Perspective

I dropped the kids off at school this morning and could feel the change in the air. Smiles were everywhere despite the rain-threatening skies, and the blustery wind lashing the last of the leaves from the trees; it was as if the illumination of the morning was coming from the ground rather than the sky.

It's not hard to figure out why. For many people, this week starts the countdown to the holidays and New Year's. The time when last year's problems get swept away, and one gets the chance to breathe deeply and shake off the miserable fugue that has rocked the foundation of this normally optimistic country.

During Thanksgiving people set aside time to think about what happened, and why, and take a few moments to make sense of the world swirling around them. It is a uniquely American holiday. It represents the spirit of a hopeful people who, by planning or by chance, have landed in a new place, and decided it is HERE that things will be better. It is HERE that things will be different.

Inevitably, this leads to a listing of what makes us hopeful. A list of things that validate the decisions of the past, and things that improve our outlook for tomorrow. And so, it is here in this semi-regular blog that I also feel compelled to tell you what I'm thankful for.

I am thankful that General Motors and Chrysler moved as quickly as they did through bankruptcy. The thought of two-thirds of the American car industry in bankruptcy (representative of a languishing manufacturing sector in general) was hugely depressing. Their fast and clean emergence from Chapter 11 and, for GM at least, improving forecasts is a win that bolsters many of us and keeps us rooting for the underdog.

I am thankful that Ford was able to avoid bankruptcy altogether. Sometimes luck leads the way, and Ford was plain lucky to have tackled its debt issues before the commercial credit doors swung shut. Coupled with some important vehicles that were hitting dealerships at the right time, Ford was able to emerge as a leader in the most difficult financial environment since the Second World War. Having a domestic manufacturer be part of what is right in our economy was a huge benefit when everything else was looking so bleak.

I am thankful that all of the economic meltdown is forcing so many companies to re-think how they do things. Massive challenges bring clarity of need, and creativity of approach. As a country of innovators, it is in times like these that our best shines through.

I am thankful to work for a company where disruptive change is sought out and embraced, where transparency and clarity are watchwords, and where "need-to-know-only" is largely absent. Companies like Jumpstart Auto Group attract the bold and the thoughtful, and invite them to apply their greatest energies to change what needs changing, and to better what others might think is fine. Through these people, our industry will remain exciting and strong.

Finally, because we should all be working to live, and not living to work, I am thankful for a wonderful family, fantastic friends, and stout good health. May your Thanksgiving be a celebration of life and loved ones as well.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.