What it taught me about myself:

It confirmed in me that I have the ability to lead my company through a crisis. Having started Carceron during the 2001 recession and surviving a 2nd one is no small feat and one that I am proud of. Hell, if anything, it has been invigorating.

What it taught me about business:

That all of the sales rhetoric about selling on value versus price is null and void during a recession. We had several clients with whom we thought we had very strong relationships that put our contracts out to bid and switched  to the competition for as little as a $100 difference per month. Put more simply, fear trumps value.

What it taught me about the world:

That money can truly brings out the worst in us and I fear that it will only intensify. I find it somewhat ironic that we all discovered a new found sense of unity and patriotism after 9/11 happened, but when the economy melted down we did little but get very angry and very afraid.

It reminds me of something I read long ago about the window and the mirror. The less evolved will tend to look out the window for the source of their problems, thinking that it could not possibly be from the outside. However, many people have a hard time looking in the mirror (even me sometimes) for the source of their problems.

It also reminds me of a dysfunctional family (of which I have ample experience). You accept your family members (in this case the banks and government) flaws and all, no matter how often they screw you, but when someone outside the family strikes a blow we become enraged. No one picks on my dysfunctional brother but me damn it!

Perhaps I’m being overly harsh. After all, what could have us little people truly have done?