Until Tomorrow

Ask any leader to identify a pressing problem and many of them will quickly recite a long list, some real and some likely imagined. The biggest problem facing our nation is federal budget deficits and the staggering amount of debt we have accumulated, now measured in abstract terms as trillions of dollars. Politicians, business leaders, educators, and average citizens all seem to know that deficit spending is unsustainable and a threat to our nation’s economic competitiveness. Yet, the spending spree continues unabated.

As with any big problem there are many contributing factors that must be addressed if we expect to change course. Folks smarter than myself would suggest they include raising revenues, addressing entitlement programs, and slowing the pace of health care costs. Instead of hammering out sensible solutions to these very real problems, political and business leaders alike have been more than willing to defer until tomorrow.

Change of any kind is almost always accompanied by sacrifice and pain. If you have ever personally struggled to confront an addiction or commit to healthier eating and more exercise you know how challenging it can be. As a business leader you probably understand the difficulties presented when a new process is introduced or employees are asked to forgo a planned wage or benefit increase. Suddenly what sounds good in theory becomes an unpleasant reality.

When a decision includes making someone unhappy or uncomfortable the easy choice is to do nothing. Unfortunately what passes as indecision really isn’t. If you agree to disagree you have made a choice. When politicians and business leaders decide not to decide they have actually made a decision. Waiting until tomorrow is like a farmer hoping the cows will milk themselves. Perhaps that analogy no longer works in an age when computerized robots can do these mundane chores without human intervention. But I hope you still get the point.

Leaders cannot continue to act as though their decision not to decide has no implications for the future of their organizations or our country. Without some painful actions and shared sacrifices (not just from those labeled as wealthy) we can expect our standard of living to decline, our economic engine to sputter or stall, and our future generations to grow up in a vastly different world than the one we have taken for granted. Waiting until tomorrow is not a decision any of us should be wishing for. By doing nothing we will get just that...nothing.