Lafarge employees, and you are dealing with 64,000 times more than I am. Again, you do it pretty darned well under the circumstances.
In short, you make a difference, even when you doubt you do. I hope you will put your focus on making an even bigger difference.
Have a conflict keeping you up at night? Buy the book
Nance L. Schick, Esq. is a New York City attorney and mediator who focuses on keeping people out of court and building their conflict resolution skills, especially in business and employment disputes. Her holistic, integrative approach to conflict resolution draws from her experience as a crime victim, human resources supervisor, minor league sports agent, litigant, and trial attorney. She is a 2001 graduate of the State University of New York Buffalo Law School trained in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation (ICERM). She is also creator of the Third Ear Conflict Resolution process, author of DIY Conflict Resolution: Seven Choices and Five Actions of a Master, and an award-winning entrepreneur, who has been acknowledged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (2015 Blue Ribbon Small Business), Enterprising Women Magazine (Honorable Mention, 2014 Woman of the Year awards), and Urban Rebound NY/Count Me In (Finalist, 2013 Pitch Competition).