This week, I was reminded of the power of vision to inspire others to carry on, even when the leader is no longer there to stoke the flames. I wanted to share that insight into the power of a vision of service, by telling the story of The Christmas Schooner, a musical performed by TesserAct Theatre Ensemble at its Sponsors’ Gala evening on Monday, November 29th. As one of the sponsors, Painting in Partnership’s thirty guests helped usher in the Holiday Season in style. What a touching and inspiring performance!

Captain Peter on the Rouse Simmons

Having never seen the musical, I did not quite know what to expect. I knew that the play was based on the true story of a schooner named the Rouse Simmons that made the trek from upper Michigan to Chicago, in late Novembers, over 100 years ago, in order to bring Christmas trees to the area population. It became known as the Christmas Schooner.

In the play, the captain of the Rouse Simmons, whose name is Peter, was inspired to ferry Christmas trees into Chicago by a letter that Martha had sent to his family complaining that folks in Chicago were deprived of the full enjoyment of Christmas by not having an adequate supply of evergreens. Being a good businessman, Peter knew that there was a profit opportunity in those trees. However, it was also clear that Peter was motivated by something beyond that: spreading the Christmas spirit to the folks in Chicago. After the first trip, he was hooked! He had seen firsthand the impact of his journey on the population and he enrolled his family in supporting the effort, in spite of the fact his wife was fearful of his sailing on lake Michigan at that time of year.
That support was to be put to test when, during the next year’s voyage, a violent storm sank the Rouse Simmons (in 1912) and Peter perished. Despite their grief and hurt, Peter’s wife and son decided that Peter’s legacy had to carry on, so they did and, for many more years (until 1920), a schooner would set anchor at the Clark street pier to deliver its precious cargo.

I have long been an advocate for the power of a vision of service. I believe that God sewed the seeds in each of us for a vision of how to make life better around us. When we choose to act on that vision, it causes others to join in and add momentum towards its ultimate fulfillment.

Follow

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

In the past two years, most contractors have experienced the dire pressures of the worst economic downturn seen in several generations. This week, when I saw this picture, it inspired me to write a brief article on the challenge and the opportunity of living through such times.

As Chicago area house painting contractors, my company has not been spared from the bite of the recession. Our sales have shrunk by thirty percent and profits have fallen even more. We have had to reduce staff, cut overhead and reduce benefits in order to manage the bottom line. Sounds familiar? Moreover, recovery has not begun yet.

When I go through circumstances like these, I look for the silver lining. I ask myself: what is the opportunity in this scenario? The opportunity I saw in this recession is time; time I did not have before to do major developmental work in my company.

For instance, I saw in the recession a golden opportunity to create an optimized presence on the web for my company through the development of targeted content, blog, newsletter and videos, as well as gaining a foothold in the social media arena, with the help of two trusted professionals. I have been asked: “How can you afford to do all this during times like these?” My answer is: “I cannot afford not to.” I am happy to report that Painting in Partnership is now findable on the web in a myriad of new ways and that the web has contributed eighteen percent of our sales this year!

My fighting spirit tells me: “If I am going to go through times like these, I will do whatever I can for my company to emerge stronger on the other side.” What opportunity have you embraced for your company during the course of this recession?

Follow