Almost every business in the United States, large or small, has a serious problem. Most leaders don’t realize it, or don’t know have to fix it. The problem is that the U.S. economic engine is struggling. Our annual economic growth from the 1950’s (4%) has dropped to less than 2% in the last two decades. Economists’ estimates expect our economic growth over the next two decades to be less than 1%. The problem is even worse than it appears because of the growing income disparity favoring the top 10% to the detriment of the bottom 90% of the U.S. population.
Below is disturbing evidence of the negative impact this economic slowdown and income inequality has had on our population:
- We now spend collectively over $1 trillion annually on Valium, Ativan, and Xanax, etc. for depression and anxiety, 30% of our total annual healthcare costs. (28% of our population) Worse, scientific studies over the last 3 decades state (shockingly) that these anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs are mostly a waste of money, providing very little long-term benefit for anyone taking them. (But that’s another story for another time.)
- 80% of Americans report they suffer from chronic or periodic stress.
- 70% of employees reported in the spring of 2020 they were “burned out” at work.
- Over 75% of people who quit their job voluntarily leave because they can’t get along with their supervisors. Less than 20% of U.S, workers claim to be engaged in their work.
- Over 25% of all employees in the U.S. (including those working remotely) are looking for new jobs as of May 2021. Four million U.S. employees quit their jobs in April.
- The number of Americans stating that they are “very happy with life” has been steadily falling for decades. Americans are the unhappiest they have been in the last 50 years.
These are stark indicators of how badly our citizens are out of control and disconnected. The fact that so many of us are doing nothing more than medicate (or self-medicate) our stress, anxiety and depression intensifies the predicament. We are barely coping and doing little to promote any true sense of happiness or contentment.
A big part of the problem is the rapid societal change that has been ongoing for 30+ years has left us feeling we have lost control of and are disconnected from meaningful work, a hopeful or secure future, enjoying solid relationships, strong meaningful values and our sense of wellbeing. A successful career in financial planning taught me how severe personal and financial stress can devastate a person’s emotional stability and productivity. Business leaders are rightly concerned about these problems not realizing established organizational culture has exacerbated the problems.
This can be fixed with commitment and determined effort, but not without changing dramatically how we do things in business and our personal lives. We have the coaching tools to dramatically reverse this crisis and we have been utilizing them with our clients for excellent success for years. Too many people suffering from severe stress, anxiety or depression aren’t aware how severely they are affected by these conditions, or they are so “stuck” they don’t believe they can be helped.
Today, it is far easier to help clients build for themselves highly successful and satisfying lives than it is getting them to see they must have help to make needed shifts toward more productive behaviors and attitudes.
If you, your friends, or colleagues are frustrated about current conditions our coaching and protocols will substantially improve or eliminate these problems all together. The solutions only requires a commitment and a partnership on the part of employers, their employees, and the tools for self-mastery we offer. We most often refer to our coaching work as building self-awareness in people. As we grow in self-awareness and integrate these tools into our behavior, our emotional upset and frustration start to disappear. The clients we coach watch their problems melt away as their confidence and peace of mind increase. We see that happen all the time.
Tom Searcy, BCC
574-850-9912
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